Recognize upper and lowercase letters. Read and write first name. Count to 20. Colors. Basic shapes. Name, address, phone number and birthday. Use bathroom without help.

BUT, all they really need to be able to do is pay attention, sit still and follow directions.

That they have fun. Having fun at school makes learning so much easier.

Share the blocks.

I would agree with Cathy.Seth started K this year.It was so bad!My baby!

I will teach PreK this year. Important content depends on the expectations of the kindergarten and elementary school.

My kids did not go to preschool, but one skill my daughter failed in kindergarten was "skipping" I freaked out when I got her final report card and promptly taught her to skip in about 2 minutes. Obviously 2 minutes too late! She is starting College next week, I guess she hasn't been scarred for life!

Don't eat the crayons.
Don't sweat the petty things and don't pet the sweaty things
Wipe all orifices that leak.
Play nice.

Seriously. That's all he needs to know.

Oh boy...

In the same boat. All I think that is vital is potty training!:) I think being able to recognize his name if not write it and understand directions and rules is all that is really required. I've been told my son needs to write his full name as well as his address and phone number. No way we'll be there next fall, but I"m sure he'll learn.

Sesame Street
Don't eat your boogers
Don't eat the dog's food
Don't eat the dog's boogers

Latin. They must all learn to speak, read and write Latin before they enter kinder. Look, if Wacky Boy learns to stop biting whenever someone enrages him I will be happy.

My youngest is in preK this year, so I can relate.

I think, when it all comes down to it, what's most important is that they learn how to participate in active learning. Up until now, for the most part they've learned without knowing it, through play that's largely self-directed. Which is important. What I look for in my kids' preK experience is that they get a handle on following a stronger lead from the teacher, doing what they're told without convincing themselves that they're being somehow abused by a mean old meanie, and by the end, are able to sit down and work on a task with little direction from the teacher during the task. I'm not so concerned with the content of those tasks.

ooo - you 're a brave one aren't you.

Ahem - It depends on where you'll be going to kindergarten and what they expect. Some expect that you're reading - some hope you can stay dry all day.

I think the biggest thing to learn is:
"Hands and words are for helping, not for hurting"

the most important thing to learn in preschool is social skills. along the same lines is getting used to a pre-set schedule, listening, and sitting still.

We're trying to get Charlie to understand that he will not get treats at school JUST for showing up. Plus if he could find it in him not to cry EVERY SINGLE MORNING, that would be a bonus.

(You have funny readers, by the way.)

We're in the same phase. Caitlin is in the pre-K class at daycare and is now in the "learning about her family, learning her address, her full name, learning and practicing writing a new letter and number each week" type curriculum. She just got bit last week by another little girl so quite frankly I'm just happy we've made it this far without her learning to be a "biter." Whew.

On RUABelle's first day of teaching kindergarten this year, a boy relieved himself on the floor. He asked, "What should I do now?"

She replied, "I guess we need to get you some dry clothes."

"That's ok. I brought some."

Uh oh. That's not a good sign that he came prepared for this eventuality. Any pre-K pee training is a great thing!

Important skills to remember:
You can pick your friends,
You can pick your nose,
but you can't pick your friend's nose.

Brother started kindergarten this year. Yesterday he was talking to my brother on the phone and my brother asked him what he was learning in kindergarten...(he won't tell me, but anyway....) he said he was learning about "authors and illustrators, an author writes the books and an illustrator draws the pictures. Books have a front cover, a back cover, a title page and a spine. The spine holds the book together. " So, I think books may be important, no? They started reading books last week in school and do writing strategies and reading strategies and math strategies, an hour each every day....honest. He needs to have a college degree to start kindergarten. His teacher said, "Kindergarten is the new first grade."

BTW, this is public school in a not so good school system. Good luck, buy tutors.....lol

1. Do not bite.
2. Do not hit.
3. Take turns.
4. Look interested when the teacher's talking.

That should get him through at least middle school.

My son started preschool this year and frankly, all I expect of him is to have fun and find kids to play with. His sister, and only sibling, is 12 years older than he is and I can't be his playmate all the time!

When the older child was in preschool I remember thinking I'd be happy if she learned to put her coat on right side up!

