🎨

Kindergarten Take-Home Practice

Sounds into words, numbers into quantities — the year everything starts to click.

Ages 5–6

What this year is really about

Kindergarten is the year the code cracks: letters make sounds, sounds blend into words, and numbers stop being a song and start being amounts.

Fifteen minutes, split into two goes if needed. Reading a word for the first time is exhausting for a five-year-old — stop while they're still proud.

📚 19 topics⏱️ 15 min a day🖨️ No printing needed

🎒 All 19 take-homes 🗓️ The weekly rotation ✅ End-of-year checklist ⬇️ Download the PDF

A week that doesn't become a second school

15 minutes a day, one strand at a time. Skipping a day is fine — skipping the same strand every week is what causes gaps.

Monday
Letter sounds
Five sounds, fast, then find them on a cereal box.
Tuesday
Blending
Three CVC words sounded out and pushed together.
Wednesday
Numbers
Count on from a number, then a bond to ten with fingers.
Thursday
Writing
Draw one thing, label it with the sounds they hear.
Friday
A book + the world
Read together, then one science or map question.

Take it off the screen

The whole Kindergarten pack as a PDF — every topic, every check, every activity, with tick boxes and a date line so you can see what you have actually run. Free, no signup, and it works offline once it's saved.

Or just one subject

📖 Reading

Decoding, fluency, and understanding what was actually said.

4 topics this year

All 26 letter sounds
Blending sounds into a word
The first sight words
Understanding a story that's read to them

✏️ Writing

Getting a thought out of the head and onto the page so a stranger understands it.

3 topics this year

Forming letters the right way round
Spelling by the sounds you hear
Writing a whole sentence

🔢 Math

Number sense first, then the procedures that ride on top of it.

6 topics this year

Counting to 100, and counting on from anywhere
Reading and writing numerals to 20
Adding and subtracting within 10
Number bonds to 5 and 10
Flat shapes and solid shapes
Measuring and comparing

🔬 Science

Noticing, predicting, testing — and being willing to be wrong out loud.

2 topics this year

Living and non-living, and what plants need
Pushes, pulls, and what things are made of

🌍 Social Studies

Maps, communities, history, and why people who were there disagree.

2 topics this year

First maps and position words
Rules, fairness, and jobs people do

🧭 Study & Life Skills

Attention, organisation, and the habits that decide whether the rest lands.

2 topics this year

Sticking with one thing
Running their own morning

Every Kindergarten topic, and what to do about it

Run the two-minute check first. If it passes, move on — you have just saved an evening. If it doesn't, the take-home underneath it is the fix.

0 of 19 done

At this age every prompt is said out loud by you. Nothing here needs your child to read or write.

