Kindergarten Life Skills
We all know that academic skills are important, but we often forget the importance of non-academic life skills your child should have before entering kindergarten. These life skills include:
Using the restroom
There are a lot of steps in using the restroom independently. Can they shut and lock a bathroom stall door, undo clothing, use the toilet, clean themselves, redo clothing, flush the toilet, exit stall and then wash and dry their hands?
Eating lunch
They should be able to open every item in their lunchbox independently, clean up at the end of lunch and then determine what to throw away vs. what to keep (disposable vs. reusable), They should know if they brought a lunchbox that day or will buy lunch, how to put their lunchbox in their backpack, and know what their lunchbox looks like.
Properly adjusting clothing
Can they zip, button, snap, belt or tie their bottoms to use the bathroom? Do they know how to put on a jacket, hat and mittens? They should be able to tie or Velcro their shoes. Do they understand that they have to keep their clothes on at school?
Knowing important family information
Teach them their first and last name, parents’ first and last name, and caretaker’s phone number.
Using proper social skills
Respectfully answer an adult, respond when their name is called, know to wait their turn, gracefully lose, be kind to one another, and know the difference between tattling and telling.
Behaving in a classroom
Know how to follow a two-step direction and understand positional words. Be able to sit quietly and listen to a story. Keep hands to themselves and not take things from others. Know how to do NON-PREFERRED tasks (we have to let our kids be bored sometimes). Can they sit in a chair, pack their backpack independently, and blow their nose?
Using motor skills
Hold a pencil, use crayons, hold scissors, and roll play dough.
These skills help children learn how to complete tasks independently, regulate their emotions, develop social skills, and adhere to rules and routines. Not only does your child benefit in the long run, but learning life skills gives your child’s teacher more time to teach and work on their academic skills.
Learn more about Kindergarten Life Skills and Kindergarten Readiness at https://www.southingtonearlychildhood.org/kindergarten-ready/.
