What your first grader should know before the first day of school

Is your child really ready for first grade? The answer has a lot less to do with reading a whole book independently — and a lot more to do with whether the right foundational skills are in place. In episode 95, Miss Beth breaks down the specific literacy skills rising first graders should be developing before the school year begins. We're talking about phonemic awareness, letter sounds, decoding, spelling, and sentence writing — not vague readiness checklists, reading levels, or memorized sight-word lists. Your child does not need to know everything on the first day. The goal is to make sure the kindergarten foundation is secure enough for them to learn new first-grade skills without also trying to fill in old gaps at the same time. In this episode: * Why your child does not need to read independently before first grade * The phonemic awareness skills that support successful decoding * Which letter sounds and kindergarten spelling patterns should be familiar * What it looks like to sound out a word instead of guessing * The types of words and sentences rising first graders should be able to attempt * How many heart words children actually need to know * Realistic spelling, handwriting, and sentence-writing expectations * The difference between normal beginning-reader behavior and a skill gap worth watching * A simple 10-minute practice routine you can use before school starts You'll walk away knowing: * Exactly which skills to look for — and which ones aren't worth worrying about yet * How to tell the difference between a normal early reader and a child who may need extra support * What a realistic, low-pressure summer practice routine actually looks like * Whether your child's kindergarten foundation is strong enough to build on in first grade Links mentioned: Back to School Bootcamp (Aug. 10-14th) [https://www.bigcityreaders.com/back-to-school-bootcamp] Sight Word Mastery  [https://www.bigcityreaders.com/kinder-sight-word-mastery] Kindergarten and First Grade Skills checklist [https://bigcityreaders.myflodesk.com/skill-checklist] About the host Beth Gaskill @BigCityReaders [https://instagram.com/BigCityReaders] (Miss Beth) is a reading specialist, early childhood educator, and founder of Big City Readers [https://www.bigcityreaders.com/]. She helps parents support their children's literacy development through research-backed, science of reading strategies. Topics first grade readiness, phonemic awareness, letter sounds, decoding, heart words, sight words, kindergarten to first grade transition, spelling patterns, handwriting, sentence writing, science of reading, early literacy, structured literacy, back to school, rising first graders, reading readiness, parenting advice, first grade skills