5 Things to Know on the First Day of Kindergarten

No, being able to identify all 26 letters is not essential (or likely) at this stage. What is important for a brand-new kindergartener is the knowledge of what at least a few letters look like, which shows an understanding of the significance of those shapes. Without that understanding, it's a lot harder to begin the pursuit of literacy -- and that's a major component of the kindergarten curriculum.

Basically, if your child can pick out, say, B, D and Z, he or she is in good shape.

Even better in the letter realm, but not strictly necessary, is the ability to recognize (and maybe even write!) his or her own name, and maybe recognize a few "sight words" -- simple words he or she sees often in daily living, like "stop," "go" or "hi."

Next, a different kind of readiness ...

While your soon-to-be kindergartener probably won't be learning to add and subtract this year, he or she will be learning those skills next year, in first grade; and kindergarten math is about laying the groundwork for that [source: Miller].

He or she will be definitely working with numbers in the course of the year, and it's important to walk in on the first day knowing the basics. Counting to 10 is a big one, as is knowing whether a collection of, say, marbles or checkers contains one, two, three, four or five of those marbles or checkers.

If your child also understands the basic concepts of more and less, he or she is in an excellent position to succeed in kindergarten math.

Next, a skill you've probably been watching develop for years ...

This activity should be nothing new to you and your little one. Sorting objects is a skill that starts to really take off around the age of 2. By 5, it's usually pretty well-developed, and it's important your child can sort effectively and with confidence by the start of the kindergarten year. It's a foundation principle of pattern recognition, which in turn is a foundation principle of math [source: PISD].

On the first day of school, your 5 year old should be adept at sorting objects by color, shape and size, and at least beginning to understand how to group by traits like texture and weightiness.

Next, it's about communicating ...

Every child develops language skills at a different rate. Sometimes, kids who are extremely adept physically lag behind in language, and vice versa. It's nothing to be concerned about -- and at home, it actually doesn't matter that much if sentences are choppy and words aren't pronounced quite right. Parents typically know what their children are saying as if they're speaking perfectly.

In kindergarten, though, it matters. A child who can't communicate effectively to strangers is going to have trouble getting his or her point across to teachers and peers, which can leave a child on the outs not only in terms of classroom learning but also when it comes to play.

From the very start of the kindergarten year, children should be able to speak in mostly complete sentences and pronounce words correctly enough for a stranger to understand them. Effective communication is critical for real involvement in class.

And finally, a skill your child probably can't even walk in the school door without ...

To the uninitiated, the opening days and weeks of kindergarten may not seem all that different from preschool or daycare -- playing, reading stories, running around outside, sitting in tiny chairs for fairly short periods of time ...

But even in those opening days, there's at least one dramatic and non-negotiable difference: Kindergarten teachers don't do diapers.

Your child must be potty trained before the first day of school. Accidents happen, of course, and there's no problem with that. But being able to take care of his or her own bathroom needs effectively and consistently is a necessity for any child starting kindergarten, so if your 4 or 5 year old is still having trouble with it, you may want to step your potty efforts up a notch.

Hopefully, this all sounds doable -- or, better yet, already done. If your child is lacking in any of these areas, though, that illustrious school career is in no way lost. You can work on the potty, the language, the sorting and the handful of numbers and letters in the months leading up to the start of school and make some remarkable progress.

You may be surprised to see how quickly your little baby can become a kindergartener.

For more information on kindergarten readiness and child development, including tools to help you teach at home, check out the links on the next page.