BASIC LIST OF SKILLS SCHOOLS EXPECT CHILDREN TO HAVE BEFORE ENTERING KINDERGARTEN.
Use this list or a list provided by the kindergarten your children will enter as a guide in preparing them for school.
General expectations
Most school lists suggest that children should be able to do the following:
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Handle all personal needs, such as going to the bathroom or putting on a coat
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Play harmoniously with other children, share toys and games and respect the property of others
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Handle conflict situations
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Make simple choices
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Speak clearly enough to be understood
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Express their own needs and wants
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Follow rules and understand the need for them
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Know and follow basic safety rules
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Follow simple directions
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Be happy away from home
Academic expectations
Children who are well prepared for the academic side of school should be able to accomplish the following tasks most of the time:
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Tell their right hand from their left
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Have a basic understanding of how to use crayons paints, paste and clay
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Draw rather than scribble
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Speak in complete sentences, avoiding baby talk
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Name common objects correctly
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Tell or retell a story
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Work independently for at least five minutes
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Listen to a story for five to ten minutes
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Listen to a rhyme and hear similarities and differences
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Copy simple shapes
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Bounce and catch a ball, showing the hand-eye coordination necessary for reading and math
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Recognize similarities and differences in the sizes, shapes and colors of objects
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Follow a series of three directions