How Can I Tell If My Child Is Ready for the Next Grade? Simple At-Home Literacy and Math Activities for Grades 1, 4, 7, and 9 (Ontario Curriculum)
By Julie Diamond, OCT
As the Back-to-School ads start, many parents begin to wonder: “Is my child ready for the next grade?” It’s a common and completely valid question I hear from families every August.
To help, I’ve created simple literacy and math activities for students entering Grades 1, 4, 7, and 9, which are pivotal years where expectations ramp up and new concepts are introduced. These particular grades often mark a shift in academic demands, so it's a great time to check in on your child’s readiness in low-pressure, engaging ways.
But before we dive into benchmarks and activities, I want to reassure you:
Every child develops at their own pace. These activities are just guidelines based on the Ontario curriculum and not a checklist your child must master before school begins.
If you're concerned about how your child is doing in math or literacy, or if you're unsure where they stand, you don’t have to guess. At Diamond Teachers Group, we offer a one-on-one Learning Assessment for students in Grades 1–8. Our certified educators provide a detailed overview of your child’s strengths, needs, and next steps so your family can start the school year with clarity and confidence.
👉 Learn more about our Learning Assessments
Now, let’s explore some simple activities you can do at home to check your child’s academic readiness in low-pressure and engaging ways. If you're looking for more ways to spark your child's curiosity and enjoyment in learning, check out our blog on how to make learning fun at home.
Grade 1 Readiness
By the end of Kindergarten, children are building foundational literacy and numeracy skills. Going into Grade 1, the focus is on phonics, early writing, counting, and patterning.
Literacy Check:
Activity: Sound It Out Game
Say simple words like sun, dog, hat, and ask your child to:
Identify the beginning, middle, and ending sounds
Write the word using what they hear
Make rhyming words (e.g., dog → fog, log)
Watch for: Your child’s awareness of letter sounds, blending, and early spelling attempts, even if the spelling isn’t perfect.
Activity: Read & Retell
Read a short story together. Then ask:
What happened at the beginning, middle, and end?
Who were the characters?
What was the story about?
Watch for: Their understanding of story structure and expressing ideas in complete thoughts.
➕ Math Check:
Activity: Number Hunt
Ask your child to find and name numbers in the house (on clocks, books, appliances). Then:
Count objects up to 30
Show a number using fingers or toys
Compare two numbers (e.g., Which is bigger—7 or 5?)
Activity: Sorting & Pattern Play
Use coloured buttons or blocks:
Sort by shape, size, or colour
Create repeating patterns (e.g., red, blue, red, blue)
Watch for: Counting fluency, comparing numbers, and recognizing simple patterns.
A young girl stands in front of a chalkboard filled with math formulas and geometric diagrams. She’s smiling brightly and giving two enthusiastic thumbs up. She has long, dark hair in pigtails and is wearing a white shirt with black overalls. The classroom setting and her joyful expression suggest confidence and excitement about learning math.
Grade 4 Readiness
Grade 4 is a transition into more independent reading, writing, and problem-solving. By now, students are expected to explain their thinking in both literacy and math.
Literacy Check:
Activity: Summarize a Story or Article
Choose a short story or non-fiction article. Ask your child to:
Retell the main idea in their own words
Identify three key points
Write a short paragraph about it
Watch for: Clear main ideas, writing organization, and some detail in their responses.
Activity: Vocabulary Detective
Pick 5 challenging words from a text. Ask your child to:
Use context clues to guess the meaning
Confirm using a dictionary (digital or print)
Use the word in a sentence
A young girl with long red hair and glasses sits cross-legged on a wooden table, deeply focused on reading a book. She’s wearing a light blue dress with white tights and ballet flats, and is surrounded by school supplies, including a cup of colourful pens and stacked books. Natural light streams in from the large window behind her, creating a peaceful and studious atmosphere.
Watch for: Curiosity about new words and strategies for figuring out meaning.
➕ Math Check:
Activity: Place Value Challenge
Write a number like 3,457. Ask:
What does each digit mean?
What’s 1,000 more or 100 less?
Can you round it to the nearest 10?
Activity: Multiplication Practice
Practice multiplication facts up to 10x10. Then ask real-world questions like:
“If a box holds 6 apples and we have 4 boxes, how many apples are there in total?"
