Essential Skills for Kindergarten Readiness Your Ultimate Guide

Is your child headed to Kindergarten? Awesome! We've got some helpful tips to get your little learner ready.

gif — *"All I really need to know... I learned in Kindergarten." -Robert Fulghum*

Kindergarten is an awesome adventure—it’s where your child starts their journey as a student, a friend, and an independent little human. It's the official kick off to their academic career! Kindergarten is meant to be a fun, exciting year—and a little preparation can go a long way in making sure your child starts off with confidence and a smile. Don’t worry—you won’t need to spend all summer drilling flashcards or running lessons; Kindergarten readiness is about more than just academics. It’s a mix of learning basics, social smarts, and a little self-care confidence.

Let’s break it down into three big areas—and how you can help your child get there without the stress.

1. Academic Readiness:

Kindergarten teachers will not expect your child to come to them knowing how to read and write, but having some foundational skills in place will help children be ready for the abundance of information and skills coming their way.

What’s helpful:

Knowing some capital and lower-case letters
Identifying (and writing if possible) their first name
Counting to 20 (or even beyond—bonus points!)
Recognizing numbers 0-20
Recognizing colors and basic shapes
Correctly holding a crayon and pencil with decent control

Watch our "Pencil Grip" Video here for help with correct form.

Recognizing rhyming words
Enjoying story time and being able to re-tell the story and answer basic questions about the text

Fun ways to help:

Make their name a game! Use fridge magnets or sidewalk chalk to spell it out.
Read books every day. Ask questions about the story as you read to check for comprehension. Allow your child to turn the pages as you go.
Count snacks, toys, trees—anything!
Looks for shapes, numbers, and letters all around and point them out to your child.
Games! There are so many games that teach and review basic academic skills hidden within the fun.
Play with puzzles, play dough, and kid scissors to build hand strength for fine motor tasks.

The goal isn’t perfection—it’s progress!

Here are some of our created resources to help with their Academic Readiness. Click on each image to see the product.

A fun, camping themed packet intended to review academic skills during the summer between Pre-K and Kindergarten.

Customizable Name Handwriting Practice Sheets

Make learning fun with these printable learning games!

2. Social Readiness:

Kindergarten is a team sport. Your child will be learning in a group, following routines, and navigating friendships (and squabbles). Social-emotional skills are just as important as ABCs.

What’s helpful:

Following simple directions
Taking turns and sharing (even when it’s hard!); also waiting for their turn
Communicating how they are feeling and what they need
Separating from you- this can be a challenge, and just know that if they do struggle with leaving you, it's ok! Kindergarten teachers are there ready to help, and it will get better with time.
Sharing and playing nicely with other kids

Fun ways to help:

Have playdates or playground time to practice group play.
Give them one to two-step directions to follow independently (like "put your toys away and come to the kitchen to eat").
Allow the child to practice situations where they must wait their turn to complete a fun activity. Once again, games are fantastic to practice the art of patience!
Encourage them to use their words to express wants/ needs. For example, serve them dinner without a utensil, and teach them to ask politely for what they need.
Practice short separations if your child isn’t used to being away from you or home.

3. Hygiene & Self-Care:

Teachers are superheroes, but they can’t zip 20 jackets or open every snack pouch. A little independence goes a long way in the classroom.

What’s helpful:

Going potty alone (including wiping, flushing, and washing hands)
Putting on coats/hoodies and managing zippers or Velcro shoes
Getting their backpack on and off (especially while wearing a coat)
Covering coughs and sneezes the elbow way
Wiping and blowing their nose with a Kleenex by themself
Opening lunchboxes, containers, and snack bags
Cleaning up and throwing away trash

Fun ways to help:

Turn getting dressed into a race (Can you zip faster than me?). Lay out their clothes each day, and have them complete the whole process by themselves.
Do a lunchbox “test drive” at home—can your child open everything?
Make a hygiene song! Washing hands to the tune of “Happy Birthday” is a classic.
Let them be in charge of their backpack and coat when leaving the house.

Every child is different. Your job isn’t to get them perfect—it’s to give them a strong start and cheer them on every step of the way. We've designed some fun and engaging task cards for you to use with your child to support and track their progress toward kindergarten readiness. They serve as a fun and accessible tool for keeping tabs on the readiness skills we've highlighted here.

So take a deep breath, have fun with the prep, and get excited! Kindergarten is just the beginning—and you’re both going to do great.