Whitehead Learning Group
Empowering students to thrive.

Academic Milestones

Curious on ways to help support your elementary school student academically and socially at home? We've curated a list of educational and social benchmarks by grade-level, including strategies to partner with your student during each year's transition.

Kindergarten: Educational and Social Benchmarks

Kindergarten

Math:

  • Numbers - Words and numerals for numbers

  • Know the words for numbers (“one,” “two,” “three,” “four” for 1, 2, 3, 4) through 20. Write numbers from 0 through 20.

  • Counting to 100 - Count to 100, by ones and by tens.

  • Counting objects in groups

  • Count how many objects are in a group (to 20). By counting or matching objects, tell whether the number of objects in one group is greater than (more) or less than (less), or equal to (the same as) the number of objects in another group.

  • Comparisons between small numbers - Compare any two numbers between 1 and 10, and tell which is greater than or less than the other.

  • Understanding numbers 11 - 19

  • Master adding and subtracting - Add and subtract within 5 (1 to 5) quickly and accurately.

  • Name common shapes

Reading and Writing:

  • Matching letters to sounds’

  • Name upper and lowercase letters and match them to their sounds.

  • Recognizing and blending sounds

  • Recognize beginning sounds and blend sounds into simple words.

  • Common words - Quickly read short, common words (e.g. a, the, and, to) “by sight.”

  • Understanding books and writing - Develop basic understandings about books and writing.

  • Retelling stories.

  • Understanding words and pictures in a book.

  • Spelling words the way they sound.

  • Uppercase and lowercase letters - Print most uppercase and lowercase letters.

  • Capitalizing and punctuating - Capitalize the first word in a sentence and end each sentence with a period or question mark.

Listening and Speaking

  • Understanding and using new words

  • Clear expression

  • Participate in conversations

  • Follow rules

  • The ability to interact meaningfully with others and to maintain healthy relationships with diverse individuals and groups contributes to overall success.

Rebekka Whitehead