Kindergarten Preparation

As a new school year begins, preschool parents have a lot to think about. In recent years, research has highlighted the importance of early childhood education in preparation for school. However, preparing your child for Kindergarten is no easy task, that is why at New Adventures we make it our mission from 6 weeks to school age to tailor our learning objectives to meet the needs of each individual student and build upon their fundamental development skills.

Starting your child in early childhood education gives your child a leg up on reading readiness, writing skills and fundamental social interactions with other students and teachers. While at New Adventures, your child will learn a plethora of skills and abilities that will better prepare them for their future. To help you understand what our center and more specifically our Preschool Program encompasses read through the checklist below about what activities and skills are worked on, but not limited to, at our center.

  1. Verbal skills
    1. Speaks clearly
    2. Speaks in sentences
    3. Express and describe feelings
  2. Listening skills
    1. Listens with understanding
    2. Follows directions
  3. Reading readiness
    1. Listens well to stories
    2. Understands left to right movement of reading
    3. Retells information from a story
  4. Alphabet
    1. Recites the alphabet
    2. Identifies uppercase and lowercase letters
    3. Matches uppercase letters to lowercase letters
    4. Identifies how each letter sounds
  5. Writing skills
    1. Traces letters and numbers
    2. Writes a few letters without tracing
    3. Uses pictures to communicate ideas
  6. Gross motor skills
    1. Runs, skips, hops, jumps
    2. Pedals and steers a tricycle
    3. Climbs a playground ladder
    4. Throws a ball with direction
    5. Catches a ball with arms and body
    6. Bounces a ball
  7. Fine Motor skills
    1. Stacks blocks
    2. Strings beads
    3. Zips, snaps, laces
    4. Grips a pencil correctly
    5. Completes a simple puzzle (7+ pieces)
    6. Good scissor skills
    7. Copies: vertical line, horizontal line, circle, cross, square, V, triangle
  8. Math
    1. Sorts by color, shape, and size
    2. Counts to at least 10
    3. Recognizes simple patterns and duplicates them
    4. Identifies 4 shapes: circle, square, triangle, and rectangle
    5. Demonstrates understanding of directional concepts (up/down, right/left, over/under)
    6. Understands comparative words (big/little, short/long, slow/fast)
  9. Creative arts/ music/ movement/ drama
    1. Identifies colors
    2. Explores different art materials
    3. Draws lines and shapes
    4. Participates in group music experiences
    5. Participates in creative movement/dance
    6. Plays simple instruments
    7. Takes on pretend roles and situations
  10. Social skills
    1. Recites first and last name
    2. Able to identify birthday
    3. Knows address and telephone number
    4. Recites names of parents
    5. Plays well with others
    6. Takes turns and shares
    7. Cleans up after learning and playing
    8. Participates in group activities
    9. Interacts with familiar adults
    10. Considerate of other people’s feelings
    11. Respects items belonging to others
    12. Listens when others speak
    13. Seeks adults help during conflicts
    14. Uses manners and basic etiquette
  11. Self-control
    1. Follows schedule and routines
    2. Able to move from one activity to the next
    3. Expresses self with words
    4. Walks to and from the bathroom pulls down own pants, pulls them up again
    5. Washes hands independently
    6. Does basic self-dressing