Kindergarten Readiness Checklist: Skills by Area, What Really Matters, and How to Prepare

How to use this checklist

Print this page or keep it on your phone and check off what your child can do most of the time. Nobody gets every box. Kindergarten teachers see children who are reading and children who don't yet know their letters, in the same class.

Two notes before you start:

• The CDC milestones in this checklist are skills most children (at least 75%) have by the listed age. Missing one or two isn't a reason to panic. Missing several is worth a conversation with your pediatrician.
• The academic items are helpful head starts, not admission requirements. Kindergarten is where they're formally taught.

What matters most for kindergarten readiness

If you only focus on five things, make it these:

1. Using the bathroom independently, including washing hands.
2. Following simple two-step directions, like "Hang up your coat and sit on the rug."
3. Separating from you without prolonged distress.
4. Taking turns and sharing, most of the time.
5. Sitting and attending for 5 to 10 minutes during a story or activity.

These matter more on day one than knowing letters, because they let your child learn everything else.

Kindergarten readiness checklist

Social and emotional

• Follows rules or takes turns when playing games with other children (CDC, by 5)
• Comforts others who are hurt or sad (CDC, by 4)
• Changes behavior based on the setting, such as library vs. playground (CDC, by 4)
• Separates from parent or caregiver without long-lasting distress
• Asks an adult for help when needed
• Can calm down with some support after being upset
• Plays with other children, not only alongside them

Self-care and independence

• Uses the bathroom independently and washes hands
• Puts on and takes off a coat and shoes (zippers and laces can still be a work in progress)
• Buttons some buttons (CDC, by 5)
• Opens their lunchbox, containers and snack packages
• Does simple chores, like clearing the table (CDC, by 5)
• Recognizes their own belongings and name label

Language and listening

• Keeps a conversation going with more than three back-and-forth exchanges (CDC, by 5)
• Tells a story with at least two events (CDC, by 5)
• Answers simple questions about a book after you read it (CDC, by 5)
• Follows two-step directions
• Uses words about time, like yesterday, tomorrow, morning (CDC, by 5)
• Speaks clearly enough that unfamiliar adults usually understand

Early literacy

• Enjoys being read to and can sit through a picture book
• Holds a book right side up and turns pages front to back
• Uses or recognizes simple rhymes, like bat–cat (CDC, by 5)
• Names some letters when you point to them (CDC, by 5)
• Recognizes their own name in print
• Writes some letters in their name (CDC, by 5)
• Tells you the first sound of a few familiar words (bonus, not required)
• Claps the syllables in their name (bonus, not required)

Early math

• Counts to 10 (CDC, by 5)
• Names some numbers between 1 and 5 when you point to them (CDC, by 5)
• Counts a small group of objects (up to about 5) by touching each one
• Recognizes basic shapes: circle, square, triangle
• Names a few colors (CDC, by 4)
• Sorts objects by color, size or shape
• Understands more, less, same, bigger, smaller

Fine and gross motor

• Holds a crayon or pencil between fingers and thumb, not in a fist (CDC, by 4)
• Draws a person with three or more body parts (CDC, by 4)
• Uses child-safe scissors to snip or cut along a line
• Hops on one foot (CDC, by 5)
• Catches a large ball most of the time (CDC, by 4)

What kindergarten will teach (so you don't have to)

It helps to know where the year is heading. By the end of kindergarten, Common Core standards expect children to:

These are goals for June, not September. If your child arrives knowing a few letters and counting to 10, they're right on track.

How to prepare for kindergarten: summer activities

Ten to fifteen minutes of play-based practice a day is plenty.

Free printables:

• Kindergarten worksheets for letters, numbers and shapes
• Alphabet tracing worksheets for letter formation
• The name tracing generator to practice writing their name
• Our CVC words list and sight words list for kids who are ready for more

Not sure which grade fits your child's birthday? Try our what grade is my child tool. Age cutoffs are set by states and sometimes districts, so confirm with your school.

Should you wait a year?

Some families consider waiting a year to start kindergarten, especially for children with summer or fall birthdays. There's no single right answer. Questions to ask:

• Is my child's preschool teacher worried about social, emotional or self-care skills?
• Does my child have a diagnosed delay that another year of preschool or therapy would help?
• What are my state's rules on age cutoffs and compulsory school age?
• What will my child do during the extra year? Quality preschool or rich play at home matters.

Academic skills alone are rarely a good reason to wait. Kindergarten is designed to teach them.

When to talk to your pediatrician

The CDC recommends talking with your child's doctor and asking about developmental screening if your child is missing milestones for their age. Also ask if your child:

• Has trouble being understood by unfamiliar adults at age 4 or 5.
• Shows no interest in rhymes, books or letters by age 5.
• Has big difficulty separating, playing with others or following routines.

Early support, through your school district's early childhood services or private therapy, can make kindergarten much smoother.

Programs that help

• Khan Academy Kids: a free app for ages 2–8 covering reading, math and social-emotional skills, with no ads.
• ABCmouse: a step-by-step learning path for ages 2–8 across reading, math, science and art.
• Starfall: phonics and early math through songs and activities; some free content.
• All About Reading: its Pre-Reading level covers letters, rhyming and first sounds through games.
• HOMER: a personalized early reading and phonics app for ages 2–8.

Compare more in best learn-to-read programs for preschoolers. Save picks to your wishlist, and check your state's scholarships to see if any may help with pre-K or kindergarten costs.