I expect my kindergartener to know which kind of beer in the fridge is mommy's and which kind is daddy's so when I ask her to go get me a beer she doesn't bring me daddy's beer by mistake.

I don't suspect you'll be getting too many serious answers. Useful, maybe, serious... not so much.

I think knowing (recognizing) upper/lowercase letters, numbers to 20, writing first name, recognizing last name, cutting, gluing, sitting for longer periods of time, participating appropriately, (raising hand, sharing etc), are all appropriate exit skills for Pre-K. I am a first grade teacher in a middle-upper class school system...

BUT I am most impressed with the beer discrimination expectation. I need to work on that with my 8 and 5 year-olds.... too funny!!!!!!

About 22 years ago, I checked out the pre-K school at St Big Gray Episcopal Church. I kid you not, the woman I spoke with told me that children were expected to be writing in cursive in order to be considered.
I never returned.

Going with Daisy...

You can pick your friends
And you can pick your nose
But you can't wipe your friends on the carpet.

Overheard at Meet the Teacher Night -
Parent - So, what's your teaching philosophy?
K Teacher - Heh?
Parent - {Laughs} In 25 words or less.
K Teacher - Uhhh.

I left the room then, but seriously, it isn't College Prep. They learn to not spit on the floor and how to hold their lunch tray with both hands. Anything else is a bonus.

omg, if you write The Prekindergartener Formerly Known as The Preschooler Formerly Known as Busy Baby every time you refer to him, I will slap you!
hahahaha! wait, here ya go... PFK2B2. His new best friend is R2D2 ! bwaahaha

Oh Candace, I wish I were only joking - They are expected to know everything on your list and move on from there.

Yeah, pretty much what they said.

(btw, I am a pre-k teacher with my masters in education - ask away and I can BS my way through ANY educational issue!)

Oh gosh I dread those things in my not-so-far future.
I think pre-K is about learning how to get along with others, have fun, try new stuff, play a lot and learn some basic rules, like someone wrote above: don't bite and stuff.

For pre-k I'd go with:

-Share with others
-Hands to yourself
-Listen to Teacher
-Please and Thank You
-Pick up your own mess
-Keep your fingers outta your nose

And he'll be just fine :) It's acutally very refreshing to see that you don't have Baby on the "fast track", he's going to pick all the shapes and colors up in kindergarten anway. Good luck BM, and good for you for letting your kids just be kids :)

how to tie shoes! i was SO embarassed when i was the only kid in my kindergarten class who couldn't tie my shoes--and it was a skill that went on my report card (or whatever) and i failed.

i also had trouble counting to 100. i kept saying the 60s over and over and over for some reason when it came to my counting 'test'.

most important thing: be nice to other kids, no matter who they are.

Sanskrit?

Having just entered the world of Pre-K here, I'm too much aswirl in my own insecurities in this area to offer anything really useful. Bella has already gone through one complete love/hate cycle of her new school, and it's only been a week.

Then I guess it's not just me - I have a boy who just started in private preK. He had been away from daycare for a year... His new teacher keeps sending home notes saying he is easily distracted and can't focus. She said it takes him forever to complete an assignment. After a phone conference - found out that she expects him to write his name at the top of the pg before starting the assignment! Poor Boy can't write his name let alone recognize it! She said he "took forever" to write his name ... well.. yeah! I asked about the other students and she said they can all write their full names. I immediately made work sheets for him to trace his name. Guess they set their standards really high! I was only expecting him to be tracing his name this year. But - with that curriculumn... he best be reading by the end of the year!!!! - or else!!!!!

"Wipe all orifices that leak."

love it!!! So true.

Don't worry my daughter was just very busy. She wanted nothing to do with any sort of writing utensil. Her preferrence was, and is, to run, jump, giggle and be a little ball of energy. But she is top of her class now.

Heres the thing... In our area, there are no public preschools. All the preschools are tuition based. And the ones that double as daycare, are absolutely astronomical. And the ones that don't double as daycare are still expensive, and not possible since they're half day. So - we didn't do preschool with either of them. I feel quilty, but know that we couldn't afford it. But our babysitter that had my first since 2 1/2 and my second since 5 months (they are 6 & 4 now) has helped make sure that they know a lot of the basics. Colors numbers letters and such.