Kindergarten is the beginning of your child’s elementary school career. By the end of kindergarten, your child will become a reader! A heavy emphasis in kindergarten will be placed on knowing, recognizing, and writing all letters of the alphabet and their sounds. While your child is developing as a reader, focus on helping your child know the role of an author and illustrator in telling a story, and have your child describe how the words and illustrations work together to tell a story or provide information. Kindergarten is also a huge year to develop your child’s communication skills. Help your child understand how to take turns to allow everyone to speak, as well as understand how his or her personal experiences help to recall and gather information.