Ask a reception or kindergarten teacher what they want children to arrive with and the answer is rarely academic. Reading and arithmetic are what school is for. What helps most is a child who can manage themselves for a few hours in a room full of other children.
That said, some early literacy and number familiarity does make the first months easier. Here is the balance.
What teachers actually ask for
- Can separate from a parent and settle within a few minutes.
- Can manage the toilet, coat, shoes and lunchbox mostly independently.
- Can follow a two-step instruction: "put your bag on the hook and sit on the carpet".
- Can sit with a task for five to ten minutes without wandering off.
- Can ask for help, take turns, and cope with not going first.
The academic basics that help
- 1Recognising their own name in writing — the single most used piece of text in the first term.
- 2Knowing many letter sounds, without needing the full alphabet.
- 3Counting objects to ten with one-to-one correspondence — pointing at each item as they count.
- 4Holding a pencil comfortably and drawing lines, circles and simple shapes.
- 5Enjoying being read to, and knowing that books go left to right, top to bottom.
What not to push
Reading fluently, writing sentences and counting to 100 are not prerequisites, and pushing them at four often produces a child who dislikes the work before school has started.
The strongest predictor of a good academic start is not early achievement but language: how much a child is spoken with, read to, and asked open questions. No app substitutes for that, though a good one can add to it.
Practising readiness skills with Little Genius
- 1
Work on name and letters
Tracing and phonics activities cover the letters children meet first — starting with the ones in their own name.
- 2
Build number sense
Counting activities pair objects with numerals, which is the skill that matters more than reciting numbers.
- 3
Practise finishing a task
Short, complete activities train sitting with something until it is done.
- 4
Talk through it together
Say the sounds and numbers out loud with your child — the conversation is where most of the learning happens.
Free to download on iPhone & iPad
Frequently asked questions
Should my child be able to read before starting school?
No. Recognising their name and knowing some letter sounds is plenty; teaching reading is the school’s job.
My child is not interested in writing. Is that a problem?
Usually not at 3 or 4. Fine motor skills develop unevenly, and tracing games often build the interest that a pencil and worksheet do not.