The Common Core State Standards provide a framework parents and educators to understand what to expect from children at each grade level. According to these standards, kids entering kindergarten should have basic math knowledge such as knowing some of the number names, counting in a sequence, understanding that adding two numbers puts them together to form a larger one and that subtracting one number from another is equivalent to taking something apart. Additionally, as a child enters kindergarten, she should understand simple geometry concepts and identify shapes.
It's unlikely that your five-year-old will have the self-control to sit, focus and pay attention for lengthy periods of time. However, his kindergarten teacher will expect him to exhibit some degree of focus and attention during the course of the school day. According to pediatric experts at the Children's Hospital of Colorado, successful kindergartners have at least a 15-minute attention span. This may mean sitting quietly and listening to a story or staying on an activity task until the project is complete.
Following directions often goes hand-in-hand with the abilities to focus and pay attention. Without the self-control to listen to the teacher, it's likely that your kindergartner won't have the ability to take in and complete multi-step tasks. A child who doesn't have the skills to follow the teacher's directions may struggle to stay on track with classroom projects, activities and lessons.
Your child's kindergarten teacher will expect some basic literacy skills. This doesn't mean that your five-year-old needs to have full mastery of writing in the English language, but she should have some beginning literacy knowledge. According to early childhood education professor and expert Ann Barbour at PBS Parents, your child should know some letters and have the ability to write at least her first name. Additionally, Common Core Standards note that kindergartners should have the skills to use dictation, writing and drawing to convey information or a story.
Kindergartners should have a general knowledge of book principles and how to understand narrative structure. For example, your kindergartner should know that English text is read from left to right and how to handle a book in the correct directional way. Additionally, according to the Common Core Standards, kindergartners should have the skills to answer questions about key parts of a story, retell stories, name and define the jobs of authors and illustrators and identify the characters and setting of a book.