What Your Child Should Know and Be Able to Do Upon Entering Kindergarten

my lil girl , i'm told by her teachers that she is ready for pre-k she know abc number shapes and so on, but i think i shouldget her tested got kondergarden i dont want her to wait a yr. shell be 5 sept 3rd

I don't think most kids can tie their shoes before entering kindergarten.  I also think quite a few still have a problem with zipping and buttoning.  Don't think those expectations are entirely realistic.  

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remember every child is different as we are all different as adults, lets be kind in our comments and not compare what what your child is doing as every child should doing this at the same age. expect something from our children, but do not expect everything we build confidence in our children by embracing their strengths and working on their weaknesses not comparing them to others. thank you a fellow mom!

Thank you Lamia. This is a general expectation.  Some children will of course be ahead of this criteria and others behind.  Some children are not yet five years old when starting kindergarten.  Others maybe six or almost six.  Child development differs.  

I agree with Kendra.  We don't give our kids enough credit and are afraid to push them to achieve their full potential. Both of my kids ages 5 and 3 are able to do this entire list.  I credited this to mine and my husbands heavy involvement in their education.  The public school systems will only do the basics and that has proven not to be enough.

I agree with Kendra also.  Some children love to be challenged,  and some just love going to school,  either way they all learn.

I enjoy reading comments from such caring parents! My kids are 33, 31, and 26 and attended both parochial and public schools. I even homeschooled my youngest through junior high and high school due to learning difficulties. My oldest granddaughter will be 5 on Sept. 2, one day too late for the cut-off here. She can do all the things on the list, is tall for her age, and the oldest ;), she will be in a very good pre-K, and, though I am an educator, I am overall OK with another year getting the hang of the school thing. I also appreciate Aisha's willingness to go to her school and get more information. Parents should always get involved, ask questions, build up their community's schools, and make contacts with lots of other parents.

I got on this site because I have a 5 year old who will be starting kindergarten in a month. He went to state funded PreK but at an exceptional school, so he lerned a LOT. When done with the school year he was reading short stories, knows all his numbers (1-120), memorizes things like nothing I've ever seen, writes his name, etc. I was told during both confrences during the year that he was an excellent student and that if kept up he would most likely be in gifted classes. He LOVES to learn and is good at it. My concern is that he knows most of the stuff that they learn in kindergarten and that he will be bored. I have looked up the curriculum for the school district he will be attending and he has accomplished everything that they will learn during the first half of the year. Also, he learns more and more everyday, as he is in summer camp now. The only things on this list he doesn't know how to do is tie his shoes(never had to) and do certain buttons on pants. But I don't think that in anyway will hold him back. I just don't want him to be bored and get into trouble for it?!?!

I have a child who missed the Aug. 1 dead-line for turning 5. He can also do everything on the list, except for tie his shoes.  In my opinion, they should test all kids, no matter what their age, and let the ones who pass the tests go on to kindergarten.  The ones who don't, they can be the ones who are held back.  Then, maybe the parents will see that they should spend more quality time working on basic skills with their children.  Don't punish them because we didn't have them in the right month!  Give the ones who deserve to go to school the opportunity, and the ones who aren't ready can be held back another year. We probably wouldn't need to worry about "no child left behind" if the ones who were there, were actually ready to be there.  But, that's just my opinion.....

I agree with Lauren - I'm worried that my son will be bored and frustraed as he knows numbers, letters, can read a bit. However I'm thinking that he might be much more challenged in other areas - tying, buttoning, writing and logic - which will probably make up for it. If he seems bored maybe I could just enhance his education by asking the teacher to give me next steps and I'll just keep him ahead of the curve. I hope.

how would i go about having my daughter tested to go into kindegarten she will be 5 sept 13th but can write read phone numbers etc...please help we live in volusia county florida

My oldest daughter missed the deadline by a few weeks.  She was absolutely ready for school, but not allowed to attend.  I homeschooled her that year and enrolled her in first grade the following year.  She's doing great!

My 11 year old daughter can not do alot of these things, so I guess she will never make it to the public school for Kindergarten. Why happens when they don't know these things, are they left behind. And what happens when they tell you they don't have no one to care for your child's special needs, do you just keep them home and home school them, that's what happened to us and we homeschool till today..

These are guidelines.  Not all schools follow these guidelines.  My daughter who's 7 is entering into 3rd grade learned how to tie her shoes last year.  As long as a child is willing & able to communicate they should be fine in Kindergarten.  There are exceptions to every rule.  I know a child that doesn't do well with transitions who meets the requirements to go to kindergarten this year, but her parents are putting her in pre-k.  This is a good thing for her.  I also know that most teachers are aware that kids learn differently.  My daughter's school has wonderful Kindergarten teachers & they'll tell you this up front.  A child may be book smart, but not socially ready for school.  That's why there are guidelines.

This list is NOT unrealistic. My 4 and almost 3 yr old can do ALL of these things with no problem. I am actually worried for my 4 year old if by the time she gets to kindergarden at 5.5 years old if she is going to be bored out of her mind. She is already starting to read and can write several different words. My almost 3 yr. old can recognize all names in the family and can spell his name. And although he does not wish to put on his own clothes, zipping, etc. he can do it if it means being able to go out to play on his favorite climber. Kids are different and there may be some that are unable to do some of the list above, but from what I have seen in children, they are fully capable of doing all of the above with no problem...especially if parents take the time to work with them. :-)

Just a thought to ponder: I believe when a childs birthday falls slightly after or even way after the criteria set by their school district, what a great opportunity to keep your little one a little  bit longer.   In todays society where everything goes so fast, it seemed wonderful when my december baby, now 30 yrs old had to wait a year, I was so grateful.   I personally preferred to have my child be surrounded by other children a year younger than them than a year older.  Really makes a difference in upper grades.  The teachers are limited to the set curriculums and that gives parents the chance to participate in their childs learning and reach for the stars on what "we expose them to and teach them" - all children are different- and if you have a child who can read, write, spell and comprehendbefore PreK -God Bless You!  but children whose motor skills are not developed seem to be the most delayed - getting them out there and jumping on one leg, opposite arm and leg jumps, all help develope our children, get them away from the TV and also is fun for Mom and Dad too!  At any rate, when a child gets to 4 to 6th grade it gets harder by a large degree.  Alot of children who are deemed Talented and Gifted are at the elementary grade levels, but once your child is deemed talented and gifted - it puts a whole new level of pressure on them, sometimes it is difficult to get them removed from the program when the student reaches 8th or 9th grade.  This is a grade where most student seem to level out.  School dynamics and the "job" kids have today in school is full of pressure and fitting in and status and daily choices and well you get my point.  If your child is doing well, pat yourself on the back and them too but be cautious not to make education a competition for your student, education is better being a place where kids can build self esteem by achieving and feeling successful daily, practice making good decision, developing relationships and social skills.  I know it is all about the stickers!!!!!!! Regards.  

Slow down and let them enjoy being a kid!! Social skills will take you a lot further than being able to read at 4!! It will all fall in place once they are ready but social skills and play is the most important skill they will ever need!