📖 Reading
All 26 letter sounds
Can do: Sees a letter and says its sound — not its name — quickly and without a run-up.
Why it matters
Every word they will ever decode is built from this. Slow sound recall is the most common single cause of struggling reading in Grade 1.
What it looks like when it's wobbly
Gives the letter name instead of the sound, hesitates for two or three seconds, or mixes up b/d, p/q, m/n, and the short vowels.
⏱️ Two-minute check
Write ten mixed letters on paper, including two vowels. Point at each: "What sound?"
Solid looks like: Eight or more, each inside about a second. Speed matters as much as accuracy here.
5 minutesDone this week
Do this at home
Speed Sounds
⏱️ 5 minutesIndex cards or scrap paperA timer
1Make a card for each letter. Keep the ones they know in a "got it" pile and work with five unknowns.
2Flash each card: they say the sound, you say it with them if they pause.
3Time one full run of their five and write the time on the fridge. Beat it tomorrow.
4Retire a card to the "got it" pile after three fast days, and pull a new one in.
5Say pure sounds — "b" not "buh". A tacked-on uh makes bat sound like buh-a-tuh and blocks blending.
If it's too hard
Work with three cards, all visually different — s, m, a — never b and d in the same set.
If it's too easy
Add digraphs: sh, ch, th, ck. Those four unlock a huge slice of English.
Say this
"Just the sound, not the name. Sss — like a snake."
Free alphabet printables
📖 Reading
Blending sounds into a word
Can do: Reads c-a-t by saying each sound and pushing them together into "cat".
Why it matters
This is the actual moment of learning to read. Knowing letters without blending is a piano student who knows the keys but can't play a bar.
What it looks like when it's wobbly
They say all three sounds correctly and then guess a completely different word, or repeat the sounds without ever fusing them.
⏱️ Two-minute check
Write four simple words — sat, pin, mud, hop. "Sound them out and tell me the word."
Solid looks like: Three of four, sounding out aloud. Blending in their head comes later.
10 minutesDone this week
Do this at home
Push the Sounds
⏱️ 10 minutesThree coins, buttons or bottle capsPaper and pen
1Write a three-sound word. Put a coin under each letter.
2They touch each coin and say its sound, left to right, no rushing.
3Now sweep a finger under the whole word and say it fast: "c-a-t… cat!"
4Do five words that share a vowel — cat, mat, sat, hat, bat — so only the front changes.
5Finish by having them find one of those words in a real book.
If it's too hard
Say the sounds for them and let them only do the pushing-together. Hearing a blend is easier than producing one.
If it's too easy
Four sounds with a blend at the front: stop, flag, drum, clap.
Say this
"Say each sound, then say them fast. Don't guess from the picture — check the letters."
Reading practice
📖 Reading
The first sight words
Can do: Reads the highest-frequency words — the, is, was, said, you, they — instantly, without sounding them out.
Why it matters
These few dozen words are half of everything on a page, and most of them break the phonics rules. Instant recognition frees the brain to decode the words that matter.
What it looks like when it's wobbly
Sounds out "the" letter by letter every single time, which drains all the energy needed for the rest of the sentence.
⏱️ Two-minute check
Write: the, is, and, you, said, was. Point at each and count to two in your head.
Solid looks like: Five of six, instantly. Any word they have to sound out isn't a sight word yet.
5 minutesDone this week
Do this at home
Word Wall Splat
⏱️ 5 minutesSticky notesA wall or the floorA fly swat or a spatula if you have one
1Write six sight words on sticky notes and stick them low on a wall.
2Call a word. They splat it and read it aloud.
3Play it fast and physically — this is a game, not a drill.
4Take one word down when it's automatic and add a new one. Never more than six up at once.
5Hunt for those same words in a real book afterwards so they meet them in the wild.
If it's too hard
Three words, very different shapes — the, you, and.
If it's too easy
Read the word inside a sentence you've written, so it has to hold up in context.
Say this
"This one you just have to know by its face. It's a heart word — learn it by heart."
Reading practice
📖 Reading
Understanding a story that's read to them
Can do: Answers who / where / what happened, and predicts what might come next.
Why it matters
Their listening comprehension is running years ahead of their reading, and it is where vocabulary and thinking actually grow. Read them books far above their decoding level.
What it looks like when it's wobbly
Can retell events but goes blank on "why did he do that?", or predicts things the story has given no evidence for.
⏱️ Two-minute check
Stop halfway through a new book: "What do you think happens next? Why do you think that?"
Solid looks like: A prediction plus a reason tied to something that has actually happened in the story.
10 minutesDone this week
Do this at home
Stop and Wonder
⏱️ 10 minutesAny picture book, ideally a new one
1Before reading, look at the cover: "What do you think this is about?"
