Kindergarten Readiness Skills Checklist — What Licensed Daycare Teaches | Daisy Days Regina SK

Kindergarten readiness is one of the most frequently discussed outcomes of quality licensed daycare — and for good reason. At Daisy Days Daycare in Regina SK, our preschool program is specifically designed to develop the full range of skills Saskatchewan children need to enter Kindergarten confidently. Here’s the complete readiness checklist.

The Kindergarten Readiness Misconception — It’s Not About ABCs

Many parents believe Kindergarten readiness means knowing the alphabet, being able to count to 20, and recognizing some letters. These are useful — but they are among the least important predictors of Kindergarten success. The skills that actually predict how well a child will do in Kindergarten are:

• Self-regulation: The ability to manage impulses, emotions, and attention — more predictive of academic outcomes than letter knowledge
• Language comprehension: Vocabulary and the ability to understand and follow multi-step instructions
• Social competence: Ability to navigate peer relationships, resolve conflicts, and cooperate — essential for the group learning environment
• Executive function: Working memory, cognitive flexibility, and inhibitory control — the brain skills that allow learning in a structured environment

The Daisy Days Daycare Kindergarten Readiness Checklist

Social-Emotional Skills

• ✅ Can separate from parents with manageable distress (may still cry briefly, but settles)
• ✅ Can engage in cooperative play with peers (not just parallel play)
• ✅ Is developing tools for conflict management (words rather than always hitting or melting down)
• ✅ Can recognize and name basic emotions: happy, sad, angry, scared, surprised
• ✅ Shows empathy — recognizes when a peer is sad or hurt
• ✅ Can manage group transitions with educator support

Self-Regulation and Executive Function

• ✅ Can attend to a group activity for 10-15 minutes (circle time, story)
• ✅ Can wait for a turn without escalating
• ✅ Can follow a 2-3 step instruction sequence
• ✅ Can transition between activities with manageable resistance
• ✅ Can engage in focused independent play for a sustained period

Language and Communication

• ✅ Uses 4-6+ word sentences
• ✅ Can tell a simple story about something that happened (“We went to the park and I saw a dog”)
• ✅ Is understood by unfamiliar adults most of the time
• ✅ Can answer “why” and “how” questions with emerging understanding
• ✅ Shows interest in books and print

Pre-Literacy

• ✅ Recognizes their own name in print
• ✅ Can rhyme some words (cat/bat, dog/log)
• ✅ Shows awareness that print carries meaning (knows books are read left to right, top to bottom)
• ✅ Can write or attempt to write their first name
• ✅ Knows most or all letters of the alphabet (helpful, not essential)

Pre-Numeracy

• ✅ Can count objects to 10 with one-to-one correspondence (touching each object)
• ✅ Can compare quantities: more, less, the same
• ✅ Recognizes basic shapes: circle, square, triangle, rectangle
• ✅ Can sort objects by color or shape

Self-Care and Independence

• ✅ Can manage bathroom needs independently (may need help with wiping)
• ✅ Can put on and remove coat and shoes with minimal help
• ✅ Can manage lunch box, water bottle, and bag independently
• ✅ Can blow nose with reminder

How Daisy Days Daycare’s Preschool Program Builds These Skills

Every area above is intentionally targeted through Daisy Days Daycare’s play-based preschool curriculum:

• Dramatic play builds executive function (planning, inhibiting impulses within the play narrative, cooperating)
• Daily read-alouds build vocabulary, comprehension, and print awareness
• Group circle time builds attention and group participation skills
• Cooperative games build social competence and turn-taking
• Daily writing exploration builds early literacy and fine motor skills

→ Full Daisy Days Daycare preschool program
→ Preschool curriculum guide
→ Kindergarten vs daycare at age 4-5

Contact Daisy Days Daycare — building Kindergarten-ready children in south Regina SK since 2010.
306-807-3233 | info@daisydaysdaycare.com | 2007 Potts Crescent East, Regina SK S4V 2E5