PLEASE NOTE: Children progress at varying rates, and students will continue to develop these skills throughout the kindergarten year. While it's not anticipated for these skills to be fully mastered upon entering kindergarten, it proves beneficial if children have prior experiences in the following areas.

Help your child develop skills for kindergarten by providing experiences in the following areas:

• Know first and last name
• Identify and express feeling ("I am sad")
• Initiate and join in with other children
• Share and take turns
• Listen to a speaker (eyes watching, ears listening, quiet voice, still body)

• Use the bathroom independently
• Dress self (put on jacket, zip, button)
• Ask for help when needed
• Practice good hygiene (blow nose, wash hands, etc.)
• Follow multi-stop directions (first, next, then)
• Clean up when finished with a task
• Follow classroom rules, routines, and transitions

• Write name
• Use crayons, pencils, scissors
• Play with objects to help develop fine motor skills (Legos, playdough, puzzles, etc.)
• Outdoor play to help develop gross motor skills (running, jumping, climbing)

• Listen to books read aloud
• Understand positional words and opposites (top, bottom, above, below)
• Recognize rhyming words (cat/hat)
• Identify capital/lowercase letters
• Retell stories and events
• Identify features of a book (title, front, back, etc. )

• Count to 20
• Name and identify 0-10 when out of order
• Name colors and shapes
• Count at least 10 objects
• Identify more or less

• Explore a variety of interests
• Creativity and imagination (imaginary play, draws, constructs, etc.)
• Connects life experiences with school learning and experiences
• Answer open-ended questions ("What could you try differently?")

List based on Minnesota Early Childhood Indicators of Progress (ECIPs)

Minnesota Statute Section 123.701 requires children to participate in Early Childhood Screening before entering kindergarten. The JCC School District provides this service. Your preschool child needs to be screened only once. If your child has not participated in Early Childhood Screening, please contact Amber Lessman at 507-847-5868 or email amber.lessman@jccschools.net to set up your child's appointment.