2Stop twice while reading — not more — and ask what might happen next.
3After a surprise, ask "were you right?" Being wrong is fine and worth saying so.
4At the end ask one why question about a character's feelings.
5Wonder aloud yourself: "I wonder why she didn't tell anyone." Modelling beats questioning.
If it's too hard
Ask about the picture in front of you rather than the whole story.
If it's too easy
Ask them to compare: "How is this bear different from the bear in the other book?"
Say this
"What makes you think that? Show me the bit in the picture."
Free bedtime stories
✏️ Writing
Forming letters the right way round
Can do: Writes lower-case letters starting at the correct point and moving in the correct direction.
Why it matters
Bad habits set in this year are painfully slow to undo, and a child who draws letters instead of writing them cannot get faster later, when speed is what matters.
What it looks like when it's wobbly
Letters built bottom-up or in two disconnected halves, capitals used everywhere because they're easier, and reversals that persist past age six.
⏱️ Two-minute check
"Write a, d, g and s for me." Watch the pencil, not the paper.
Solid looks like: Each starts at the top (or with the round part for a, d, g) and flows in one movement.
10 minutesDone this week
Do this at home
Sky, Grass, Worm
⏱️ 10 minutesPaper with three lines drawn: sky, grass, wormA pencil
1Draw three lines and name them: sky at the top, grass in the middle, worm underground.
2Sort letters by where they live: t is a sky letter, a is a grass letter, g dips down to the worm.
3Say the movement aloud as they write: "Round, up, down" for a.
4Three of each letter — no more. Quality collapses after three and they practise the bad version.
5Have them circle their own best one. Self-checking is the actual skill.
If it's too hard
Trace over a dotted letter you wrote, or write it huge in flour or foam first.
If it's too easy
Write the letter inside a real word so formation has to survive under load.
Say this
"Start at the top. Say the words while your hand does it — round, up, down."
Writing practice
✏️ Writing
Spelling by the sounds you hear
Can do: Writes a word by saying it slowly and putting down a letter for each sound — kat for cat counts.
Why it matters
Invented spelling is not a mistake; it's phonics running in reverse and it accelerates reading. Demanding correct spelling now stops children writing anything at all.
What it looks like when it's wobbly
They refuse to write unless you spell it for them, or write a string of random known letters.
⏱️ Two-minute check
"Write the word sun. Say it slowly and write what you hear."
Solid looks like: s-n at minimum, s-u-n ideally. First and last sounds present is a pass.
10 minutesDone this week
Do this at home
Label the Drawing
⏱️ 10 minutesPaperPencil or crayons
1They draw one thing they care about — their dog, a rocket, dinner.
2"What shall we label?" Pick a word together.
3Stretch the word out loud like elastic: "ssss-uuuu-nnnn."
4They write the letters they hear. Do not correct the spelling.
5You write the adult spelling small underneath, without comment. They will notice, over months, on their own.
If it's too hard
You say the sounds one at a time with a pause between each, and they write one letter per pause.
If it's too easy
Write a whole label sentence: "my dog is big."
Say this
"Write the sounds you hear. Any spelling is the right spelling for now — just get it down."
Writing practice
✏️ Writing
Writing a whole sentence
Can do: Writes a short sentence with a capital at the start, spaces between words, and a full stop.
Why it matters
The sentence is the unit of all later writing. Spaces and end marks are what turn a string of letters into something another person can read.
What it looks like when it's wobbly
Everything runs together with no gaps, or the sentence is a list of words with no verb.
⏱️ Two-minute check
"Tell me one sentence about today. Now write it."
Solid looks like: A capital, visible spaces, a full stop. Spelling doesn't count.
10 minutesDone this week
Do this at home
Finger Spaces
⏱️ 10 minutesPaperPencilTheir own index finger
1They say the sentence out loud first, then count the words on their fingers.
2Write word one. Put a finger down after it — that's the space.
3Carry on, one word at a time, checking the finger goes down each time.
4Full stop at the end, said out loud like a full stop: "Dot!"
5Read it back pointing at each word. If a word is missing, they'll hear it.
If it's too hard
You write the sentence and they copy it, using the finger for spaces.
If it's too easy
Two sentences that connect, or add a because: "I like rain because puddles are fun."
Say this
"Say your sentence first. How many words? Now write them with a finger space between each."
Writing practice
🔢 Math
Counting to 100, and counting on from anywhere
Can do: Counts to 100 by ones and tens, and can start from 47 without going back to one.
Why it matters
Counting on is the bridge to addition. A child who must restart from one every time will still be counting on fingers in Grade 3.
What it looks like when it's wobbly
Falls apart at the decade boundaries — 29, 30 — or cannot start anywhere except one.
