Your child’s kindergarten curriculum may vary depending on what the standard is in your state and district. And children this age can enter kindergarten with widely different skill levels. Some kids may know the entire alphabet and many sight words while others may be struggling to go beyond a handful of letters. Bearing that in mind, the following is a general idea of the skills you can expect to your child to learn as they become immersed in kindergarten lesson plans.
Kindergarten Social Skills
Develop better self-control skills such as sitting still and listening quietlyLearn how to follow directionsBecome more skilled at cooperating with othersDiscuss families, holidays, and other things about their worlds
Kindergarten Reading and Writing
Review letters of the alphabet and corresponding soundsLearn lowercase and uppercase lettersLearn sight words or frequently-used words such as “the,” “and” and “is"Write about themselves and write stories together as a class with the teacher’s helpLearn stories, songs, and rhyming wordsTalk about stories after reading them (a demonstration of reading comprehension) including predicting what may happen next, trying to guess what characters might be thinking or feeling, re-telling what happened in the storiesWrite words with spelling guessed by the child (invented spelling)Write letters to mom and dadLabel pictures they’ve illustrated
Kindergarten Math
Count things around the classroom, such as how many days they’ve been at school, how many blocks are in a bin, etc.Identify basic shapes such as circle, square, triangle, etc.Recognize numerals up to 20 or beyondCount by 5s or 10sTackle basic addition and subtractionUnderstand concepts such as “more than” or “equal to"Create patterns with small objects and sort into groups by color and sizeIdentify coins (be able to distinguish between pennies, dimes, etc.)
Kindergarten Science
Many kindergarten teachers take advantage of young children’s natural curiosity to help them learn about their world.
Explore their world through observation and experimentationDiscover what animals and plants need to live and growLearn about the parts of the body and the sensesLearn about changes in seasons and weatherBecome familiar with elements that make up our planet (earth, sand, rocks, water, etc.)
