Kindergarten Reading Check-Up
- Kindergarten
- 16 questions, about 10 minutes
- Free, nothing saved
Sixteen quick questions, mostly pictures, that show where your child is with the four big kindergarten reading skills: hearing sounds, letter sounds, blending sounds into words and the first sight words. You read each question aloud; your child taps the answer. It takes about 10 minutes.
Before you start
- Sit with your child. You read every question aloud (or tap the speaker). Your child doesn't need to read the questions, only the words in sections C and D.
- Don't help with answers. The point is to see what your child can do alone. "Do your best" is the only hint.
- Skip is fine. If your child doesn't know, leave it blank. Blank counts as "practice next," which is useful to know.
- Keep it light. Call it a game, not a test. Stop and come back later if your child gets tired.
This check-up covers what most children can do by the end of kindergarten. If you're taking it in the fall, lower scores are expected and fine; it shows you where to start.
The check-up
What the check-up covers
Each section matches a part of the Common Core Kindergarten Reading Foundational Skills standards, which most US states use.
- Hearing sounds (RF.K.2): Hearing rhymes, syllables and the first and last sounds in words is the foundation for everything else in reading.
- Letter sounds (RF.K.3a, RF.K.1d): Knowing the main sound for each letter is what lets a child start sounding out words.
- Blending and reading short words (RF.K.2d, RF.K.3b): Blending sounds into words, like /k/ /a/ /t/ into cat, is the moment a child starts to read.
- Sight words (RF.K.3c): A few dozen very common words, like the, and and is, appear on every page of an early reader.
What to practice next
The results show a practice link for every section your child found hard. Here they all are in one place:
- Hearing sounds: rhyming words and beginning sounds.
- Letter sounds: letter sounds a to z and beginning sounds.
- Blending and reading short words: blending and segmenting and cvc words.
- Sight words: Dolch pre-primer list and what are sight words?.
Practice one area at a time, about 10 minutes a day, and take the check-up again in three or four weeks. See the full year on the kindergarten skills page.
Other grades
If this check-up was very easy or very hard, try the grade above or below.
Last reviewed: November 11, 2026
Questions parents ask
What should a kindergartner be able to read by the end of the year?
Most can hear rhymes and the sounds in short words, know the main sound for every letter, sound out three-letter words like cat and sun, and read a few dozen sight words like the, and and is.
My child got a low score. Should I worry?
One check-up is a snapshot, not a diagnosis. Short daily practice closes most gaps. If your child is still struggling after a few months of practice, or has trouble hearing rhymes and sounds, talk to their teacher.
Can my child take it more than once?
Yes. Taking it again after a month of practice is a good way to see progress.
Is anything saved or sent anywhere?
No. The answers are scored in your browser and disappear when you leave the page.