Kindergarten Tutoring

What children learn in kindergarten

Most kindergarten programs aim for a similar set of skills by the end of the year:

• Phonics: knowing the sound each letter makes, blending sounds into simple words (c-a-t), and recognizing common sight words.
• Early writing: holding a pencil comfortably, writing their name and the letters, and attempting simple words by sound.
• Number sense: counting objects accurately, counting to 100 by ones and tens, recognizing numerals, and telling which group has more.
• Early operations: adding and taking away within 10 using fingers, objects or drawings.
• Shapes and patterns: naming flat and solid shapes and continuing simple patterns.
• Listening and attention: following two-step instructions and talking about a story they've heard.

Signs a young child may need extra support

Children develop at very different rates, and many differences at this age are completely normal - reversing letters like b and d, for example, is common until around age seven. It may be worth extra support if a child:

• still can't match most letters to their sounds by the middle of the year;
• finds it hard to hear the separate sounds in short words, or to tell whether two words rhyme;
• can recite numbers but can't count a small group of objects accurately;
• avoids books, drawing or writing, or gets upset when asked to try;
• struggles to stay with a short activity for more than a few minutes.

Tutoring helps with skills and confidence, but it doesn't replace a professional assessment. If you have concerns about hearing, speech or development, speak to your child's doctor or school.

Does online tutoring work for a five-year-old?

It can, with the right setup. Young children learn through talk, movement and play, so good online sessions for this age are short, active and visual: the tutor and child draw, sort and play letter and number games together on a shared whiteboard, with plenty of praise and frequent changes of activity.

It helps to have a parent or carer nearby, especially for the first few lessons - to help with the device, keep the space quiet, and see what the tutor is working on so it can be repeated at home. Some children aren't ready to focus on a screen at four or five, and that's fine; a free trial lesson is the easiest way to find out.

How to support learning at home

• Read aloud every day, and talk about the pictures and what might happen next.
• Play sound games: "I spy something that starts with /m/", or clapping the syllables in family names.
• Count real things - stairs, grapes, cars - and ask "how many altogether?"
• Let your child write shopping lists or birthday cards, even if the spelling is entirely their own.
• Keep it short and fun. Five focused minutes beats a frustrated half-hour.