Pre-Kindergarten — Back to School
First school, first routines — all through play.
Ages 3–4
Ready for Pre-Kindergarten?
Say each one out loud and let them point or show you. Tap to see what a ready answer looks like.
- 1
Point to the red crayon.
Colour recognition
- 2
Show me three fingers.
Counting to 3
- 3
Which of these two is bigger?
Size comparison
- 4
Can you draw a line straight down?
Pre-writing strokes
- 5
Point to the circle.
Shape recognition
- 6
Cut along this line with your safety scissors.
Scissor skills
- 7
Find the two pictures that look the same.
Visual matching
- 8
Can you put your shoes on by yourself?
Self-help
6 free Pre-Kindergarten printables
Tap any sheet to see it full size and download a print-ready PDF. Work through them on screen if you'd rather not print.
Shape Page
Circles, squares, and triangles to trace and colour — pictures only, no words.
Count to 10
Count the pictures and write how many. Builds one-to-one matching.
Small to Big
Put the pictures in order by size — visual logic before any numbers.
Farm Animals Colouring
A calm, chunky-outline page for the first-week wobbles.
Dot-to-Dot Elephant
Pencil control plus counting, disguised as a picture reveal.
Cut-Out Cat Mask
Cut, decorate, wear. Scissor practice with an immediate payoff.
The first five days back
About 20 minutes a day. This is about rebuilding the routine, not cramming — keep it short and finish while they still want more.
- Day1
Meet the routine
20 min- Walk through the morning order with pictures: wake, dress, eat, shoes, go
- Colour the farm animals page together while you talk about school
- Practise saying their own first name clearly
- Day2
Hands and fingers
20 min- Cut out and decorate the cat mask — five minutes is plenty
- Roll playdough snakes and press them into circles
- Draw lines down, across, and around
- Day3
Colours and shapes
20 min- Shape page — trace and colour each one
- Shape hunt around the house: find three circles
- Sort socks or blocks by colour
- Day4
Counting things
20 min- Count out 10 spoons onto the table
- Do the Count to 10 sheet together
- Count stairs on the way up
- Day5
Practice run
25 min- Do the whole morning routine at real speed
- Dot-to-dot elephant as the reward
- Pack the bag together so they know what's inside
What Pre-Kindergarten covers
The skills their teacher will assume, in plain language.
- Recognising colours, basic shapes, and their own name on a label
- Counting objects up to 10 with one-to-one matching
- Holding a crayon and drawing lines, circles, and crosses
- Using safety scissors along a straight line
- Following a two-step instruction without a reminder
- Separating from a parent calmly and joining a group
Pre-Kindergarten supply list
Check the school's own list too — this covers what they usually leave out.
- Chunky crayons or triangular pencils (easier grip)
- Safety scissors with rounded tips
- Glue stick
- Change of clothes in a labelled bag
- Refillable water bottle they can open alone
- Comfort item if the school allows one
- Name labels on absolutely everything
Three things that matter at this age
Shift bedtime a week early
Move bedtime 15 minutes earlier each night rather than all at once. A tired Pre-K child looks exactly like an unready one.
Practise the goodbye
Rehearse a short, cheerful goodbye at home. Long drawn-out goodbyes make the separation harder, not easier.
Let them carry it
Even if it takes three times as long, let them carry their own bag and open their own bottle. Independence is what teachers notice first.
When the free sheets run out
The free sheets above cover the first week. The Pre-Kindergarten packs cover the whole year — instant download, print as many times as you like.
- 150+ pages of no-reading tracing, matching, and cutting practice
- Full pre-writing progression from straight lines to letter shapes
- Cut-and-paste sorting activities that build the fine motor strength for pencil work
- Kindergarten-readiness sequence you can run right through the year
Most popular for Pre-Kindergarten
Frequently Asked Questions
What should my child already know before starting Pre-Kindergarten?
Recognising colours, basic shapes, and their own name on a label; Counting objects up to 10 with one-to-one matching; Holding a crayon and drawing lines, circles, and crosses. The readiness check on this page tests exactly these prerequisites, with the answers written out for you.
Is the Pre-Kindergarten content on this page free?
Yes — the readiness check, all 6 printables, the five-day plan, the supply list, and the parent tips are free. The Pre-Kindergarten packs in the shop are optional and cover the full school year.
How long does the Pre-Kindergarten first-week plan take?
About 20 minutes a day for five days. It's designed to rebuild the routine rather than teach new content, so it should feel easy.
My Pre-Kindergarten child missed several readiness questions. What now?
Start with the free sheets on this page — they target the same skills. Ten focused minutes a day closes most gaps within a few weeks. If you want structured practice for the whole year, the grade packs go much deeper.