What Should a Kindergartener Know by the End of the Year? Reading, Math, Writing and Life Skills

The short version

A kindergarten year covers a lot. The Common Core standards, which many states use or adapted, say kindergarten math should focus mostly on numbers, and kindergarten reading on letters, sounds and simple words. Here's what most kindergarteners can do by the end of the year.

These are end-of-year goals, not September expectations. Kids come in at very different places.

Reading skills a kindergartener should know

Reading in kindergarten rests on four building blocks from the Common Core's Reading: Foundational Skills.

Print concepts

• Reads left to right, top to bottom, page by page
• Knows that spoken words match written words, and that spaces separate words
• Names every upper- and lowercase letter

Quick check: hand your child a picture book upside down. Do they turn it the right way and point to where the words start?

Phonological awareness (hearing sounds in words)

• Recognizes and makes rhymes (cat, hat, bat)
• Claps syllables in words (el-e-phant)
• Blends and separates the first sound from the rest (c + at = cat)
• Hears the first, middle and last sound in three-letter words (m-o-p)
• Changes one sound to make a new word (cat → bat)

This is the skill most linked to early reading success. The federal What Works Clearinghouse guide on K–3 reading gives strong evidence ratings to teaching kids to hear sounds in words and link them to letters. Our phonemic awareness guide has games for each step.

Quick check: "What's the first sound in sun?" (/s/, not "ess"). "What word do these sounds make: /d/ /o/ /g/?"

Phonics and word recognition

• Knows the most common sound for each consonant
• Knows short and long sounds for the five vowels
• Reads common high-frequency words by sight (the, of, to, you, she, my, is, are, do, does)
• Tells apart similar words by the letter that's different (hat vs hit)

Quick check: write mat, sip, hop, bed, fun. Can your child sound out at least some of them?

Our sight words lists include the Dolch kindergarten lists, and how to teach sight words explains the "heart word" method that pairs sight words with phonics.

Reading with understanding

• Reads simple beginning-reader books with purpose
• Retells a familiar story in order: beginning, middle, end
• Answers questions about who, what and where in a story read aloud
• Names the author and illustrator and what each does

Writing skills by the end of kindergarten

Kindergarten writing uses a mix of drawing, telling and writing.

• Prints many upper- and lowercase letters
• Writes their first and last name
• Writes simple words by sounding them out (kat for cat is right on track)
• Draws and writes to tell an opinion ("My favorite food is pizza"), share information, or tell a short story
• Starts a sentence with a capital letter and ends with a period, with reminders

Example of on-track writing in May: I lik mi dog. He is big. He plas wth me. Invented spelling shows your child is using letter sounds, which is exactly the goal.

Use the free name tracing generator to practice writing their name, and kindergarten worksheets for letters and sounds.

Math skills a kindergartener should know

Counting and numbers

• Counts to 100 by ones and by tens
• Counts forward starting from any number (start at 47: "48, 49, 50...")
• Writes numerals 0–20
• Counts objects with one number per object and knows the last number tells how many
• Answers "how many?" for up to 20 objects in a row or 10 scattered
• Tells which group has more, fewer or the same
• Compares two written numbers from 1 to 10

Adding and subtracting

• Adds and subtracts within 10 using objects, fingers or drawings
• Solves story problems: "You have 4 crackers and get 3 more. How many now?"
• Breaks numbers into parts: 5 = 2 + 3 = 4 + 1
• Finds the number that makes 10 with any number from 1 to 9 (7 + 3, 6 + 4)
• Adds and subtracts fluently within 5

Place value beginnings

• Sees teen numbers as ten and some more: 14 = 10 + 4

Measurement and shapes

• Compares lengths and weights: longer, shorter, heavier, lighter
• Sorts objects into groups and counts each group
• Names flat shapes (circle, square, triangle, rectangle, hexagon) in any size or orientation
• Names solid shapes (cube, cone, cylinder, sphere)
• Uses position words: above, below, beside, in front of, behind, next to

Quick check: put 14 pennies in a scattered pile. Ask "How many?" Watch whether your child touches each one once. Then ask, "If I take away 2, how many now?"

Social, emotional and school skills

These matter as much as academics.

• Follows two- and three-step directions
• Takes turns, shares and plays cooperatively
• Uses words to solve small conflicts
• Sits and listens for a short story or lesson
• Manages bathroom, coat, shoes and lunch with little help
• Tries a hard task before asking for help
• Holds a pencil with a functional grip and uses scissors

Activities to build kindergarten skills at home

Ten to fifteen minutes a day of playful practice goes a long way.

When to talk to the teacher

Kindergarteners vary a lot, and summer birthdays can be nearly a year younger than classmates. Still, check in if by spring your child:

• Can't name most letters or match many letters to sounds
• Has trouble hearing rhymes or the first sound in words
• Can't count 10 objects accurately
• Has trouble following simple directions or getting along with others most days

Early help works best. If reading signs persist and there's a family history of reading trouble, see our signs of dyslexia guide. Not sure what grade fits your child's skills? Try the what grade is my child tool, and see what comes next in our grade-by-grade skills guide.

Programs that help

• Khan Academy Kids: free app for ages 2–8 with reading, phonics and math; no ads or in-app purchases.
• Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons: one scripted book of 20-minute parent-led phonics lessons.
• All About Reading: multisensory, parent-taught phonics from Pre-Reading up.
• Mathseeds: animated math lessons for ages 3–9, from counting to early addition.
• Handwriting Without Tears: a developmentally sequenced handwriting program for young learners.

For full-year options, see best kindergarten homeschool curriculum and best kindergarten math curriculum. Save favorites to your wishlist; if your state has an ESA or scholarship program, curriculum like this is often eligible, and each program decides, so check your state's options.