100 Things To Do Before Kindergarten

Things to do with your child before they enter kindergarten.

Alphabet Walk

Go for a walk and look for letters of the alphabet all around you! For example, two branches on the ground might form the letter T. The goal is to find the letters without having to move items around to create the letter. Mark off each letter as you find it!

Be a rockhound

We have lots of books about rock identification in our libraries, and some will even tell you where to go in Southern Utah to find them. The internet has great resources, too. Check out a book (Dewey Decimal number 552.0979) or find a website that can give you some direction and take your knowledge on a field trip. Find some rocks! Identify them. Take a pic. Rock on!

Explore library programs

Attend a library program of your choice, alone, or with friends or family: storytime, class, meeting, etc. You can find the calendars of all the branches on our website. Take and upload a selfie.

Explore the Stars

Explore the night sky. Enter the name of each constellation to complete this mission. 

Hello, My name is Art. And you are?

We have art all around us! There are murals and statues around our towns and paintings in local businesses or government offices. We even have art on the walls in our libraries. You could also visit an art gallery. Find some art and ponder the meaning behind it. What was the artist trying to say? Did they want you to feel something? Describe your art encounter to earn a badge.

Love up the earth

Go to a (safe) outdoor location and fill a grocery bag with litter. A park is a great choice, because you can play on the playground as a reward.

Make a splash

It's hot, southern Utah! Go get wet and share a photo of your water adventure to earn a badge.

Meet Libby

Did you know we have an app where you can download e-books and audiobooks, including fiction, non-fiction and children's items? You can use your library card to download e-library items to your device. If you've never tried it, give it a go. It's super convenient. Take a screenshot of the book you've chosen and upload it to earn the Libby badge.

Modern Wonders

There are seven modern wonders of the world. Do you know where they are? Enter the name of the country for each of the seven modern wonders.

Reading Around

Books can take you around the world and back, even if you're only in your backyard! Show us all the fun and exciting places you read by marking each place you read. Get out and read!

Say "hey" to a hero

Meet a public servant (it could be a police officer, a nurse, a firefighter), and say thanks by bringing them a treat. Take a photo with them and upload it to the website.

Read

Reading together develops vocabulary and comprehension, nurtures a love for reading, and motivates children to want to learn to read. Shared reading (interactive reading) is an important way to help children get ready to read. Reading with children will show how books and written language work and that stories have a beginning, middle and end.

Sing

Singing emphasizes many early literacy practices, and it contributes to oral language development by slowing down language and making it easier for children to hear the words. Singing is also a great way to increase children’s vocabulary as children’s songs and nursery rhymes include many new and uncommon words. Songs are a natural, fun way for children to learn language. When children sing, they hear different parts of words, pay attention to the rhythms and rhymes of language, and develop listening skills.

Talk

Talking with children helps them learn oral language, one of the most critical early literacy skills. Children learn about language by listening to parents and caregivers talk and joining in the conversation. Talking in a way that encourages children to talk will help them understand what they later read. When children listen to spoken words they learn: how letters and words sound, the meaning of words, how words can be put together to communicate ideas, information and feelings.

Write

Just like reading, writing teaches children that print has meaning, letters represent sounds, and written words represent the oral words they use every day. Scribbling and writing help children learn that written words stand for spoken language. For children, writing: begins with developing small finger muscles which will build dexterity for scribbling, then drawing, and eventually writing letters, helps develop hand-eye coordination, and helps build awareness that print has meaning.

Play

Play is an essential part of childhood and is one of the best ways to learn language and literacy skills. As children engage in many types of play and across many scenarios, they talk with a wide variety of adults and peers, therefore developing their oral language, narrative skills, and vocabulary. When children play, they: develop narrative skills through imaginary play, act out real situations, learn communication, cooperation, construction and much more!