⏱️ Two-minute check
"Start at 47 and keep counting." Then: "Count by tens to 100."
Solid looks like: Gets past 50 from a cold start, and the tens are smooth.
5 minutesDone this week
Do this at home
Count-On Cards
⏱️ 5 minutesA deck of cards or written numbersStairs, if you have them
1Draw a number card and count on from it, ten numbers, then stop.
2Do the tricky decade jumps deliberately: 28, 29, 30 — pause and stress the change.
3Count while moving: one number per stair, per jump, per step to the car.
4Count backwards from 20 on the way down. Backwards is much harder and worth the time.
5Count by tens with fingers held up, ten per hand-flash.
If it's too hard
Count on from a decade — 30, 40 — which are the easiest starting points.
If it's too easy
Count on by twos or fives, or count backwards from 30.
Say this
"You don't have to go back to one. Start where you are and keep going."
Math practice
🔢 Math
Reading and writing numerals to 20
Can do: Sees 14 and says fourteen, hears seventeen and writes 17.
Why it matters
Teen numbers are the most reversed writing in early maths, because English says the ones digit first — "four-teen" — and a child writes what they hear.
What it looks like when it's wobbly
Writes 41 for fourteen, or reads 13 as thirty.
⏱️ Two-minute check
Say twelve, fifteen, eighteen, twenty. "Write them."
Solid looks like: All four, digits in the right order.
5 minutesDone this week
Do this at home
Teen Numbers Are Backwards
⏱️ 5 minutesPaperTen small objects and a spare pile
1Build 14 as one group of ten plus four singles. Physically separate the ten.
2Say it their way first: "one ten and four ones — that's fourteen."
3Name the trap out loud: "Fourteen says four first, but we write the ten first. It's a trick."
4Write it while saying "ten first, then four."
5Do a mixed dictation of five numbers and let them self-check against the objects.
If it's too hard
Give them written numbers to point at rather than to write.
If it's too easy
Go past 20 and up to 50, where the pattern becomes honest again.
Say this
"Teen numbers are sneaky — they say the small number first but we write the ten first."
Math practice
🔢 Math
Adding and subtracting within 10
Can do: Solves 4 + 3 and 8 − 2 with objects, fingers, or by counting on.
Why it matters
These facts become automatic through use, not through flashcards. The strategy underneath — counting on rather than counting all — is the thing to actually teach.
What it looks like when it's wobbly
Counts everything from one every time: for 8 + 2 they count out eight, then two, then all ten.
⏱️ Two-minute check
"You have 6 grapes and I give you 3 more. How many?" Watch what they do with their hands.
Solid looks like: Correct answer, ideally by starting at six and counting on three.
10 minutesDone this week
Do this at home
Snack Math
⏱️ 10 minutesSmall snacks, coins, or blocks
1Set out a first group and say the number aloud. Cover it with your hand.
2Add the second group visibly: "Six is hiding. Count on from six."
3Do the reverse for subtraction: take some away and hide them, ask how many are left.
4Say the whole number sentence each time: "Six plus three equals nine."
5Eat the answer. It matters more than you'd think.
If it's too hard
Adding one or two only, so counting on is short.
If it's too easy
Ask the missing part: "You have six. How many more to get to ten?"
Say this
"Six is in my hand. Don't count it again — start at six and count the new ones on."
Math practice
🔢 Math
Number bonds to 5 and 10
Can do: Knows instantly that 7 and 3 make 10, and can break 5 into 4+1, 3+2.
Why it matters
Bonds to ten are the machinery behind mental arithmetic for the next six years. Every regrouping strategy in Grade 2 assumes they're automatic.
What it looks like when it's wobbly
Can add 7 + 3 by counting but cannot answer "what goes with 7 to make 10?" — the same fact asked backwards.
⏱️ Two-minute check
"I have 8. How many more to make 10? And 6?"
Solid looks like: Both, within a couple of seconds, without counting up on fingers one at a time.
5 minutesDone this week
Do this at home
Hide the Rest
⏱️ 5 minutesTen small objectsA cup or a cloth
1Count out ten together and confirm the total.
2They close their eyes. You hide some under the cup.
3"There are four left out. How many are hiding?"
4Lift the cup to check. Say the pair aloud: "Four and six make ten."
5Swap roles — them hiding, you guessing wrong on purpose sometimes.
If it's too hard
Play it with five objects first. Five bonds are quick wins.
If it's too easy
Use ten fingers and go for speed: you call a number, they flash the partner.
Say this
"Four is out. How many are sleeping under the cup? Four and… ?"
Math practice
🔢 Math
Flat shapes and solid shapes
Can do: Names circle, square, triangle, rectangle, hexagon, and knows a cube and a sphere are the solid versions.
Why it matters
The flat-versus-solid distinction is the first properly abstract idea in geometry, and it's what makes surface area make sense years later.
What it looks like when it's wobbly
Calls a cube a square and a can a circle — flat names used for solid things.
⏱️ Two-minute check
