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Kindergarten Readiness Checklist

by Angela Thayer 37 Comments

Are you worried if your child is ready for kindergarten? As a mom to three boys and a former teacher, I know that it’s common to wonder if your child is ready for kindergarten. It’s such a big milestone and exciting time for your child!

I’ve talked with many parents who ask me these questions… “How do I know if my child is ready for kindergarten?” and “What does my child need to know before going to kindergarten?”

They want a checklist and I totally get that! (And if you scroll down, you’ll find my checklist!)

The biggest thing I tell parents is this… preparing your child with academics is not the most important thing. Yes, our society puts a big emphasis on preschool and doing lots of activities to prepare them for school, but honestly, having good character, being respectful, being a good friend, and showing kindness to others is the most important thing. Even if you think your child may be behind in academics, it’s ok! Teachers know how to meet the needs of their students. So just remember this before you look at my kindergarten readiness checklist.

kindergarten readiness checklist

This list of standards was put together by looking at public school, private school, and homeschool standards. I am a former teacher and through teaching experiences with early childhood education during college, I believe this list is a good way to assess how ready your child is for kindergarten.

You can print this list and check off the skills as they master them. I know this list may seem big, but just working on what you can really benefit your child. I hope this list will be a helpful guide, whether you homeschool or send your child to school. Either way, it is still good to know what your child should know before kindergarten.

You can get the checklist for free when you sign up for my free weekly newsletter.

Remember…helping your child develop good character, reading to them, making memories, and spending time with your child is the MOST important thing you can do to prepare them for kindergarten.

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Filed Under: Preschool Tagged With: kindergarten readiness

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  1. Virgie says

    May 13, 2022 at 1:03 pm

    Hi, is there a way you could create an editable template for this Kindergarten Readiness check list? I love the setup, but need to make it for my incoming PreK4 Class.

    Reply
    • Angela Thayer says

      May 18, 2022 at 8:22 am

      Yes! I just updated the printable, so it now has one page that is editable. Hope that helps!

      Reply
  2. Avie says

    May 12, 2022 at 12:24 pm

    Can you send me kindergarten readiness checklist? It will not send to my email.

    Reply
  3. sonia says

    April 20, 2022 at 9:33 am

    Do you have a Spanish version of the checklist?

    Reply
    • Angela Thayer says

      April 22, 2022 at 8:04 am

      I’m sorry, but I do not.

      Reply
  4. Sylvia Barbee-Walker says

    March 23, 2022 at 9:16 am

    May I have the Kindergarten checklist please?

    Reply
    • Angela Thayer says

      April 9, 2022 at 7:14 am

      Sure! Do you see the form to fill out above? If not, please email me at angela(at)teachingmama(dot)org.

      Reply
  5. Shakurah says

    January 26, 2022 at 9:10 am

    Can i have the kindergarten checklist please

    Reply
    • Angela Thayer says

      January 29, 2022 at 11:46 am

      Sure! The link is in the post. If you can’t find it, please email me at angela(at)teachingmama(dot)org.

      Reply
  6. Pegeen says

    November 3, 2021 at 2:06 am

    Love to have your K readiness checklist!

    Reply
  7. Michelle says

    October 28, 2021 at 12:41 pm

    Thank you for sharing an informative checklist to assist teachers and parents.

    Reply
  8. Judy Fortuny says

    August 16, 2021 at 6:47 pm

    Hi there! I’m a first time homeschooling Mom/Teacher. I’m so glad I came across your blog! May I please get the Free Printable Kindergarten Readiness Checklist provided by Teaching Mama.

    Thank you,
    Judy

    Reply
    • Angela Thayer says

      August 24, 2021 at 12:26 pm

      Yes! Just sent to your email.

      Reply
  9. Tory says

    July 8, 2021 at 6:27 pm

    This is amazing! Could I get it as an editable document. I would love to use this as a report card and would need to type comments on it. Thanks. Be well.

    Reply
    • Angela Thayer says

      August 24, 2021 at 12:52 pm

      Thank you! At this time, I don’t have an editable version. I will work on making one!

      Reply
  10. Caitlin says

    September 11, 2020 at 10:17 am

    Thank you, great resource now that we are homeschooling our daughter through this pandemic. She is just going to turn 4 next month and has most of this list completed, so I am feeling good. Hope you’re doing well through this crisis.

    Reply
  11. Amanda says

    March 4, 2020 at 12:47 pm

    Is this still available? When I try to click it, I get an error message

    Reply
    • Angela Thayer says

      March 18, 2020 at 4:38 pm

      Yes it should be! Email me at angela@teachingmama.org if you can’t get it to work.

      Reply
  12. Karen says

    March 6, 2019 at 3:35 pm

    Thanks for this checklist 🙂 Very helpful for our K4 assessment!

    Reply
  13. Learn Play Read says

    September 9, 2018 at 6:45 am

    I’m always looking for more ways to reach the parents of preschoolers I interact with as a librarian! It’s so helpful to provide different resources and links for different parents. Thank you!

