When is Your Child Ready for Kindergarten?

by | Sep 3, 2025 | Blog

Mother and daughter reading together happily

Get Ready for Kindergarten:

Helping Your Child Start Strong

Starting kindergarten is a big milestone — for both your child and you. It marks the beginning of their formal school journey and sets the foundation for a lifetime of learning.

As a parent, you want to give your child every opportunity to thrive. But how do you know if they’re truly ready? What does “readiness” even mean these days?

Let’s take a closer look at what kindergarten readiness really means — and explore how We Can Books can be a helpful, heart-centered resource as you prepare your child for a confident, joyful start.

What Does ‘Kindergarten Readiness’ Actually Mean?

Kindergarten readiness isn’t about knowing everything on day one — it’s about having the foundational skills that make learning possible.

Educators generally agree that readiness falls into a few core categories:

– Language and Early Literacy Skills: Can your child recognize some letters, especially those in their name? Are they curious about books and stories? Do they enjoy rhyming or playing with sounds?
– Social and Emotional Development: Can they follow simple directions? Take turns? Manage frustration or express feelings with words?
– Fine and Gross Motor Skills: Can they hold a crayon? Zip a backpack? Climb stairs?
– Cognitive Skills: Are they curious about the world? Can they solve simple problems or match similar items?

Every child develops on their own timeline — and that’s okay. But giving them frequent, joyful exposure to these skills makes a measurable difference.

Why Early Reading Skills Matter More Than Ever

Of all the kindergarten readiness benchmarks, early literacy is one of the strongest predictors of school success.

According to decades of research on the science of reading, children who enter school with strong phonemic awareness — the ability to hear and play with sounds in words — are much more likely to become confident readers by 3rd grade.

And here’s the thing:
> 📘 Reading isn’t “natural” — it’s built.  
Children need to be explicitly taught how letters and sounds work together. The earlier that process starts, the smoother their path.

The Hidden Confidence Gap

When kids start kindergarten without these foundational skills, it can impact more than just academics — it can shape how they see themselves.

A child who feels “behind” may withdraw or act out. On the other hand, a child who feels capable — even in small ways — is more likely to participate, take risks, and *love* learning.

That’s why readiness isn’t about pressure. It’s about empowerment.

How We Can Books Supports Kindergarten Readiness

We Can Books was created with one simple mission: 
To make learning to read personal, playful, and powerful — starting before a child ever sets foot in a classroom.

Here’s how:

📷 1. Your Child Becomes the Star of Their Learning  
Each book is made with real photos from your phone — your child’s toys, pets, favorite places, and family members.

🔤 2. Blended Phonics Approach = Science-Backed Success  
Our 4-book series follows a proven, progressive phonics path that aligns with how children naturally acquire reading skills.

🧠 3. Supports All Readiness Domains  
Not only are children building literacy — they’re practicing memory, sequencing, attention, and confidence.

What Other Parents Are Saying

“My son was so excited to see himself in a real book. He asked to read it every night! When kindergarten started, he was already sounding out words and feeling proud of himself.”  
 — Jennifer R., California

“We Can Books gave my daughter the boost she needed. Her teacher was amazed at how ready she was on day one.”  
 — Monique L., Texas

Getting Started is Simple

You don’t need a teaching degree or hours a day to make a difference. 
Just 15 minutes a day with We Can Books can have a lasting impact on your child’s literacy journey.

Here’s how to begin:
1. Download the free app on iOS or Android 
2. Upload your photos and personalize your first book (Volume 1) 
3. Read together and watch their confidence soar

👉 Create Your First Book Now

A Note from Our Founder

As a mom and literacy advocate, I created We Can Books to fill a gap I saw in early education — something joyful, affordable, and grounded in what truly works.

You don’t have to “teach” your child everything. You just need to invite them into the world of reading — and remind them that they’re capable, curious, and loved.

Let’s make kindergarten readiness a joyful process — together.

With heart, 
Bonnie  
Founder, *We Can Books*

PS — Free Printable: Kindergarten Readiness Checklist

Not sure where your child stands? 
[Download our free Kindergarten Readiness Checklist] — a simple tool to help you spot strengths and gently fill in any gaps.

The Gift of Reading

by | Aug 13, 2025 | Blog

One of my earliest memories of joy is waiting for my dad to get home from work every evening so we could sit together, and he could teach me how to read.

I remember the excitement I felt, nestled in his lap in the big chair in our living room, as he showed me how letters and sounds came together to make words. It felt like a puzzle I could learn to put together. Small pieces joining to make bigger pieces that formed something real. And once I understood how the small pieces—the letters—worked, I could start to understand how to put them together. And I could READ WORDS.

My four-year-old brain felt like it was exploding with connections. Nothing was more fun. It seemed like we were cracking codes together. And every night I understood just a little more and was that much closer to being able to crack those codes on my own.

C – A – T

CAT

cat

If I could read that word on the page, I could read it anywhere. Anywhere! I could read it in other books, on signs, in the red letters of the marquee above the little theatre we drove past to come home. I could read it on cereal boxes and newspapers. I could read and recognize it and understand it all by myself.

The sense of freedom and excitement was dizzying. And the more I began to be able to make sense of the sounds of the letters and the words they could form, the more I wanted to read.

The world was opening to me. And I could feel it. 

I don’t remember how long it took for me to be able to master the basic sounds and combinations of letters that make the building blocks of reading. I just remember how fun it was, and that I looked forward to that time with my Dad every night.

I also remember thinking that reading was fun and easy, and when I started going to school, learning felt fun and easy too.

Learning to read early and well gave me a head start not just in school, but in life. It was possibly the greatest gift my parents could give me because it made so many important things possible.

The difference between kids who think reading is easy and fun, and who think it’s hard and boring—the kids who do well in school vs. the kids who struggle—is often the beginning of a difference that persists all their lives.

If you can read well, you have access to success in every other subject in school.

If you feel successful in school, you feel smart and competent. If you don’t, you are likely to feel like a failure. This simple but huge difference has a lasting impact on self-esteem. Self-esteem has a powerful effect on every action in life. 

There are more tragic outcomes for kids who have difficulty reading, but I’ll save that subject for another post.

Of course, I didn’t know any of this when I sat in my father’s lap after dinner and traced the letters with my little fingers, sounding out words and solving the puzzles using phonics. Starting with three letter words and moving to four letter words, putting together the building blocks of vowels and consonants, until I could make sense of just about any word I ran across, anywhere.

I learned to love reading, and to associate it with happiness and accomplishment. This love of reading has served me all my life. I feel so fortunate to have been given that incredible head start. Learning to read early and well was like being given the keys to life.

We Can Books is here to spread that joy and to help give all children the keys to a happy, successful life. There may be no greater gift you can give a child than the gift of reading. And with it, you can create special moments and memories that last a lifetime.