Preparing for School: What Should a Child Know Before the First Grade?

Did you know that, on average, a child asks about 300 questions a day? That’s a lot of curiosity and a clear sign of their eager minds gearing up for the first grade! And boy, what a milestone you and your child have reached together!

It’s a time full of learning and opportunities for growth. As a parent, you're transitioning from preschool or kindergarten to a structured elementary school environment. You might be wondering if your child has all the skills they need to thrive in first grade, both academically and socially.

Little boy with a graduation hat holding a diploma.

So, today, we’ll go through some of the things your child might find helpful before hitting the first school year.

What Key Skills Should a Child Have as They Enter the First Grade?

It’s important to understand that the skills a child should have when starting the first grade can vary based on their previous schooling. In Montessori education, there’s no rule that fits all, so when it comes to being ready for the first grade, things are not strict.

This is especially true since preschool and kindergarten aren’t always mandatory, depending on where you live.

Group of children in classroom raising hands to answer a questions.

However, we can all agree that building basic social skills early on is crucial for success in the first grade. Your child should know how to follow conversation rules, like taking turns and listening when others speak.

They should also have some basic academic skills in math and reading. These usually include adding and subtracting numbers up to 10, counting objects in a group, and recognizing people, places, and things in pictures.

It’s also great if your child knows how to answer questions about stories their teacher reads or even how to write and distinguish between uppercase and lowercase letters of the alphabet.

Again, we have to mention that all these things depend on the child’s education before the first grade. These are all ‘good-to-haves,’ not ‘must-haves.’

Checking the Boxes - Child Skills by Category

Now, let’s see the essential skills our little learners need. From teamwork to storytelling and science, these skills are quite helpful for first graders. Plus, we’ll add a couple of Montessori toys for 5 year olds.

Five year old girl making cookies out of dough.

Social Skills

While academics are important, mastering social skills is like getting an A+ in life. These skills are key for kindergarten and beyond:

Joins in group activities: A team player who’s always up for group projects and playground games.

Resolves conflicts using words: Talks it out instead of throwing toys—future diplomat in training!

Asks for adult help when necessary: Knows when to call in the teacher squad for backup.

Plays, shares, and works with others: Shares toys and snacks like a pro negotiator.

Follows classroom rules and routines: Master of the classroom rulebook, with bonus points for creativity within the lines.

Respects others’ feelings and personal space: A social butterfly who knows when to give friends space.

Now, there’s a great Montessori toy that can help kids master all these skills - the Montessori Wooden Marble Run. This toy is designed for a group setting, which allows your kid to learn to cooperate with others. Building a run from scratch is a great mini-project for kids to learn to work together and improve their social skills.

Plus, this toy teaches STEM skills, which are more than welcome to help your kids do well in school.

Reading and Writing Skills

In first grade, your little Montessori learners will improve their reading and writing skills. Your child will learn to recognize more words by sight. They’ll also learn how to write each letter and create simple sentences like ‘’I love mommy’’.

Preschooler at the table writing with her right hand.

But, before all that, kids should know how to:

Retell a simple story: Tells you what happened in a story they’ve read or heard.

Identify basic sight words: Recognizes common words like "who" or "come" instantly.

Infographic showing sight words that every preschooler should know.

Groups common words (e.g., animals, shapes, colors): Puts similar words together.

Recognizes the who, what, when, where, and why of a story: Understands the main parts of a story.

Handles writing utensils correctly: Holds pencils and crayons the right way.

Builds sentences with simple words: Puts words together to make sentences.

Writes familiar words, including their name: Can write their own name and other words they know.

Progresses from left to right and top to bottom: Writes in the same direction as books are read.

And guess what? Here’s a perfect toy to help them master these skills to perfection - the Montessori Wooden Spelling Game. First of all, this toy is all about letters, words, and shapes. Since your kid already knows how to handle shapes, doing it with letters will improve their writing and reading skills.

And let’s not forget the image cards that come inside the box. These cards will teach your kid about different things like animals, cars, groceries, you name it.

Science Skills

First graders are like little explorers, always curious about the world. They enjoy learning about different parts of science, like how things work and why.

So, it’s only natural for kids to know some stuff about the world around them in a scientific way:

They understand that plants and animals need certain things to live, not just food and sleep.

They can tell if something is hard like a rock, wet like water, or how air feels.

They know about places that are hot, cold, wet, or dry and what kinds of animals live there.

First grade child making a DIY science project.

And, when it comes to a bit of science learning, especially about how things work, the Montessori Rainbow Tree is a perfect toy. First, kids can have fun building the tree while also strengthening their problem-solving abilities. Second, this toy allows your kid to understand that cause and effect.

When they drop the marble down the tree, they’ll quickly learn quite a lot about gravity, how object size affects speed, and much more. It’s a simple way of building your kid’s foundation in science.

Conclusion:

As you and your child get ready for first grade, remember - it’s not just about ABCs and 123s! From making friends to exploring science, first grade is a big adventure. So, equip your little one with curiosity, kindness, and a love for learning.

With these tools, they’ll soar through first grade and beyond. That’s a guarantee!