    Reply
  14. Danielle says

    September 1, 2018 at 11:48 pm

    This is a great list. I work as a behavior analyst and many of my clients are children with develomental disabilities between the ages of 4 to 7 and parents are always asking what types of things their kids should be doing or know by a certain age so I can definitely share this with them.

    On a personal level, as I was reading through the list, I noticed that my 2 y.o. daughter is already doing many of those things – she’s been attending a center based daycare since she was an infant and the teachers there have been amazing about incorporating a curriculum into everything they do throughout the day. I guess I’m wondering how I can challenge her further, since she still has a few years left before kindergarten, and will she end up being bored when she gets there?? I’ve worked with kids for many years, but as a mom I’m a rookie. What are your thoughts?

    Reply
    • Angela Thayer says

      September 3, 2018 at 7:32 am

      That’s amazing that she can do so many things! Such a blessing! I would continue to build on those skills. So if she knows her alphabet letters and sounds, then move on to other pre-reading skills, like the ones in this post: https://teachingmama.org/8-things-to-teach-after-the-alphabet/

      You can also work on more math…simple addition and subtraction, 3-D shapes, and story problems. I hope this helped out! <3

      Reply
  15. Lisa says

    September 21, 2016 at 6:22 pm

    Hello, I was wondering if this list is what they learn throughout kindergarten or if they should know most of it before entering so that they can learn new things or build upon this foundation? I guess i’m wondering, for children that already know these things (like an older child who’d be 6 coming in to kinder and missed the birthday cut off for the previous year), would the parents speak to someone in the school about skipping a grade or do you think there’s more to learn in kinder?

    Reply
    • Angela Thayer says

      September 24, 2016 at 2:39 pm

      This is what preschoolers should learn to be prepared for Kindergarten. You’d have to talk to the school district about skipping a grade. I believe each school has a different policy for this. Best of luck to you!

      Reply
  16. JC says

    February 24, 2016 at 3:08 am

    Awesome checklist, We linked it on our article regarding all things Pre-K. Thanks a lot!
    JC recently posted…50 Questions You Must Ask When Selecting A PreschoolMy Profile

    Reply
  17. ANJI says

    November 2, 2013 at 6:02 am

    Great checklist,thank you .

    Reply
  18. Cheryl Buie says

    August 25, 2013 at 4:51 pm

    Great list….is this aligned with the Commmon Core Starndards for PreK? Thanks!!

    Reply
    • Angela Thayer says

      August 25, 2013 at 5:30 pm

      Thanks! No, I did not align this list with the Common Core Standards. This list was compiled from my teaching experience and extensive research.

      Reply
  19. Jennifer says

    May 13, 2013 at 1:44 am

    Visiting from the Sunday Showcase. I’d love for you to share your family-friendly crafts and ideas at Monday Kid Corner at thejennyevolution.com. See you at the party!

    Jennifer
    Jennifer recently posted…Monday Kid Corner Round Up #18My Profile

    Reply
  20. Kirstylee says

    April 15, 2013 at 7:14 pm

    This is a great checklist. I definitely don’t think a preschooler needs to do every one of these things before Kindergarten, but being able to do most of them will be a big help. Thanks for the list!

    Reply
    • Teaching Mama says

      April 15, 2013 at 8:14 pm

      I agree, Kirstylee! This is just a guideline and I don’t think many preschoolers can master every single one of them before Kindergarten. Just a checklist to see what to work on. Thanks for your comment!

      Reply
  21. Susan Core says

    April 13, 2013 at 6:02 pm

    Thank you for putting this together. I jumped right in head first homeschooling Seth Kindergarten so no experience with the Pre-K years. Kaila is eager to learn so excited to make that more of a priority than this year was for her.

    Reply
    • Teaching Mama says

      April 14, 2013 at 12:58 pm

      Oh good! I know that PreK isn’t something you have to do, but I do believe that it’s helpful to work on before starting Kindergarten. That is wonderful that Kaila is eager to learn!! Hope this will help you out. Take care!

      Reply
  22. LeAnn says

    April 13, 2013 at 5:04 pm

    Thanks! I have been looking for a list like this. Everyone I talk to just says to keep working on numbers, letters, colors, etc, but I am checklist kind of mama! 🙂

    Reply
    • Teaching Mama says

      April 14, 2013 at 12:57 pm

      Great! That’s what I love to hear. Hope this is helpful for you!

      Reply

Trackbacks

  1. Homeschool 101: How do I know my child is learning? Tests for homeschool ~ Raising Royalty says:
    June 1, 2017 at 8:06 am

    […] Free Printable Kindergarten Readiness Assessment  […]

    Reply
  2. Is Your Child Ready for Kindergarten? says:
    July 1, 2013 at 10:00 am

    […] A Free Printable Kindergarten Readiness Checklist provided by Teaching Mama. […]

    Reply
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