What Should My Child Learn in Kindergaten?

January 5, 2021
Written by:
Guest Author

No two kids are alike – all children learn and develop differently, even children in the same age groups. It’s what makes all kids so special and unique but it also makes it difficult to figure out how children are performing. Kindergarteners and preschoolers are great examples of this! However, these typical “kindergarten benchmarks”  experts can be great guidelines to help you figure out where your kindergartener might need a bit of your support, or where your child might be gifted!

**Remember these are just “benchmarks.” Every child will learn and grow at different rates.

Kindergarten Benchmarks At a Glance

  • Kids should begin to learn how to read social cues.
  • They should start to understand and recognize complex emotions.
  • Kids should learn to empathize with both peers and adults.
  • Kindergarteners should get a head start on counting and basic addition and subtraction!
  • They should learn about quantitative things like height, distance, and weight.
  • They should begin to take an interest in reading short simple stories.
  • Kindergarteners should be able to retell familiar stories!

Kindergarten Academic Growth Chart

  • Kindergarteners should be able to count to 100 by ones and by tens, and be able to read, say-out-loud, and write these numbers – in both numeral and word form!
  • They should be able to translate these counting skills to counting objects in groups as well.
  • By the end of kindergarten, they should be able to add and subtract numbers at least up to 20.
  • It is especially important that kids understand the concepts of addition and subtraction as “combining with” and “taking away.” That logic will help them lay the foundation to understand the most complex ideas of multiplication and division.
  • One thing kindergarteners will learn to understand from watching you, and other mentors is to add using their hands!
  • Some other concepts that your kindergarteners should begin to grasp: weight, length, height, and distance!
  • By the end of kindergarten, your little learners should also know their basic shapes: squares, triangles, circles, etc.!

Reading and Writing Benchmarks

While they are building some impressive math skills, other kindergarten benchmarks include working on their understanding of the English language along with their reading and writing skills!

  • Kindergarteners should know their alphabet and learn to associate different letters with sounds – sounding out some simple three letter words (bigger ones if they’re ready!).
  • They should also begin to take an interest in hearing stories, and reading stories on their own – with your help if needed of course.
  • With this newfound understanding of simple books and stories – your kindergarteners should learn to capitalize and use lowercase where and when needed (don’t worry if it takes some time!).
  • The most fun skill they will learn during this formative time in their life will be retelling stories – telling you how their day went, or a funny thing that happened in their math class!

 

It’s important to see how kids perform with these kindergarten benchmarks, but the most important thing is to be supportive. If your kindergartener needs a bit of math help, or a little extra time sounding out a particularly difficult word – the most wonderful thing you can do is to be there for them!

Other Helpful Kindergarten Articles

Preschool Homeschool Printables

Incorporating Play Into the Homeschool Day

Start With These Basic Alphabet Practice Pages