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Early Reading Checklist, Kindergarten to Grade 3

Learning to read builds step by step, from hearing the sounds in words to linking those sounds to letters and then reading with ease and understanding. This checklist follows that path, grade by grade, so you can see what your child is doing well and where a little extra practice may help. Check the skills you notice in everyday reading, and use the tips to keep practice short, playful and regular.

Kindergarten, end of year

Says the first sound in a spoken word, like /m/ in map
Claps or taps the syllables in words such as rab-bit or but-ter-fly
Hears and makes simple rhymes, like cat, hat and sat
Blends three spoken sounds into a word, such as /s/ /u/ /n/ into sun
Names all uppercase and lowercase letters and gives the most common sound for each
Reads simple short-vowel words such as cat, dog and pin by sounding them out
Reads common high-frequency words like the, and, is and to
Retells a familiar story in order, naming the characters and what happened
Writes letters for the sounds heard in words, like kt for cat, and writes own first and last name

Try at home: Play a sound guessing game in the car or at dinner: say a word slowly, sound by sound, and let your child blend it back together, then switch roles.

Grade 1, end of year

Breaks a spoken word into each of its sounds, such as stop into /s/ /t/ /o/ /p/
Reads words with consonant blends and digraphs like frog, ship, chin and that
Reads words with a silent e, such as cake, bike and rope, and knows the e makes the vowel say its name
Reads common vowel teams like ee, ai and oa in words such as feet, rain and boat
Recognizes about 100 or more high-frequency words automatically
Reads grade-level books aloud smoothly enough to sound like talking, rereading to fix mistakes
Answers who, what, where and why questions about a story or a short nonfiction text
Writes several related sentences with a capital letter, spaces between words and end punctuation

Try at home: Keep a short word list on the fridge with the spelling pattern your child is learning, such as words with sh, and read it together for one minute each day.

Grade 2, end of year

Reads two-syllable words by breaking them into parts, like nap-kin and rab-bit
Reads words with r-controlled vowels and other vowel patterns, such as car, bird, coin and cloud
Reads common prefixes and suffixes and knows their meaning, such as un-, re-, -ful and -less
Reads grade-level text aloud accurately, at a steady pace, and with expression
Figures out a new word from the sentence around it and checks that it makes sense
Tells the main topic of a nonfiction passage and names a few key details
Describes how characters respond to events and how a story begins and ends
Spells most common words correctly and uses spelling patterns for new words
Writes a short paragraph that tells about a topic or event in order, using words like first, next and last

Try at home: Try repeated reading: pick a short passage, have your child read it aloud three times over a few days, and notice together how it gets smoother and more expressive.

Grade 3, end of year

Reads multisyllable words, including ones with prefixes and suffixes like unhappily and rebuilding
Reads grade-level chapter books and nonfiction aloud fluently, pausing at punctuation
Reads silently for 15 to 20 minutes and can tell you what happened
Explains the meaning of new words using context, word parts or a dictionary
Finds the main idea of a passage and explains how the details support it
Compares two stories or two texts on the same topic, noting how they are alike and different
Answers questions by pointing back to specific places in the text
Writes organized paragraphs with a topic sentence, supporting details and a closing sentence
Uses mostly correct spelling, capitalization and punctuation in everyday writing

Try at home: After your child reads a chapter, ask one thinking question, such as why a character made a choice, and have them find the part of the book that shows it.

When to ask for help

Trouble learning letter names and sounds by the middle of kindergarten, even with regular practice
Difficulty hearing or making rhymes, or breaking words into sounds, after kindergarten
Guessing at words from the first letter or the pictures instead of sounding them out
Reading that stays slow, choppy and effortful compared with classmates, even on familiar text
Mixing up the order of sounds or letters in words long after peers have stopped, such as reading was as saw
Spelling that is very hard to read or does not match the sounds in the word
Strong understanding when someone reads aloud to them, but much weaker understanding when reading on their own
A family history of dyslexia or reading difficulty, together with any of these signs
Avoiding reading, complaining of headaches or tummy aches at reading time, or calling themselves dumb
Not catching up after several months of extra help at school

Want more? See courses for the early years and Caveat Homeschool for kindergarten to grade 5.

Children develop at different rates, so use this checklist as a guide to typical milestones, not as a diagnosis or a substitute for an evaluation by a qualified professional.

The Caveat Family Guide to College is general information, not legal, tax or financial advice. Each college decides admission, aid and how credit counts, and requirements change; check each college's own pages. Examples are examples, not promises. Caveat Academic Services is an independent college preparation company. Students do all of their own work.