A kindergartener is a child who attends kindergarten, which is the first year of formal schooling in most American schools, typically for five- and six-year-olds.

You were a kindergartener once, learning to recognize letters, count objects, follow classroom rules, and make friends outside your family. Kindergarteners are at that exciting stage where everything about school is new: raising your hand to speak, lining up for recess, sitting at a desk, bringing a lunch box.

When you see kindergarteners now, they might seem small and young, needing help with tasks you find simple. A kindergartener might struggle to tie their shoes or sound out a word you can read instantly. They're experiencing things for the first time that you've been doing for years. That wide-eyed curiosity and excitement about learning something new is a hallmark of a kindergartener.