What Does It Mean To Be Kindergarten Ready?

Kindergarten today isn’t what it was when we were kids! In the past, students did not need any prior academic skills to succeed in kindergarten curricula. Today, however, students are expected to enter kindergarten with foundational literacy skills. Here are 6 of the skills students are expected to have BEFORE entering kindergarten:

1. Identify and name all letters and know the corresponding sound(s) of each letter
2. Discriminate rhyming words and alliteration
3. Demonstrate concepts of print
4. Retell stories after hearing them
5. Write their name
6. Write to convey meaning

When entering kindergarteners know these skills, kindergarten teachers can focus on the more difficult critical thinking skills that are required by K standards. Some of these standards include:

• With prompting and support, identify the main topic and retell key details of a text
• With prompting and support, describe the connection between two individuals, events, ideas, or pieces of information in a text
• With prompting and support, compare and contrast the adventures and experiences of characters in familiar stories
• Use a combination of drawing, dictating, and writing to compose informative/explanatory texts in which students name what they are writing about and supply some information about the topic

Knowing that kindergarten is more rigorous than in the past is the first step to getting your children K-ready!

The ABCs of K-Readiness

The single most important predictor of later reading fluency is automatic identification of uppercase and lowercase letters of the alphabet. This summer, you can prepare your preschoolers by working on developing their automaticity with letter recognition.

1. Encourage play with magnetic letters and alphabet puzzles. Have your child name each letter as he/she manipulates it.
2. Have children name the letters in signs, food packaging, or t-shirts you see throughout the day.
3. Read, read and read more alphabet books with your child! Your local library or bookstore will have plenty of choices. You can also find alphabet books with illustrations that appeal to your child’s interests!

ABC Kindergarten Book Recommendations

• Dr. Seuss’s ABC by Dr. Seuss. This book, with its whimsical illustrations and wonderful rhythmic rhymes, is my all-time favorite ABC book.
• Chicka Chicka Boom Boom by Bill Martin Jr. This book is clever and colorful, with rhymes galore.
• Alphabeep: A Zipping Zooming ABC by Debora Pearson. This one’s a must-read for lovers of transportation forms of all kinds.
• LMNO Peas by Keith Baker. Little green peas illustrate the alphabet.
• Alphabugs by David Carter. This is a very cute pop-up book with fantastic insects.
• A to Z by Sandra Boyton. A classic for young children, this book has adorable illustrations and animals.
• Firefighters A to Z by Chris L. Demarest. With its gorgeous illustrations, this one is great for your budding firefighters
• D Is for Democracy: A Citizen's Alphabet by Elissa D. Grodin. For those who are civic-minded, this book explains a citizen’s rights and responsibilities while also working through the alphabet.