Hold up a ball and a drawn circle. "What's the difference? What's each one called?"
Solid looks like: Sphere versus circle, or at least "that one's fat and this one's flat" with the right names attached.
10 minutesDone this week
Do this at home
Flat or Fat?
⏱️ 10 minutesTins, boxes, ballsPaper and pencil
1Gather five solid objects from the kitchen and sort them: box-shaped, ball-shaped, tin-shaped.
2Name them: cube, sphere, cylinder. Big words are fun at five.
3Trace round each one on paper. "What flat shape did the fat shape leave?"
4Count faces on a box by touching each one and saying the number.
5Build a tower and talk about why the sphere is a terrible building block.
If it's too hard
Match objects to a drawn shape rather than naming from memory.
If it's too easy
Count faces, edges and corners on a cube. It's a genuine puzzle for a five-year-old.
Say this
"Is that one flat or fat? A flat one is a circle. A fat one is a sphere."
Math practice
🔢 Math
Measuring and comparing
Can do: Compares length, weight and capacity directly, and measures with repeated units like blocks or footsteps.
Why it matters
Measuring with a unit is the idea that a ruler encodes. Doing it with blocks first means centimetres later have something to attach to.
What it looks like when it's wobbly
Starts measuring from somewhere other than the end, leaves gaps between the units, or judges heavier purely by size.
⏱️ Two-minute check
"How many blocks long is this book?" Watch how they lay them out.
Solid looks like: Lined up from the very start, touching, with no gaps, and the count is right.
10 minutesDone this week
Do this at home
Measure the House
⏱️ 10 minutesIdentical blocks, pasta, or their own feet
1Choose one unit and stick to it for the whole session.
2Measure three things and write the numbers down: sofa, table, their own body.
3Show a bad measurement — with gaps — and ask what went wrong.
4Order the three results: which is longest, shortest?
5Weigh two things by holding one in each hand, and check with a kitchen scale.
If it's too hard
Compare directly with no units at all: put the two things side by side.
If it's too easy
Predict first, then measure, then say how far off the guess was.
Say this
"Start right at the edge, no gaps. Every block has to touch the next one."
Math practice
🔬 Science
Living and non-living, and what plants need
Can do: Sorts things into living and non-living with a reason, and knows plants need water, light and air.
Why it matters
The living/non-living sort is the first time a child uses a defined rule instead of a feeling, which is the whole method of science.
What it looks like when it's wobbly
Anything that moves counts as alive — cars, rivers, the wind — and anything still counts as not alive.
⏱️ Two-minute check
"Is a tree alive? Is a car alive? How can you tell?"
Solid looks like: Both right, plus a reason: it grows, it needs food or water, it makes babies.
10 minutes to set up, two weeks to watchDone this week
Do this at home
Two Bean Experiment
⏱️ 10 minutes to set up, two weeks to watchTwo dried beansTwo jars or cupsCotton wool or kitchen rollWater
1Set up two identical beans on damp cotton wool in jars.
2One goes on the windowsill and gets water. One goes in a dark cupboard with none.
3Predict out loud before anything happens, and write the prediction down.
4Look every couple of days and draw what's changed — drawing forces close looking.
5After two weeks, ask what the difference proves. That is a controlled experiment, at five.
If it's too hard
Grow one bean only and just watch it change.
If it's too easy
Run three: no water, no light, and everything. Then work out which factor did what.
Say this
"What do you think will happen? Let's write it down so we can check if we were right."
Science activities
🔬 Science
Pushes, pulls, and what things are made of
Can do: Describes a movement as a push or a pull, and sorts materials as hard, soft, bendy, or see-through.
Why it matters
Force and material vocabulary is where physics starts, and it makes a child's descriptions ten times more precise.
What it looks like when it's wobbly
Everything is "I moved it" with no direction, and materials are described only by colour.
⏱️ Two-minute check
"Open the door. Was that a push or a pull? What's the door made of?"
Solid looks like: The right force word and a material word — wood, metal, plastic, glass.
10 minutesDone this week
Do this at home
Push, Pull, Ramp
⏱️ 10 minutesA tray or a plank for a rampToy carBooks to raise it
1Go round the house naming pushes and pulls — a zip, a drawer, a switch, a swing.
2Set up a ramp with one book under it and roll the car. Mark where it stops.
3Raise it to three books. Predict first, then roll and mark.
4Ask why the steeper ramp sent it further.
5Try the car on carpet versus a hard floor and name the difference — that's friction, and you can use the word.
If it's too hard
Just push and pull things and name each one as you go.
If it's too easy
Measure the distances in blocks and put the results in order.
Say this
"Was that a push or a pull? What do you think happens if we make it steeper?"
Science practice
🌍 Social Studies
First maps and position words
