06/09/2026
50 THINGS YOUR CHILD SHOULD BE ABLE TO READ AND WRITE BEFORE LEAVING KINDERGARTEN
Let’s be honest… 👀
A child finishing kindergarten should not only know the alphabet.
Knowing A–Z is NOT the same as being ready to read and write.
Here are 50 skills worth checking 👇🏽
📖 READING SKILLS
Read and recognise their own name.
Recognise and name uppercase letters.
Recognise and name lowercase letters.
Know the common sounds of letters.
Blend simple sounds: m-a-t → mat.
Read simple CVC words: cat, dog, sun, pen.
Read words with short vowels: a, e, i, o, u.
Read simple words with common digraphs: sh, ch, th, ck.
Read simple words with ee: see, feet, green.
Read simple words with oo: book, look, moon.
Recognise common tricky words such as the, I, is, to, go.
Read simple two-syllable words with support.
Read simple phrases: a big dog.
Read simple sentences: The cat is big.
Follow words from left to right while reading.
Understand that words are separated by spaces.
Recognise familiar words in everyday environments.
Retell a simple story in their own words.
Answer simple questions about what they read.
Predict what might happen next in a simple story.
Identify the beginning, middle and end of a story.
Identify simple characters and settings.
Match pictures to appropriate words.
Understand basic punctuation such as full stops and question marks.
Read aloud simple age-appropriate books with growing confidence.
✍🏽 WRITING SKILLS
Hold a pencil correctly enough to write comfortably.
Write their first name.
Form uppercase letters recognisably.
Form lowercase letters recognisably.
Write letters when given their sounds.
Write simple CVC words from dictation.
Spell familiar words such as cat, dog, sun, pen.
Write their own age.
Write some familiar numbers.
Copy simple words and sentences.
Write simple phrases independently.
Write a simple sentence.
Begin a sentence with a capital letter.
Leave spaces between words.
Use a full stop at the end of a sentence.
Write a simple description of a picture.
Label familiar objects.
Write a short sentence about themselves.
Write a simple sentence about a story they heard.
Attempt to spell unfamiliar words using sounds.
Write words from memory that they use frequently.
Arrange words to make a simple sentence.
Write a few connected sentences with support.
Read back what they have written.
Express their own ideas through writing—even when the spelling isn't perfect.
⚠️ And please don't panic if your child cannot do all 50 yet.
Children develop at different rates.
But parents and teachers should know what skills they are working towards.
And one more thing:
Don't rush children into memorising hundreds of words.
Build the foundation.
👉🏽 Sounds → blending → words → sentences → understanding → independent reading and writing.
That progression matters.
📌 SAVE this list.
📤 Share it with a parent or teacher who needs to see it.
Parents, how many of these can your child do already? Be honest—give me a number from 1–50 in the comments. 👇🏽
