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Parents » Preparing for Kindergarten

Preparing for Kindergarten

PGCPSKindergarten
 
We can't wait to support the educational needs of our child here at Prince George County Public Schools. Before your child arrives, there's a lot you can do to prepare them for their first day of Kindergarten! We have compiled a variety of resources and information you can use to help make your child's transition to the classroom a successful one!
 
Click the links below to learn more. Be sure to register your child for the 2021-2022 School Year by visiting our Student Registration page.
Cray
Language Readiness Tips
  • Speak in complete sentences and be understood by others most of the time
  • Use words to express needs and wants
  • Understand two-step directions
  • Make comparisons and describe relationships between objects like big/little, under/over, and first/last
Cray
Reading and Writing Readiness Tips
  • Enjoy listening to stories
  • Know how to find the first page of a book and which way to flip the pages
  • Recognize familiar logos and signs, like stop signs
  • Recite the alphabet and identify most of the letters
  • Recognize and try to write their own name
  • Recognize when two words rhyme (like cat and bat)
  • Start to connect letter sounds to letters (like the sound of the first letter in their name)
  • Draw a picture to help express an idea
 
PlaygroundUseful Reading and Writing Readiness Links*:
* Links open third-party websites in new window
Math Readiness Tips
  • Count from 1 to 10 without skipping numbersblock
  • Match a number to a group of five or fewer items (“I see three cats”)
  • Recognize, name and describe basic shapes (square, circle, triangle, rectangle)
  • Understand more than and less than
  • Arrange three objects in the right order (like from smallest to biggest)
  • Name or point to the colors in a box of eight crayons
  • Sort objects into like groups
  • Create patterns (using objects like LEGO building blocks)
block2
Useful Math Readiness Links*: 
* Links open third-party websites in new window
Bus
Self Regulation Tips
  • Use the bathroom and wash up on their own
  • Get dressed on their own (but may still need help with buttons, zippers, and shoelaces)
  • Know and can say their first and last name and age
Bus
Social and Emotional Skill Development Tips
  • Separate from a parent or caregiver without getting overly upset
  • Interact with other kids
  • Pay attention for at least five minutes to a task an adult is leading, like listening to directions for an activity or discussing the day’s weather during circle time
Shears
Fine Motor Skill Development Tips
  • Use a pencil or crayon with some control
  • Use scissors
  • Copy basic shapes
  • Make distinct marks that look like letters and write some actual letters, especially the ones in their name
  • Put together a simple puzzle
Ball
Gross Motor Skill Development Tips
  • Run
  • Jump with feet together
  • Hop on one foot
  • Climb stair
  • Bounce a ball and try to catch it
pencils1