20 Things Every Kindergartener Really Needs To Know Their First Day Of School

It’s almost that time. School is about to start, and kids will be going off to kindergarten for the first time.

Kindergarten is a magical time full of learning, playing, making all kinds of friends, more playing, running, glue, glitter, crayons, and very little responsibility.

It is also a time for us to work on all kinds of basic life skills — skills we probably now take for granted.

I mean, do I eat glue today? Nope!! That is all thanks to my kindergarten teacher.

There are SOME skills, however that every kindergarten teacher wishes their students knew BEFORE they walked in the door.

We have polled actual kindergarten teachers, and asked them their top things they think students should know before they cross the threshold into kindergarten, and here is what they said.

20 Things That Every Child Should Know Before They Walk Into Kindergarten

1) How to walk in a line — Yes, this is something that is worked on in every kindergarten class across the country — dare I say, world — but kids should have a concept of what a line is, and how to walk behind of and in front of others.

2) How to write their name — It is almost unanimously agreed amongst teachers that a student should know how to write their name. They may not understand the alphabet IN FULL, but they should have a grasp on their name.

3) How to hold a pencil — They should at least know what a pencil is. It is a total bonus if they have been taught how to hold it correctly!! If they don’t know this, they will be behind.

4) How to button their own pants & dress themselves — I will admit, my kids did not really get the concept of buttoning their own pants when they started kindergarten. We worked on it, but their fine motor skills were not developed enough to full-on button their clothes.

5) Know how to use the bathroom correctly, including wiping — This should pretty much be mastered by kindergarten. If not, the teacher is going to spend her (or his) WHOLE day in the bathroom! This is really a preschool skill, Parents. Make sure you child has this concept down pat.

6) Know the basics of tying their shoes — If your kids can tie their own shoes, they are well above the curve. This is a hard concept to grasp. They should at least be working on this basic skill.

7) How to use scissors — Get some safety scissors and some construction paper. Draw some lines on the paper, and watch your kids practice cutting on the lines. ALWAYS watch your kids when they are cutting with scissors.

8) Know their letters (the alphabet) — This should also be a preschool learned skill. The kids should fully have a grasp on saying their alphabet, and identifying letters. I’m not saying they can necessarily read, but recognize the letters.

9) Know the sounds of those letters — It is also important that the kids know the basic sounds the letters make. Get a phonics workbook, and let them work through it. This is how I learned my letters so many years ago.

10) How to be nice — This is a life skill, right here. They should understand basic respect, and know how to show that respect to others, by being a nice friend.

11) How to count to twenty — I’d say, make sure they can AT LEAST count to ten. Let them watch sesame street or some other children’s programming. They should pick up their alphabet and their numbers pretty quickly!

12) How not to pee their pants — Please. Your child should be able to hold their bladder, and have the concept of potty training DOWN.

13) How to keep their hands to themselves — I know. My son is going into 4th grade, and we still struggle with this. It should be something that they are aware of, however. They should understand not to touch someone else without permission.

14) How to sit Criss Cross Applesauce — They will do this ON THE DAILY in kindergarten. They should at least know what it is.

15) How to blow their nose — They should be familiar with tissue, or at least toilet paper. They should understand that you don’t use your hands or clothes. They need to know to throw the tissue away when done, and WASH their hands after!

16) How to cover their mouth when they cough — The current proper etiquette is to cough into your arm, or that elbow-pit area.

17) Understand what a book is, reading from left to right, where the beginning of a book and the end of a book are — This can easily be done by reading to your kids. Maybe try to pick up a book and read before bed every night. Point to the words as you read them, so they know that you go from left to right.

18) Understand simple one to one correspondence: counting objects correctly — This can easily be taught with a deck of cards or dice. Pick a card or roll a number. Have the child do something that resembles the number that was chosen or rolled. Example: If they roll a 5, have them do 5 jumping jacks. If they pick a 3 card, have them touch their toes three times.

19) How to clean up after themselves — This is something I still have to learn. Ha! Have the kids pick up their clothes, stuffed animals, and toys when they are done with them. Have them take their plates to the sink when they are done eating.

20) Have experience using pencils and crayons — Let them draw and color frequently. Just give them some paper, and let them go at it. There is no right or wrong here, just get them used to using the tools.