Can do: Draws a simple map of a familiar room and uses above, below, behind, next to, between.
Why it matters
A map is a symbol standing for a real place, and that leap — this squiggle means our sofa — is the same leap that letters and numbers require.
What it looks like when it's wobbly
Draws a picture of the room from the side rather than from above, and uses "there" plus a point instead of a position word.
⏱️ Two-minute check
"Where's the lamp?" — insisting on words, with your eyes shut so pointing can't work.
Solid looks like: "Next to the sofa, behind the chair" — two position words that actually locate it.
10 minutesDone this week
Do this at home
Treasure Map of Your Room
⏱️ 10 minutesPaperCrayonsA small hidden object
1Stand on a chair and look down at the room together. "This is what a map sees."
2Draw the big things as boxes from above: bed, door, window.
3Hide something and mark the X on their map.
4Swap: you hide, they draw the map, and someone else has to find it from the map alone.
5Use position words all the way through — under, between, in the corner.
If it's too hard
Map one tabletop instead of a whole room.
If it's too easy
Add a key with symbols, and a compass arrow for the front door.
Say this
"A map looks down from the ceiling. If a bird flew in, what would it see?"
Social studies practice
🌍 Social Studies
Rules, fairness, and jobs people do
Can do: Explains why a rule exists rather than just naming it, and describes what different workers do.
Why it matters
Rules with reasons are followed; rules without reasons are tested. This is also the first step towards understanding laws and government later.
What it looks like when it's wobbly
Rules are only "because you'll get in trouble", with no notion of the harm they prevent.
⏱️ Two-minute check
"Why do we have to hold hands in the car park?"
Solid looks like: A safety reason, not a punishment reason.
10 minutesDone this week
Do this at home
Make the House Rules
⏱️ 10 minutesPaperMarkers
1Write three house rules together, in their words.
2For each, ask "what would happen if nobody did this?" Write the reason next to the rule.
3Let them draw the picture for each rule and put it on the fridge.
4Talk about one rule outside the house — a school rule, a road rule — and its reason.
5Talk about who enforces rules in the community and why we need them at all.
If it's too hard
One rule, one reason.
If it's too easy
Discuss an unfair rule and what a fairer version would be.
Say this
"What would happen if nobody followed that rule? That's why we have it."
Social studies practice
🧭 Study & Life Skills
Sticking with one thing
Can do: Stays with a chosen task for ten minutes without needing to be re-directed.
Why it matters
Sustained attention is the strongest non-academic predictor of Grade 1 success. It is trainable, and screens make it harder rather than easier.
What it looks like when it's wobbly
Abandons every activity within two minutes, or only sustains attention for a screen.
⏱️ Two-minute check
Give them a puzzle or a building task and quietly time how long they stay with it.
Solid looks like: Eight to ten minutes at five or six, including a stuck moment they push through.
10 minutesDone this week
Do this at home
One Job, All the Way
⏱️ 10 minutesA jigsaw, Lego, beads, or a colouring page
1Choose one task together and say out loud: "We finish this one before anything else."
2Sit near them but don't drive it. Your presence is the scaffold, not your instructions.
3When they wobble at the hard bit, name it: "This is the tricky part. Tricky parts are normal."
4Do not rescue by taking over. Ask "what could you try?" instead.
5Finish, then say what you noticed: "You kept going when it was hard."
If it's too hard
Pick a task with a visible end — a 12-piece puzzle — so finishing is close.
If it's too easy
A two-session project they come back to tomorrow, which is a much bigger ask.
Say this
"This is the tricky bit — that's where it gets interesting. What could you try next?"
Real-world challenges
🧭 Study & Life Skills
Running their own morning
Can do: Gets dressed, packs their bag, and gets to the door with two or fewer reminders.
Why it matters
Executive function — sequencing, remembering, self-starting — is a school skill in its own right, and it's practised at home or nowhere.
What it looks like when it's wobbly
Every single step requires an instruction, and mornings run on adult adrenaline.
⏱️ Two-minute check
"What do you need to do before we leave?"
Solid looks like: Three steps, in order, from memory.
10 minutes to make, then dailyDone this week
Do this at home
Picture Checklist
⏱️ 10 minutes to make, then dailyPaper or cardPhotos or drawingsTape
1List the morning steps together — dress, breakfast, teeth, shoes, bag.
2They draw or photograph each step. Their pictures, not yours.
3Tape it at their eye height by the door.
4Point at the chart instead of speaking: "What's next on your chart?"
5Let them tick it off. The ticking is the reward and it's enough.
If it's too hard
Three steps only, and do them alongside the child.
If it's too easy
Add a timer and let them race the chart, or add an evening version.
Say this
"Don't ask me — ask your chart. What's next?"
Real-world challenges

