Kindergarten Milestones

Math

Kindergarten mathematicians are immersed in things they can see and feel. To a kindergartner, a number isn't just ink-spots on a piece of paper, it's a pile of dried beans that needs to be counted. Problem solving is figuring out how many cookies each friend gets to eat so that everyone has an equal amount. Here are some common kindergarten math skills as well as some great instructional products:

Counting and Computation

• Counts, recognizes, represents, names, and orders objects (i.e. shows beginning number skills from 1 to 10)
• Begins writing numbers
• Understands the meaning and use of numbers and the relationship between numbers and quantity
• Understands simple addition and subtraction by using objects to determine answers

Shapes, Colors, and Patterns

• Identifies common geometric shapes (e.g. circle, square, triangle)
• Classifies and sorts items according to size, shape, and color
• Identifies items that do not belong to a group
• Builds or completes sequences and patterns

Time, Money, and Measurement

• Names the days of the week
• Measures, estimates, and compares objects by size and number
• Demonstrates an understanding of the concept of time (e.g. morning, afternoon, evening, day) and recognizes tools that measure time (e.g. clock and calendar)
• Identifies common coins by name

Reading & Writing

Kindergartners do a lot of experimenting with words. They blend conventional letters and words with ones they create in their imaginations. Pictures convey messages and elaborate stories. All of this adds up to the fact that kindergartners are making connections among words, meaning, and expression. Look for some of these signs of early reading and writing skills and consider some of these great instructional products:

Reading Readiness

• Listens to and enjoys picture books, nursery rhymes, legends, and poems
• Talks about setting, characters, and events within stories
• Talks to others about stories and participates in shared reading activities
• Makes predictions about story content based on illustrations
• Understands how print is organized and read (i.e. from left to right and top to bottom)

Letters and Words

• Recognizes his or her own printed name
• Knows the concept of a letter and a word
• Recognizes upper- and lower-case letters
• Identifies the beginning letter in single syllable words
• Reads some common words

Writing Readiness

• Writes some familiar words and letters correctly
• Begins to organize thoughts and information for putting stories together
• Explains his or her own writing and drawing
• Draws pictures and uses letters to create stories about experiences, people, or events
• Begins to write left to right and top to bottom
• Prints his or her own name
• Contributes to group stories and dictates individual stories

Phonics and Sounds

• Demonstrates an awareness of phonics (i.e. the sounds that letters make independently and together)
• Recognizes spoken rhyming words and substitutes words in rhyming patterns
• Separates a word into its sounds (e.g. /c-a-t/)

Speaking and Listening

• Begins to ask questions about stories and to respond to the questions of others
• Respectfully takes turns when speaking and listening
• Participates in role-playing and creative play
• Uses descriptive vocabulary

Social Studies

A kindergartner's life experience provides plenty of inspiration for social studies. Throughout this year, kindergartners gain an awareness of themselves, their family members, important people in their lives, and their classroom environment. This year, look for kindergartners to develop the following skills that you can encourage using these instructional products:

Social Studies

• Show characteristics of good citizenship and character
• Work with others in a school setting
• Demonstrate an understanding of the school's geography (e.g. location of classroom, office, cafeteria, playground)
• Describe streets, types of transportation, buildings, and activities in his or her local community
• Understand basic concepts of geography (e.g. places and simple directions)
• Describe events that occurred in the past

Science

Kindergarten scientists explore their surroundings using all five senses to make observations and to answer questions like: Why do unwatered plants die? What color do you get when you mix blue and yellow paints? What happens to an ice cube that's left on a sunny windowsill? This year, look for kindergartners to develop the following skills that you can encourage using these great instructional products:

Science  

• Exhibit curiosity and a general interest in science
• Ask "How do you know?" in appropriate situations
• Observe, compare, and classify objects according to characteristics (e.g. size, shape, color, texture, temperature)
• Identify parts of the body and their basic functions
• Name familiar animals
• Name various weather conditions and the four seasons