What Children Learn in Kindergarten

Kindergarten is an interesting time for students and parents alike as children leave home to learn, sometimes for the first time. Your Catholic school in Orlando shares what skills your child will master along with tips to encourage continued learning at home.Sounds and LettersYour student will learn to recognize and name the entire alphabet, as well as write each letter in both uppercase and lowercase. They will also be able to recognize the sounds associated with each letter and read about 30 sight words, like “and,” “the,” and “in”.At home, continue to read aloud to your child, and let them read words and sentences if they offer. This will sustain their enjoyment for reading and help them retain what they’ve learned in school.WritingYour child will be practicing simple words like “hat,” “red,” and “dog,” as well as short sentences like, “The cat ran home.”At home, give your student easy access to a special box filled with writing materials and paper so that they can practice their writing skills. For increased retention, ask him or her to read what they’ve written aloud. MathYour child will learn to recognize, order, write, and count objects up to 30. They will also be able to add and subtract small numbers.At home, encourage your student to point out numbers 1-30 in everyday content, from magazines and newspapers, to billboards. Have your child count often, and try to make a game out of quizzing them on “what comes next?” with numbers in a row.ShapesYour child will learn to recognize common shapes like circles, squares, triangles, and rectangles, and how to name each one. At home, discuss the differences among each shape, and provide opportunities for your child to recognize different shapes and sort them by size and color.TimeYour child will be able to understand the time of events to the nearest hour. For example, they will know that school starts at 8:00am and mom gets home from work at 5:00pm. At home, incorporate time into regular conversation by telling your child the time during normal, routine activities. Explain and use words like morning, noon, night, yesterday, today, and tomorrow. Discuss the seasons with your child, and find or help them draw pictures illustrating the difference between summer, fall, winter, and spring.The Orlando Catholic school's blog helps parents encourage their children to excel academically, spiritually, and socially. To learn more about what makes our schools different, contact us online or at 407-246-4800.