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100 Things Kids Should Know Before Entering Kindergarten

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This list of 100 Things Kids Should Know Before Entering Kindergarten will help set your child up for success in school. It's always a good idea to know what your child needs to know before kindergarten. Preparing children for success in school is one of the top priorities of most parents. Knowing what the expectations are for your child can help you support the development they need to start school.  It is important to note that children can develop at different rates, but the goals remain the same for all. Use this list as a guide for preparing your child for kindergarten, but don’t stress if they don’t complete all of these goals before they start school. While we homeschool and not everything on this list is applicable to homeschoolers, I've used my knowledge as a former kindergarten teacher to make this list. Some of the items on this list are specifically for public school students while the rest are general things every child should hopefully learn before entering kindergarten.

This list of 100 Things Kids Should Know Before Entering Kindergarten is a great way to know if our child is ready for kindergarten. While every child is different and won't have attained everything on this list, it is a good starting point for what to teach your kids before going to school.

100 Things Kids Should Know Before Entering Kindergarten

  1. Manages bathroom needs
  2. Washes hands after using the bathroom
  3. Wipes nose with a tissue
  4. Buttons shirts, pants, coats, and zips up zippers
  5. Tries to tie own shoes
  6. Puts on a coat
  7. Puts on a backpack
  8. Opens a juice box and a small carton of milk
  9. Carries a plate of food without spilling
  10. Knows how to drink from a water fountain
  11. Separates from parents without being upset
  12. Knows first and last name
  13. Knows address
  14. Knows phone number
  15. Shows eagerness and curiosity as a learner
  16. Persists in tasks and seeks help when encountering a problem
  17. Stays with an activity to completion
  18. Is generally pleasant and cooperative
  19. Uses words like “please”, “thank you”, and “excuse me”
  20. Follows rules and routines
  21. Manages transitions (going from one activity to the next)
  22. Demonstrates normal activity level
  23. Interacts easily with one or more children
  24. Interacts easily with familiar adults
  25. Participates in group activities
  26. Plays well with others
  27. Takes turns and shares
  28. Cleans up after play
  29. Seeks adult help when needed to resolve conflicts
  30. Uses words to resolve conflicts
  31. Understands actions have both causes and effects
  32. Listens with understanding to directions and conversations
  33. Follows one-step directions
  34. Follows two-step directions
  35. Pays attention for short periods of time to adult-directed tasks
  36. Speaks clearly enough to be understood without contextual clues
  37. Relates experiences with some understanding of sequences of events
  38. Listens with interest to stories read aloud without interrupting
  39. Shows interest in reading-related activities
  40. Retells information from a story
  41. Sequences three pictures to tell a logical story
  42. Knows and recites some common nursery rhymes and songs
  43. Repeats a 6 to 8 word sentence
  44. Recognizes rhyming sounds
  45. Uses pictures to communicate ideas
  46. Uses scribbles, shapes, and letter-like symbols to write words or ideas
  47. Holds a book and turns pages
  48. Knows concepts of print (front and back of book, which page comes first, track words left to right)
  49. Recites/sings alphabet
  50. Matches uppercase letters to uppercase letters
  51. Matches lowercase letters to lowercase letters
  52. Identifies uppercase letters
  53. Identifies lowercase letters
  54. Identifies some letter sounds
  55. Identifies the beginning sound of some words
  56. Sorts by color, shape, and size
  57. Orders or seriates several objects on the basis of one attribute
  58. Recognizes simple patterns and duplicates them
  59. Rote counts to 20
  60. Counts objects with meaning to 10
  61. Uses finger to accurately touch count items to 10
  62. Matches numerals
  63. Identifies by naming numerals 0-10 in random order
  64. Tells what number comes before or after a given number to 10
  65. Identifies 4 shapes- circle, square, rectangle, triangle
  66. Demonstrates concepts of positional/directional concepts (up/down, over/under, in/out, behind/in front of, beside/between, top/bottom, inside/outside, above/below, high/low, right/left, off/on, first/last, far/near, go/stop)
  67. Shows understanding of and uses comparative words (big/little, large/small, short/long, tall/short, slow/fast, few/many, empty/full, less/more)
  68. Pedals and steers a tricycle
  69. Jumps in place, landing on two feet
  70. Jumps consecutively- 7 jumps
  71. Balances on one foot for 5 seconds
  72. Hops on one foot 2-3 hops
  73. Hops on one foot for 6 feet
  74. Throws a ball with direction up to 5 feet
  75. Catches a thrown ball with arms and body
  76. Bounces a ball
  77. Climbs a playground ladder
  78. Skips smoothly for 20 feet
  79. Shows understanding of general times of day
  80. Stacks ten, 1-inch blocks
  81. Strings four ½ inch beads in two minutes
  82. Completes a seven piece interlocking puzzle
  83. Makes a pancake, snake, and ball from playdough
  84. Grasps pencil correctly
  85. Copies: vertical line, horizontal line, circle, cross, square, V, triangle
  86. Copies first name
  87. Prints first name without a model
  88. Grasps scissors correctly
  89. Cuts within ¼ inch of a 6-inch straight line on construction paper
  90. Cuts out a 3-inch square on construction paper
  91. Cuts out a 3-inch triangle on construction paper
  92. Cuts out a 3-inch circle on construction paper
  93. Uses a glue stick appropriately
  94. Uses appropriate amount of glue for tasks
  95. Identifies 10 colors: red, yellow, blue, green, orange, purple, black, white, brown, pink
  96. Uses a variety of art materials for tactile experience and exploration
  97. Participates in group music experiences
  98. Participates in creative movement/dance
  99. Makes believe with objects
  100. Takes on pretend roles and situations

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THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THIS VERY THOUGHTFUL LIST!!!!! I have been looking for apps to hopefully keep my son's attention, to no avail. I was getting pretty frustrated when I came across your pin and I can't tell you how much better I feel about this! And the list is amazing! So well thought out, and I actually feel better instead of scared! Lol! ,)

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