Preparing your child for kindergarten is an exciting step in their life. The following ten indicators will help you measure your child’s preschool readiness.
What Does School Readiness Mean?
Preschool Readiness is the ability of your child to do well in school. It means having all the skills needed to be successful during the preschool years and in kindergarten and all grades after that for many years to come. Your child will develop this readiness by attending preschool.
What are the 10 Indicators of School Readiness?
Counting Skills: Counting is a vital preschool skill that helps children learn numbers. Children need to be able to trust to do the math and read. By being able to count, children learn about place value.
Sorting/Classifying: Learning is put with which is called sorting or classifying, and it helps children understand how objects relate and have different properties. They learn to sort things by color, size, and shape. They also know to sort them into categories such as animals, vehicles, or toys.
Looking/pointing: These actions help children learn about the world around them. It is called a gestural vocabulary and maybe one of their first ways of communicating with others. Children who point or look at things show that they understand what an object is for and how it can be used.
Babbling: Babble is a series of sounds that indicates that your child is interested in the sounds she hears around her. As you know, children learn to speak by listening to and imitating the way other people talk. Babbling helps them understand how talking works and how to use their voice.
Loving to read: Children who love reading are more likely to be successful in school. Reading stimulates mental activity as well as provides ideas about what is essential in living a good life.
Playing Pretend: Pretending is a way of learning about the world. Playing with dolls and pretending to be a mommy helps your child develop tender feelings towards others. She knows how to act like somebody else. Pretending also develops language skills as your child learns how to describe what she is doing and what other people are doing in her pretend games.
Writing letters: Writing letters such as A, B, C, D is a classifying activity that teaches children about the shapes of things around them. They learn that letters are symbols for objects that begin with those letters. It is an essential skill that they will use in both schools and later in life to fill out forms.
Making Friends: Making friends helps children learn about what others want and need and how to be kind to others. By making friends, children develop social skills to help them get along with other people throughout their lives.
Being Independent: Independence is a skill you need to do things on your own without help from other people. It includes finding things, solving problems, and making choices. Independence is an essential skill that children need to learn as they grow up to succeed in life.
Being Organized: Being organized means keeping track of things or having them in a place you can find them when you need them. It also helps children organize their thoughts and keep their things neat and tidy. It is crucial because being organized allows children to manage their time, complete tasks, and be responsible for their actions when they are older.
Being responsible for your actions is a skill that helps children learn how to deal with other people. It is an important life skill that allows them to know how to take care of their things, keep their space, and not hurt other people by being careless or rude.
What Can You Do To Help Your Child Prepare for School?
Whether you enroll your child in preschool or kindergarten, it is vital to help your child become ready for school. It will always be best to speak with your child’s teacher about what you would like him or her to learn in preschool and make sure that you tell the teacher what skills are needed to succeed well at school.
- You will also need to teach your child about preschool readiness skills. While many preschools have their various programs listed on their website, you may want to ask the preschool if they will help you with some of the included activities. For example, can they play some games that will help your child with school readiness skills?
- You must also encourage your child to be ready for school. Suggest free printable activities from the internet to help your child practice skills like writing letters or counting. You will give her a head start on learning the things she needs to know.
- It would be best if you also took an interest in what your child does at home so you can see how much he knows about school readiness skills. For example, if you see him with some flashcards, ask him to show you what he knows about the alphabet’s letters. You can also ask him to write his name or even spell it out for you.
If your child is going to school, here are a few things that will help him be ready for school:
- Making sure they have their backpack and lunch box.
- Taking them to the bathroom before they leave on the bus, they don’t have to use public restrooms.
- Getting them ready for school by making sure they know about the curriculum and are prepared to learn it.
- Sitting with your child at home so you can explain school routines, like homework and when they will be going out and what to expect. You should also help them organize their supplies so that they will have what they need when they get there.
- Getting them ready for the bus, carpool, or walking with a friend to school. It is also essential to make sure that they know what they are supposed to do when they reach their destination, like going to the office and then to class.
The best way you can encourage your kid learn about school readiness skills is by talking with him about it.
Here are a few answers to common questions about preschool.
Why Should I Not Force My Child to Preschool?
Although most children are excited about preschool and enjoy the experience, they may be disappointed if they do not get their way at all times. You may want to think about how to respond to certain preschool-related inevitable situations that might arise.
“Should I start my child in preschool if I work long hours?”
Most preschools offer flexible school schedules to fit your child’s schedule. They will also provide all necessary educational materials (routines, books, teachers, and classes). They might even offer you some flexibility for childcare arrangements, thus making sure your child gets the most out of preschool.
“What is the best age for my child to start preschool?”
On average, the ideal time for your child to start preschool is around three years and nine months old. However, every kid is unique; if you think that your child can do well in a preschool setting, it might be appropriate to enroll him or her into a pre-K program.
“How do I find the best preschool for my child?”
First, consider what kind of schedule would work best for you and your child. Is it necessary to take your kid to school every day, or can you arrange for someone else to drop off and pick up your child? Depending on the specific circumstances, you can enroll your child into a babysitting program that will allow you to drop off and pick up your child at different times.
According to many experts, the best time to start preschool is three years old (minimum). If you have a child that is close or past this age and still has not gone off to school, it’s worth examining what they know and how they develop their skills.
Don’t worry, though! It’s not too late for them yet! Preschool readiness encompasses many different aspects of a child’s life — physical development, emotional maturity, cognitive ability, language skills.
Here at Baby Steps, we always make it a point to make every child’s learning needs a priority. We offer various programs for different age groups. There should be no reason for your child not to have fun learning with us!
Should you have questions or suggestions about preschool readiness, please send us a message now!
