Achieving developmental milestones are essential to early educational success and transition to kindergarten.
Checklist and Sample Activities for Parents
- Knows personal information
Make up a silly song with the child’s and parent’s name, phone and address.
- Counts to 10
Include counting as part of the daily routine (count days in a week, months in a year, lunch count, and attendance).
- Ability to separate from parents
Plan play dates with like aged children and overnight stays with family or other responsible adults.
- Follows directions
Play “Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes” and other learning games that ask children to follow directions, listen, and demonstrate self-control.
- Attention span
Engage in interactive activities or games to focus on listening, comprehension, e.g., “Simon Says.”
- Hand coordination/fine motor skills
Make safety scissors available and provide magazines and Play-Doh to cut. Practice how to hold a pencil and holding utensils.
Practice dressing/undressing dolls and toys. Sing a song while child washes hands, brushes teeth.
- Ability to Share
Provide opportunities for the children to participate in simple, noncompetitive activities to encourage sharing, cooperating, and taking turns.
- Ability to communicate needs
Model asking who, what, where, when, why, and how questions to obtain information, seek help, or clarify something not understood.
- Possesses a positive attitude toward school
Talk positively about school. Draw pictures demonstrating school activities and interactions, and then retell the experience.
- Ability to compare and describe objects and sounds in the environment
Take children on a walk outside. When they return inside, allow children the opportunity to create a design that represents something they saw while on the walk by using natural materials collected, such as leaves, feathers, or pine cones.
- Knows colors
Play the “I Spy” game- “I spy with my little eye... something red.”
Virginia’s Foundation Blocks for Early Learning and other specific guides were used to construct this checklist.