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.
• Self-Care
  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.