What your child learns in Kindergarten in New York
Kindergarten in New York is a year of learning through play, stories and hands-on activities. Children learn letters and sounds, count to 100 by ones and tens, and add and subtract within 5 fluently. Science explores pushes and pulls, sunlight, weather and what plants and animals need, and social studies is “Self and Others”: families, rules, symbols, maps and needs and wants.
Kindergarten subjects in the New York State Learning Standards
Math
Focus areas
- Number and operations: counting to 100, numbers to 20, and adding and subtracting within 10
- Measurement, data and geometry: naming shapes, comparing lengths and weights, sorting, and meeting pennies and dimes
- Mathematical practices: making sense of problems and explaining reasoning
13 units, including Count to 10, Make 5 and 10, Add & Take Away, More, Less, Same.
English Language Arts
Focus areas
- Reading foundations: letters, sounds, rhymes and first sight words
- Reading: retelling stories and linking pictures to words
- Writing: drawing, telling and writing to share an idea
16 units, including Letter Partners, First Sounds, Rhyme Time, Clap the Beat.
Science
Focus areas
- Pushes and pulls
- Solids, liquids and the sun's warmth
- Weather, and what plants and animals need
9 units, including What Living Things Need, Push & Pull, Weather & Seasons, Care for Our Earth.
Social Studies
Focus areas
- Self and others: what makes each of us unique
- Families, traditions, and American symbols and holidays
- Rights, rules and responsibilities at home and school
12 units, including All About Me, I Am Me, Families, Fair & Kind.
Printable Kindergarten sheets
One free practice sheet for each subject, with an answer key. Print them, or work through them on screen.
What to look for on the report card
Expect comments on letters and sounds, counting, following routines, getting along with classmates and how your child shares ideas.
New York has no statewide report-card scale in Kindergarten, so Gradelings describes practice in four steps: Beginning, Approaching, Meeting, Exceeding. See what each level means.
New York's social emotional learning benchmarks apply in every grade. Read about Social emotional learning.
The four practice steps in Kindergarten
- Beginning
- Practice shows a first understanding of the learning standards. Most answers still need a hint or a second try.
- At home: Just getting started with this idea. Short, regular practice with lots of support helps most.
- Approaching
- Practice shows a partial understanding of the learning standards. Some answers are right on the first try.
- At home: Understands parts of it and is building confidence. Keep practicing the tricky parts.
- Meeting
- Practice shows a solid understanding of the learning standards. Most answers are right on the first try.
- At home: Has it! Mixed review now and then keeps it strong.
- Exceeding
- Practice shows a deep understanding of the learning standards, including harder, unfamiliar questions.
- At home: Applies it confidently, even in new or harder situations. Try challenge mode and real-life problems.
Common questions
Kindergarten covers math, English language arts, science, social studies in the New York State Learning Standards. Kindergarten in New York is a year of learning through play, stories and hands-on activities. Children learn letters and sounds, count to 100 by ones and tens, and add and subtract within 5 fluently. Science explores pushes and pulls, sunlight, weather and what plants and animals need, and social studies is “Self and Others”: families, rules, symbols, maps and needs and wants.
New York has no statewide report-card scale in Kindergarten, so Gradelings describes practice in four steps: Beginning, Approaching, Meeting, Exceeding.
Practice shows a solid understanding of the learning standards. Most answers are right on the first try. At home: Has it! Mixed review now and then keeps it strong.
About 10 minutes a day of short practice works better than long sessions, on the skills your child's teacher flags. Count everyday things out loud: stairs, grapes, steps to the car. Read aloud every day and let your child finish familiar phrases. Praise effort, and stop on a success.
Practice Kindergarten skills with Gradelings
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