What to expect … when you’re expecting a child to start kindergarten
05 Aug 2025
Strong language abilities are increasingly required for kindergarten children.
Early identification of speaking and reading comprehension, and referral to intervention services, is essential for success in learning, mental health and socio-emotional well-being.
You may consider the following when assessing a kindergarten-age child:
- are they easily understood when speaking, with minimal sound errors?
- can they follow unfamiliar two to three step instructions?
- can they understand a variety of question forms, including questions about inferencing and prediction?
- can they speak in complete and complex sentences of five or more words with minimal grammatical errors?
- do they have a wide vocabulary?
- can they retell events and short stories using complete sentences?
For cases of concern, you can refer to the following checklists and referral pathways.
- NSW Health Blue Book
- Communication checklist
- Early intervention referral pathways information
- Parent handout – Communication
This article appeared in Practice Pulse on Wednesday, 6 August 2025. If you are a GP, practice nurse or practice manager in South Western Sydney and do not get the weekly Practice Pulse email, speak to your Practice Support Officer.
