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.

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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