Watch for: Understanding of place value, number operations, and applying multiplication to problems.
Grade 7 Readiness
By Grade 7, students are reading to analyze and respond to texts and solving multi-step math problems. This is a big leap, especially in abstract reasoning and independent work.
Literacy Check:
Activity: Persuasive Writing Prompt
Ask: “Should students get paid to do chores?”
Have your child write a short persuasive paragraph with:
A clear opinion
Two reasons
A concluding sentence
Watch for: Logical argument, sentence structure, and some transition words like “because,” “for example,” or “however.”
Activity: Literary Device Hunt
Pick a short story or poem. Ask your child to find:
Similes and metaphors
Dialogue
Mood or tone words
Watch for: Awareness of how authors use language to create meaning.
➕ Math Check:
Activity: Fractions in the Kitchen
Bake something together and ask:
What’s ½ of 1 cup?
What if you doubled the recipe?
How many ¼ cups in a full cup?
Activity: Integer Word Problem
Ask: “It’s -3°C in the morning. By afternoon, it rises 7 degrees. What’s the new temperature?”
Watch for: Fraction understanding, real-world problem solving, and fluency with positive and negative integers.
Grade 9 Readiness
Grade 9 is the first year of high school math and literacy pathways in Ontario. It’s critical to enter with confidence in key skills.
Literacy Check:
Activity: Article Debate
Choose a newspaper article or opinion piece. Ask:
What’s the author’s viewpoint?
What evidence do they give?
Do you agree or disagree, and why?
What to watch for: Ability to analyze arguments, express personal opinions, and support them with evidence.
Activity: Thesis Builder
Give a question like: "Should social media be limited for teens?"
Have them write a 3-sentence response:
A clear thesis statement
One reason with support
A closing sentence
What to watch for: Coherence, clarity, and grammar in writing.
➕ Math Check:
Activity: Algebra Warm-Up
Ask your child to solve simple equations:
3x + 2 = 11
x – 5 = 9
Then try:
"The area of a rectangle is 36 cm². If the width is 4 cm, what’s the length?"
Here are the solutions, but remember, there’s more than one way to get to the right answer. What matters most is that your child can explain their thinking and show their understanding. These steps reflect one method (the way I like to teach it!), but it’s totally okay if they use a different strategy that works for them.
1. Solve: 3x + 2 = 11
Step 1: Subtract 2 from both sides:
3x + 2 − 2 = 11 − 2
3x = 9
Step 2: Divide both sides by 3:
3x ÷ 3 = 9 ÷ 3
x = 3
Answer: x = 3
2. Solve: x − 5 = 9
Step 1: Add 5 to both sides:
x − 5 + 5 = 9 + 5
x = 14
Answer: x = 14
3. The area of a rectangle is 36 cm². If the width is 4 cm, what’s the length?
We use the area formula for a rectangle:
Area = length × width
We know:
36 = length × 4
Step 1: Divide both sides by 4:
36 ÷ 4 = length
length = 9
Answer: The length is 9 cm
Activity: Graphing Task
Create a graph of daily temperatures, hours of screen time, or allowance over a month. Ask:
What type of graph is best?
Can they describe trends or outliers?
What to watch for: Problem-solving steps, understanding variables, and mathematical language.
What If They Struggle?
If your child finds one or more of these activities difficult, it doesn’t mean they’re behind. It just means they may need some extra support or review before jumping into the next grade. You might find this post helpful: What strategies can help my child catch up if they’re behind in a subject?
Our Learning Assessments are designed to help families get a clear picture of their child’s current level in literacy or math. With this insight, you’ll have a clearer understanding of your child’s strengths and areas for growth, whether you choose to build a personalized tutoring plan with us or simply want to help your child start the school year feeling confident and prepared.
Helping your child transition into a new grade doesn’t have to be stressful. These informal checks can guide you in understanding where they’re doing well and where they might benefit from a confidence boost.
Even just a few focused tutoring sessions before school starts can help students feel ready, capable, and excited for a fresh start.
At Diamond Teachers Group, we’re here to support your child every step of the way with personalized, caring, and curriculum-aligned tutoring that helps them shine.
Want to chat with us about your child’s needs?
Reach out any time [LINK] to learn how we can support your family this fall.
Let’s make this school year your child’s brightest one yet.