Category — 1.1 Kindergarten 6-12: Adaptive Skills

Adaptive skills (see full Glossary)

Kindergarten children are expected to perform a lot of tasks independently, at home and especially at school. They are expected to eat independently and clean up after themselves. It is important that children develop these habits early on, at home, in order to transition smoothly from home to kindergarten.

When it comes to adaptive skills, most kindergarten children:

• know which public washroom to go to and can go to the bathroom by themselves;
• have no or very few bowel and bladder accidents;
• can wash and dry their hands, independently;
• are able to brush their teeth independently, and do a good job of it;
• can button large, and sometimes small, buttons;
• can pull up a zipper;
• are able to fasten snaps;
• can undress by themselves;
• can put on simple items of clothing, such as jackets;
• hold and use eating utensils (for example, fork, spoon, chopsticks) correctly;
• drink from a regular cup;
• -use a straw.

Did you know?

• Kindergarten children are becoming quite independent. For instance, most boys do not like it when they have to go to the public washroom with Mom. If this is the case, it is important to realize that your son is not rejecting you, just showing that he is now a “big boy.” Similarly, your daughter may reject your offer of help even when she needs it. This is your child asserting her independence, and she is in no way rejecting you.

see References