When to ask for help instead of practising harder

Home practice fixes most gaps. These are the ones where a conversation with the teacher — or an assessment — is worth more than another month of trying. Raising them early is not an overreaction; waiting a year rarely helps.

By the end of the year, still cannot name or sound out more than half the alphabet.
Cannot hear that cat and hat rhyme, or that cat starts with /c/, even with practice.
Cannot count a set of ten objects accurately with one touch per number.
Still reverses most letters and numbers at the very end of Kindergarten, alongside real reading difficulty.
Won't or can't sit for a five-minute task at home even one-to-one and with no screen nearby.

By the end of Kindergarten

Tick these off through the year. Anything still open in the spring is exactly what the summer is for.

Says the sound for every letter, quickly, without a run-up.
Blends three sounds into a word and reads simple CVC words.
Reads around 20 sight words on sight.
Writes a sentence with a capital, spaces, and a full stop.
Counts to 100 by ones and tens and counts on from any number.
Knows every number bond to 10 without counting.
Adds and subtracts within 10 using objects or counting on.
Sorts living from non-living and gives a reason.
Runs their own morning routine with two reminders or fewer.

Want the written practice as well?

Everything on this page is free and needs nothing printed. If you also want worksheets to work through, the Kindergarten packs cover the same topics on paper.

Kindergarten Packs

← Younger

Pre-Kindergarten

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1st Grade

See all 12 grades

Frequently Asked Questions

What topics does a Kindergarten child cover?

19 across 6 strands: Reading (4), Writing (3), Math (6), Science (2), Social Studies (2), Study & Life Skills (2). Every topic on this page names the skill, why it matters, what struggling with it looks like, a two-minute check, and one activity you can run at home tonight.

How much home practice does a Kindergarten child actually need?

About 15 minutes a day at ages 5–6 — and it works better split into two short goes than done as one long session. Fifteen minutes, split into two goes if needed. Reading a word for the first time is exhausting for a five-year-old — stop while they're still proud.

How do I know which Kindergarten topic to work on?

Run the two-minute check on each topic rather than guessing. It tells you what a solid answer looks like, so you can tell in a couple of minutes whether a topic needs work or is already done. Start with whichever check fails, not with the first topic on the page.

Can I download or print the Kindergarten take-homes?

Yes — there is a free PDF on this page. Download the full Kindergarten pack (all 19 topics with their checks, activities and tick boxes), the one-page two-minute check sheet, or a single subject on its own. No signup, and the activities themselves still only need things a normal home already has.

When should I be worried rather than just practising?

There is a "when to ask for help" section on this page listing the specific signs that mean a conversation with the teacher is worth more than more home practice. Those are the ones to act on early — waiting a year rarely helps.

Kindergarten Take-Home Practice

🗓️ A week that doesn't become a second school

Take it off the screen

Every Kindergarten topic, and what to do about it

All 26 letter sounds

Speed Sounds

Blending sounds into a word

Push the Sounds

The first sight words

Word Wall Splat

Understanding a story that's read to them

Stop and Wonder

Forming letters the right way round

Sky, Grass, Worm

Spelling by the sounds you hear

Label the Drawing

Writing a whole sentence

Finger Spaces

Counting to 100, and counting on from anywhere

Count-On Cards

Reading and writing numerals to 20

Teen Numbers Are Backwards

Adding and subtracting within 10

Snack Math

Number bonds to 5 and 10

Hide the Rest

Flat shapes and solid shapes

Flat or Fat?

Measuring and comparing

Measure the House

Living and non-living, and what plants need

Two Bean Experiment

Pushes, pulls, and what things are made of

Push, Pull, Ramp

First maps and position words

Treasure Map of Your Room

Rules, fairness, and jobs people do

Make the House Rules

Sticking with one thing

One Job, All the Way

Running their own morning

Picture Checklist

🚩 When to ask for help instead of practising harder

✅ By the end of Kindergarten

Want the written practice as well?

Frequently Asked Questions

What topics does a Kindergarten child cover?

How much home practice does a Kindergarten child actually need?

How do I know which Kindergarten topic to work on?

Can I download or print the Kindergarten take-homes?

When should I be worried rather than just practising?

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A week that doesn't become a second school

When to ask for help instead of practising harder

By the end of Kindergarten