Every child develops at a different pace, and these milestones should not be treated as a rigid checklist. However, understanding the key skills commonly developed during Kindergarten 1 and 2 can help parents recognise their child’s progress and identify areas where additional guidance may be helpful. Three important areas of early literacy development are phonological awareness, alphabet knowledge and print concepts.

• Phonological Awareness: 
  Identifying the beginning, middle and ending sounds
  blending letter sounds to read simple words such as c-a-t 
• Alphabet Knowledge:
  Recognising uppercase and lowercase letters
  Forming upper and lower case letters 
  Knowing the basic 26 letter sounds
• Print Concepts:
  Understanding that words carry meaning 
  Reads from left to right, and to the next sentence 

These literacy milestones are closely connected. Children need to hear and work with sounds, understand how those sounds correspond to letters, and recognise how print is organised before they can become confident readers. If a child continues to struggle with these skills despite repeated practice and exposure, they may benefit from more targeted support.

At the DAS Preschool Programme, classes are kept small, with up to six children, so each learner can receive closer guidance according to their needs. Through engaging, hands-on and multisensory activities, children reinforce essential skills such as recognising letter sounds, blending sounds to read words, forming letters and understanding how print works. By strengthening these foundations in a supportive learning environment, the programme helps preschoolers approach reading and writing with greater confidence as they prepare for primary school.