Kindergarten Readiness

Kindergarten Readiness Checklist

This is a guide of what is expected in kindergarten. Your child does not need to be competent in the below but willing to learn the below skills in the kindergarten setting.

Fine and Gross Motor Development

Willingness to:

1. Use scissors
2. Use a pencil
3. Throw and catch a ball
4. Jump
5. Climb
6. Use playground equipment and ride a bike/scooter/trike
7. Stand on one leg

Social and Emotional Development

Willingness to:

1. Share toys and equipment
2. Choose and engage in own activities
3. Follow rules and routines
4. Use manners
5. Demonstrate self-help skills
6. Separate from parent/guardian without becoming overly upset

Language and Literacy Development

Willingness to:

1. Trace
2. Learn sounds and letters
3. Contribute to class discussions
4. Stand and tell news to the class
5. Clap syllables in words
6. Join in singing songs

Numeracy
Development

Willingness to:

1. Count up to 20
2. Recognise numerals 1-20
3. Recognise shapes
4. Sort shapes according to size (small,
   med, large)

If you have concerns about your child’s readiness for kindergarten, you can call AIM’s multidisciplinary services on
08 6150 8339

Getting my Child Ready for Kindergarten

Tips for how to get your child ready for all areas of school!

Fine Motor Activities

Hand Strength Activities

1. Pegs, tongs
2. Building with Lego
3. Play dough- squeezing and pinching
4. Popping bubble wrap

Hands Working Together Activities

1. Threading
2. Play dough- rolling pin, cutters, knife and fork
3. Stirring

Cutting Activities

1. Start with snips and move to straight lines
2. Try scissors with different sized loops

Nimble Fingers Activities

1. Roll play dough into balls with one hand only
2. Collage- tear small pieces of paper and paste them to your picture
3. Wind up toys

Independence

1. Encourage them to dress on their own
2. Let them make a sandwich
3. Encourage them to pack away their toys
4. Practice packing and unpacking school bag

Speech and Language and Activities

Speech

1. Talk face to face with your child
2. Model sounds and recast correct sounds
3. Choose activities that focus on a particular sound
4. Ask your child to slow down

Comprehension

1. Talk about colours and shapes, location (in, on, under, top, size (big, small), order (first, last)
2. Comment and ask simple questions while reading books
3. Play “Simon Says”
4. Break up instructions into parts

Story Telling

1. Read to your child as often as you can
2. Choose books with a large amount of repetition and good structure (e.g. Spot)
3. Talk about the different parts of stories (who, when, where, what)

Expressive Language and Vocabulary

1. Read to your child as often as you can
2. Choose books with a large amount of repetition and good structure (e.g. Spot)
3. Talk about the different parts of stories (who, when, where, what)

Literacy Activities

Pre writing and Drawing Activities

1. Make shapes out of play dough
2. Draw patterns in the air/on each others back
3. Paint patterns and shapes on brick walls with water and a brush
4. Pre-writing shapes include | \ / X

Phonological Awareness

1. encourage your child to write and recognise their name
2. Introduce the concept of syllables in words (tap out the beats in words)
3. Provide many examples of rhyming words (e.g. reading books e.g Dr Seuss)
4. Talk to them about sounds in words

Numeracy Development

Numeracy Activities

1. Give maths a positive rap!
2. Copy simple patterns e.g. red Lego, blue Lego, block stack, coloured pegs
3. Count, name numbers e.g when shopping count number of bananas, count cars when driving
4. Weight, size, shape- cooking activities

Social and Emotional Development

Social Strategies

1. Teach taking turns
2. Model/provide opportunities to share toys with peers
3. Teach how to ask to join in play
4. Have play dates
5. Role play social situations e.g. making friends, dealing with conflict
6. Provides opportunities for winner/loser games

Emotional Regulation Strategies

1. Model and praise confidence
2. Develop self-esteem via talking, playing, being happy
3. Support trying new things
4. Help learn what calms them e.g. breathing
5. Teach problem-solving
6. Talk about feelings, label in self/others
7. Support through disappointment
8. Focus on effort and process vs result
9. Model the catastrophe scale 1-5!
10. Practice leaving your child with a trusted family member/friend for short periods of time so they get used to being away from you

Gross Motor Development

Balance

1. Play “Simon says- Statues “
   – Stand still, 5-10 seconds, hands on head, arms stretched wide like a tree
   – Stand on 1 leg, 2-5 seconds, left then right leg
   – Be an animal statue, 5-10 seconds
   – Kneel tall on both knees, 5-10 seconds

Movement

1. Go for a walk, scooter, bike ride for 20 minutes
2. Practice animal walks, hands & knees crawl, hands & feet bear walk
3. Jump on the spot or, in a hoop
4. Jump sideways in and out of a hoop
5. Hop whilst holding onto a hoop held by an adult

AIM Groups for Kindy Kids

Little Learners Group

Skills for a Head Start to School for Children Entering Kindy and Pre-Primary

The group will focus on introducing your child to the rhythm of the classroom through table time, mat time, story time and movement time. Run by an Occupational Therapist focusing on developmental areas of movement, fine motor and sensory processing skills and a speech therapist who will assist your child to have the confidence to speak and listen

Social Minis

Group program for Kindy and Pre-Primary Kids

Helping your little one learn how to make friends, join in and manage their big emotions!

Literacy Readiness

Group program for Kids in Kindy and Pre-Primary

Helping your little one to develop the building blocks needed for reading and writing

Motor Minis

Group program for Kindy and Pre-Primary Kids

Helping your little one learn to use the big and small muscles of their body for movement skills, hand skills and prewriting skills!

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