• Skills Needed to Succeed in KA

  • Skills Needed for Success

     
    While teachers certainly don't expect children to come to school at age 5 knowing everything already, the first couple of weeks will go much smoother if the child has a solid foundation. Students who are entering kindergarten should be able to:
     
     
    1. Verbalize Wants and Needs
     
    Children who greet one another with a "Hello," who ask their teachers for what they need, who negotiate well with peers, and who speak up for themselves will do well socially in kindergarten.
     
     
    2. Write Their Names
     
    Ideally, the children will write their first names from left to right with a capital first letter and the rest lower case. At the very minimum, though, they need to be able to write some form of their first name that is recognizable to the teacher.
     
     
    3. Handle a Book
     
    Not read it, but rather be able to locate the cover, hold it the right direction, turn the pages, and locate the text. The one and only way to teach this skill is to read to your child every single day. Have books in every room and in the car. Make sure that your child sees you reading your own books, too. Read, read, read!
     
     
    4. Dress Themselves
     
    Kindergartners need to be able to put on their own coats and shoes and button their own pants. If your child hasn't mastered shoe tying at the beginning of the year, don't panic! Keep practicing, but be sure to send him to school in easy that they can do themself.
     
     
    5. Be Independent in the Bathroom
     
    Kindergarten teachers are likely not going to be able to accompany their students to the bathroom. The students must be able to handle their own pants (no overalls or onesies!), wipe themselves, and wash their own hands. Start practicing at age 4. This one's important!
     
     
    6. Use Scissors, Glue and Crayons
     
    There's a lot of coloring, cutting and pasting going on in kindergarten. The children who already know how to use their school supplies at the beginning of the year get a big gold star.
     
     
    7. Identify Some Letters and Letter Sounds
     
    Starting with the letters of their name, children who are entering kindergarten should know most of the upper case and many of the lower case letters. It's helpful if they also know that letters make sounds, but not imperative that they know what each one is.
     
     
    8. Count to 10
     
    Kindergartners should be able to rote count (1-2-3-4...) through 10 and also be able to count a set of objects (4 crackers) with good one-to-one correspondence.
     
     
    9. Rhyme
     
    There is research that shows that children who have good phonological awareness skills (Rhyming is one of them!) tend to become better readers. Play with rhyming words with your child. Sing nursery rhymes and rhyming songs. Read books that have rhymes.
     
     
    10. Separate from their Parents
     
    Separation anxiety is very common among children who are just beginning school. Kindergartners who are happy and comfortable in the school setting are off to a great start. Plan a night out without the kids, schedule a drop-off play date, or enroll in a preschool class to practice.

  • Developmental Milestones 

     
    Children at this age can talk with others, answer "How many?" and tell the difference between shapes, toys, and pictures on cards. They can tell you their birthday, name feelings, dress themselves, march in time to music and tell the difference between real and make-believe. Children at this age can talk with others, answer "How many?" and tell the difference between shapes, toys, and pictures on cards. They can tell you their birthday, name feelings, dress themselves, march in time to music and tell the difference between real and make-believe.
     
     
    Activities your child may be doing:

    • Can name three coins
    • Can define five words
    • Can count four or more things and answer, “How many?”
    • Can talk with others
    • Can match a spoken word to a picture
    • Can tell you what is the same or different (between shapes, toys, pictures on cards)
    • Can tell you their birthday
    • Can name two feelings (happy, sad)
    • Can tell you the difference between “real” and “make-believe”
    • Can put on t-shirt
    • Knows front from back of clothing
    • Can brush their teeth
    • Can catch a bounced ball
    • Can skip
    • Can march in time to music
    • Can copy a cross (+) or an x
    • Can draw a person (stick figure with 3-6 parts such as lines & circles for arms, legs, head, fingers)

     
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    Developmental Milestone Checklist for 5 year olds. Share the list with your child’s healthcare professional, teacher, or save it for your own records.
     
    Each activity your child is doing is typical of their age.  If your child isn’t doing all of the activities, it doesn’t mean anything is wrong. Children can vary by as much as six months in some of the things that they are able to do. If you do have questions about your child’s development, you can call the CONNECT Helpline, a program of the State of Pennsylvania.
     
     
    CONNECT Helpline 1-800-692-7288
     
     
    The child specialists on the CONNECT Helpline are there to answer questions and provide information about child development for families of children ages birth to five.