1. Fine Motor Development – Strengthening hand muscles is important for fine motor skills used in writing and cutting.
Activities that strengthen hand muscles include:

• Kneading play dough and bread dough
• Stringing beads
• Pushing sand
• Lacing (cards, shoes, etc.)
• Using tongs to pick up small items
• Exercising pincer grip by playing with Legos, small cars, doll clothes, etc.

2. Reading Readiness – Children who display signs of reading readiness are most successful in kindergarten. One of the best ways to cultivate reading readiness is by enjoying quality children’s literature with your child.
​Some signs of reading readiness are:

• Recognizes rhyming words (e.g. What rhymes with “cat”? “fat” or “cow”?)
• Tells the meaning of simple words
• Uses left-to-right progression
• Recognizes most letters by name and sound
• Distinguishes beginning sounds in words
• Demonstrates the ability to listen to a story
• Answers questions about a story
• Writes some letters and numbers
• Counts objects using one-to-one correspondence
• Recognizes numbers 1-10​

3. Social and Emotional Development – The classroom setting requires students to be able to function successfully as part of a group. Some important first steps toward this are:

• Knows full name
• Verbally interacts with others
• Exhibits self-control and a cooperative nature
• Recognizes authority
• Listens to and follows basic instructions
• Gets along and plays with other children
• Can work independently