How to Prepare Your Child for Kindergarten

Kindergarten is an important year in a child’s education. Determine whether your child is ready to begin kindergarten and support readiness skills with a helpful checklist for parents to ensure a strong start.

The Importance of Kindergarten Readiness

In many ways, kindergarten is the most important year in a child’s education. It sets the stage for how children view themselves as students and how they view learning in general. If children start school well below the skill level of most of their classmates, they may feel bad about not knowing what everyone else seems to know, and they might conclude that they are not as smart as others. Without encouragement, they may begin to misbehave in class, avoid participating in difficult work, and give up on learning.

Build Skills to Ready Your Child for Kindergarten

Parents and caregivers can help children prepare for kindergarten. Here are some ways to help a little one you know get ready for this big transition.

There are several skills that your child will need to start kindergarten out strong. Can your child identify letters and numbers? Tie shoes and eat independently? Print out a checklist of these essential skills and check off those your child already does consistently and well. Pick one or two skills your child does not do well yet and practice the skill or skills for a few minutes each day.

Prioritize Social Skills

While the academic skills—like knowing the alphabet, numbers, and colors—are important, children can catch up on these skills if they are prepared to learn. The social skills—like sitting quietly while the teacher is talking, following verbal instructions, and working independently for short periods—are essential to learning well. Being able to use the bathroom, get shoes on and off, and eat independently are important in the classroom setting because the teacher may have 20 to 30 children to work with and cannot help every child with each of these skills every time.

Encourage Cooperation

Have your child participate in a group setting, such as a play group, a tumbling class, swimming lessons, camp, or a music class for a few hours each week, if possible. Participating in structured, teacher-led activities will help children get used to working in a group and following instructions from another adult.

Learning to cooperate in a group setting can be very difficult for children. Here are some ways to help them learn this important skill:

• Avoid using a question when there really isn’t an option. For example, “Can you put your shoes on now, please?” If the child says “no,” you’re now in a battle of wills because you gave an option. It’s better to say, “Put your shoes on now, please.”
• Offering choices at the right time is a good way to build children’s abilities to make decisions and helps them feel they have some control. This is especially helpful with strong-willed children but use this strategy sparingly and when it works for you. For example, “Do you want to wear the blue shirt or the red one today?”

Read and Talk about Kindergarten

Read books together that talk about what kindergarten will be like and emphasize how much fun it will be to learn new things and make new friends. Shared reading experiences and discussions will allow children to visualize and anticipate kindergarten and dispel anxiety about the start of school.

Practice Kindergarten Expectations

In kindergarten, children will need to sit quietly and calmly for 10 minutes while their teacher is talking or reading. To prepare your child for this expectation, do tabletop activities each day that require your child to sit still at the table for at least 10 minutes. Examples of activities include crafts, coloring, building with blocks, puzzles, and board games.

Play games with friends or siblings that require following rules and taking turns. (These games can also incorporate learning counting, colors, or shapes.)

Establish Clear Consequences in Advance

Prepare children to succeed before a situation occurs. For example, maybe you’re heading to the store and know that this has been a difficult place for your child to behave appropriately in the past. Before you walk into the building, stop and say, “When we’re in the store, I want you to hold my hand and not touch anything on the shelves. If you can do this, we will get you a little treat at the end of our time here. If you don’t do this, you will not get to play that game when we get home.” The expectations are clear, and it’s now up to the child to make the decision about their behavior and accept the consequences. Be very specific about what behavior you expect rather than simply saying, “I want you to behave,” because that may mean very little to a young child.

Alternatives When a Child is Not Ready for Kindergarten

Maybe you’ve looked at the Kindergarten Readiness Skills Checklist and you feel your child is not yet ready for school and may not be by the time you plan to drop them off at the classroom door. What can you do when you feel like your child cannot prepare for kindergarten in time?

Many children may not be completely ready for school when the time comes, for many different reasons. For example, maybe your child hasn’t learned or mastered foundational information like the alphabet, numbers, and colors. Or maybe your child is shy and has not spent much time in groups learning social skills that will be beneficial in school interactions. Children on the autism spectrum or with ADHD may have difficulty with social skills, focus, and following instructions. Other children may have physical limitations and walk with assistive devices or use wheelchairs. Some deal with anxiety, PTSD, behavioral problems, or learning difficulties.

But there’s good news: You and other caring adults can help your child prepare for kindergarten as much as possible before they begin school, and you can continue to help after school starts. Whatever needs your child has, here are ways you can help them succeed. Kindergarten teachers expect children to arrive with a wide range of skills, so they work hard to help each child do well at their own pace.

Consider All Options

Consider the educational options that might be available, such as homeschooling, online school, public or charter schools, or private school. Find a fit that works well for the child and those who are helping them.

Timing

Think about when it would be best for your child to start school. You could delay beginning kindergarten and put your child in preschool for a year if they need more time to be comfortable socially in school. It’s also possible to repeat a kindergarten year, if necessary, before beginning first grade.

Build Skills at Home

Prepare for kindergarten by working on specific skills at home. Take one skill at a time and work on it for a few minutes each day. For example, start with the letter A. Look at it in books. Find it on signs as you walk around a neighborhood. Trace it with a finger in sand, snow, mud, finger paints, or shaving cream. Talk about words that begin with A (referring, if you like, to ABC Ready for School, which talks about the word “ask.” Or, work on color identification by talking about the colors of things around you. Point them out to the child, working on one color each day. “This is blue. Can you see something else that is blue? Let’s find the blue car in this box.

Enroll in a Class  

To build and strengthen social skills, place your child in group settings such as preschool, childcare, a class at a place of worship, or an activity in sports, music, art, or dance. Try to keep these visits short (one or two hours) at first and lengthen them when and if it seems appropriate.

Consult with an Expert

Depending on what your child is finding challenging, talk to your pediatrician about one or more of the following:

• An occupational therapy evaluation. Occupational therapists assess and work on gross motor skills, fine motor skills, focus, following instructions, sensory processing problems, social skills, and visual motor skills. They can also work with your child’s teacher to make adaptations to the school environment that will make learning more successful.
• A physical therapy evaluation. A physical therapist can assess mobility, balance, strength, and endurance, and can suggest adaptive equipment or other accommodations to help a child with physical challenges be safe and mobile at school.
• A speech therapy evaluation. Speech therapists work with children who have difficulty communicating clearly and help prepare children to interact well with others.
• A referral to a behavioral therapist. A behavioral therapist can assess and work on behavior issues, helping the child learn new ways to interact with others, deal with anger and frustration, and gain confidence by meeting goals.

Partner with Your Child’s Teacher

Visit the school before your child begins. Talk to the teacher about any specific needs or challenges your child has (as well as their strengths) and how those can be addressed in the group setting. Ask about setting up a one-on-one aide for your child if needed and about modifying school participation times if appropriate.

Find a Supportive Community

Find a support group that provides help for the parents or caregivers of children with special needs or other challenges. You will learn new skills and get the supportive help you need for your journey through the education system.

Every child deserves the best opportunity to learn and grow to their full potential. Parents and caregivers are their child’s best advocates and have the power to help their children prepare for kindergarten. Build the readiness skills needed to begin a successful kindergarten year. Don’t be afraid to seek help when you need it or to work with professionals who can encourage and support your family.