Discussions

My son will be going to kinder in the fall. What are the requirments? Do they need to recognize every letter of the alphabet? Spell there name? count to?  
 
Thanks for your responses  
 
Not really what to expect

When you register for kindergarten you are often given an orientation date for spring where you can visit the school etc. There are no requirements for kindergarten other than minimum age, but clearly teaching them skills such as alphabet, numbers, colors, shapes etc is helpful but will be taught in kindergarten.  
 
I think more important is to be sure they can toilet themself, do up their jacket, shoes, open snack and lunch containers etc is probably more necessary than academic skills

Have your child prepared to BUILD on their knowledge of abc,numbers,shapes and colors. Waiting until your child has entered kinder will result in your child falling behind their peers, and additional support may not be readily available within the classroom. Class size and the other individual needs within the class will impact the chances your child has to catch up. Experience holding pencils and scissors is extremely helpful as well. Building on these skills will ensure a great start in kinder! But don't wait till the child has walked into class to start teaching the basics!  
Good luck!

Is not about playing. In fact the back room playtime was over before Xmas at my child's kindergarten class. They have been reading and home reading since the new year, most kids anyways.  
I know it's too late now but preschool is very important for most kids.  
The advice about using scissors and using a pencil properly is great.  
 
Make sure your child is ready to be away from parents. It may seem simple. But some kids never do daycare or preschool and don't learn to be away from mom and dad ever... That's when kindergarten is a glorified preschool!  
 
Toilet trained is very important as well. Every 4/5 year old is not toilet trained. I have seen it myself.

I have one in kindergarten and one in preschool. Their preschools goal is/was to have them printing their names, know the alphabet and letter sounds, count to minimum 20, recognize colors and shapes, develop their fine motor skills (ie cutting along a line etc), etc. They were also strongly encouraged to dress/undress themselves (yes all their winter stuff too) in a timely manner.

http://www.edu.gov.mb.ca/k12/mychild/kindergarten.html

I taught Kindergarten and most divisions are moving towards a play based learning program. It's recommended that in a full time Kindergarten program, children get 45 minutes of playtime in the morning as well as in the afternoon. Children learn so many valuable skills through play and let's not forget that they are only still 5 years old! Now when I say "playtime", I am referring to a child centred play that has been set up by the teacher in the form of learning/play centres. Children are still held accountable for their learning and there are certain rules that are put in place..it's not just a chaotic free for all! Lol As far as having your child prepared for school, there are not any formal requirements. I have had children enter Kindergarten at various levels and eventually they all catch up I know as parents we all want our children to have the best start possible so by them knowing their letters and numbers to 30 as well as their shapes will make things a bit easier on them. The end goal for numbers in Kindergarten is to count forwards to 30 and backwards from 10. They hopefully will know their letter names and sounds and be reading at a 1-2 level by the end of the year. There are many more outcomes that will get taught throughout the year, as seen in the link someone gave you earlier. In my experience, what is right up there in importance with academic knowledge, is your child's ability to listen, be respectful, have manners, be kind to others, etc..If a parent really works on these things before a child enters Kindergarten, the year will go much smoother for both the student and teacher which will make the learning aspect much more fun, enjoyable as well as successful! I hope this answers some of your questions and if I have any spelling or grammar mistakes, please go easy on me as it's 5 am and I have been up half the night with 2 children who refuse to sleep