Schools
Before Kindergarten Begins—10 Things Your Child Should Know and Be Able to Do
Your child will need to be prepared with more than a birth certificate and proof of residency.
In Aliso Viejo, many parents of pre-kindergarten students have attended the annual Kindergarten Round-Up at one or more of our local public schools. These folks have been busy collecting required documentation (such as proof of residency and birth certificates), filling out enrollment packets and thinking about after-school pickup or child-care options that they will need in the future. It is quite possible that these same parents are wondering if their child has been adequately prepared for the rigor of public or private school.
Below is a list that describes an ideal situation for a child who will soon begin to participate in a formalized education.
- Letters of the alphabet. Your child should be able to recognize many (if not all) of the uppercase and lowercase letters. It is fine if b, d, p and q causes a bit of confusion (that is normal). However, your child will be at a disadvantage if he does not recognize most letters.
- The connection between letters and sounds. A child ready to begin school does not need to know all the letter sounds. If children know even a few of the initial consonant sounds, learning more sounds will be easier.
- Rhymes. If children can rhyme simple words (such as “cat, hat” and “man,” “can”), then the phonemic awareness activities taught in school will make more sense to them.
- Hear beginning sounds in words. If you say “soap,” can your child copy that first sound (the “s” sound)?
- Recognize, count and write numerals from zero to 10.
- Be able to sit still and listen for periods of 20 to 30 minutes.
- Have the ability to take care of his/her hygienic needs. At school, students must be able to clean up their own workspaces, eat their snacks and use the restroom without assistance.
- Follow simple directions.
- Write their first names properly. Many children learn to write their first names using uppercase letters. In preschool, this is fine, because they have not yet developed all the motor skills needed for perfecting lowercase letters. In elementary school, they will need to write their names with one uppercase letter and the rest lowercase.
- Separate from Mom and Dad. It is not unusual to have an occasional tear or a bit of anticipation on that first day. Within a few days, they should be happily going off to class.
