Yes — does this consistently
Sometimes — emerging, with reminders
Not yet — needs practice
1
Social-Emotional Readiness · the strongest predictor of kindergarten success
- Separates from a parent without prolonged distress
- Plays cooperatively with other children for 10+ minutes
- Takes turns and shares (with reminders)
- Follows simple rules in group games
- Expresses feelings with words, not only physical reactions
- Recovers from disappointment within a few minutes
- Shows empathy when another child is hurt or sad
- Accepts "no" without a meltdown most of the time
- Asks an adult for help when needed
- Sits and listens during a 10–15 minute story
2
Self-Care & Independence
- Uses the bathroom independently (wipes, washes hands)
- Puts on and takes off a coat
- Manages zippers, buttons, or velcro
- Puts on shoes (laces optional)
- Opens lunch containers and water bottles
- Uses a fork and spoon, drinks from an open cup
- Washes hands without prompting
- Carries a backpack and unpacks it
- Recognizes own belongings
3
Language & Communication
- Speaks in complete sentences (5+ words)
- Is understood by adults outside the family
- Follows two-step directions
- Answers simple questions about a story
- Retells a familiar story or describes their day
- Asks questions when they don't understand
- Knows full name, age, and parent's name
- Uses please, thank you, excuse me
- Waits for their turn to speak in a group
4
Early Literacy
- Recognizes most uppercase letters
- Recognizes most lowercase letters
- Knows the sounds of at least 10 letters
- Recognizes own first name in print
- Writes own first name (any direction)
- Identifies rhyming words ("cat" / "hat")
- Claps out syllables in words
- Hears the first sound in a word
- Holds a book right-side up, turns pages
- Knows print is read left to right
5
Early Math & Thinking
- Counts to 20 with reasonable accuracy
- Counts 10 objects one at a time
- Recognizes numerals 0–10 by sight
- Identifies basic shapes
- Continues simple patterns (red, blue, red…)
- Understands "more," "less," "same"
- Sorts by color, size, or shape
- Understands position words (on, under, beside)
- Knows at least 6 basic colors
- Shows curiosity, asks "why" questions
What To Do Next
When to ask a professional
Bring it up at your child's well visit if their speech is hard for outsiders to understand, they can't follow two-step directions, they have intense meltdowns lasting 15+ minutes, or you have a gut feeling something's off. Free developmental screenings are available in most regions through your pediatrician or local school district.
3-Month Progress Tracker
Print 3 copies of page 1 across 3 months. Use this table to count "Yes" responses by domain — watch the numbers climb.
Domain
Month 1
Month 2
Month 3
1 · Social-Emotional
___ / 10
___ / 10
___ / 10
2 · Self-Care
___ / 9
___ / 9
___ / 9
3 · Language
___ / 9
___ / 9
___ / 9
4 · Early Literacy
___ / 10
___ / 10
___ / 10
5 · Early Math
___ / 10
___ / 10
___ / 10