25 Tips to Help Your Child Get Kindergarten Ready + Free Kindergarten Readiness Checklist

As a pediatric occupational therapist, I’ve worked with countless families to help children build the fine motor, emotional, and pre-academic foundations they need to thrive in school. Kindergarten readiness isn’t just about knowing letters and numbers—it’s also about having the motor coordination, independence, and confidence to participate, learn, and grow.

In this post, I’m sharing 25 practical, developmentally appropriate tips to help your preschooler prepare for kindergarten success—starting now! From pencil grasp to scissor skills, social development to routines, you’ll find easy ways to support your child at home and make the transition smoother for everyone.

5-4-3-2-1 Grounding Technique: Using Our Sensory System to Calm Anxiety

The 54321 grounding technique is a tool children can use when feeling anxious, stressed, and overwhelmed.Ā  This technique can help to prevent multiple anxious thoughts from piling up by focusing on your surroundings in the present moment. Ā  It calls for you to tap into a heightened awareness of your environment, fully taking in your five senses and grounding your thoughts to the present moment. The 54321 groundingĀ  technique can be used to regulate emotions and calm down. It is a great strategy to teach when helping kids self-regulate.Ā