How do you know if your child is ready for school?

Children will get very excited if they get close to going to "big school", but for parents it can be terrifying.  

All the questions Is my child ready for school?  Will they cope in class?  Will they make any friends?  Must I keep them at home or in pre-primary for another year?  

                         

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All these questions and many more are normal and you want to be sure your child is ready for this new phase of their lives.  It is important that your child is ready to face this new change and unfortunately a lot of kids are send to school when they are not ready, and this can damage not only their confidence, but also their performance later on in school.

Age wise your little one may be ready to start school, but that does not mean they are emotionally ready to embark on this venture and be able to get through the next years with ease.

You as a parent want to make sure that your child will be happy and flourish and keep up in school.

A good place to start is to listen to the child's pre-school teacher.  They have spend a lot of time with your child and are trained in early childhood development.  

                       

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You want your child to enjoy the school experience and not merely cope, but be able to handle themselves emotionally and intellectually.  

Being ready for school is more than just being able to learn to read and write, it is more about social and emotional maturity.  You cannot make a child mature who lacks this over night, it will take time.

School maturity and readiness are two different but related terms.  School readiness refers to a time in a child's life when he or she is ready to learn in a formal learning environment, without any emotional disturbances.  School maturity is a point in a child's growing process including both physical and mental maturity.

If you are wondering if your child is ready for school, there are certain questions you can ask yourself. (please note that different countries have different ages for children to start Gr 1, so this is just general information in the broad spectrum and not for one specific age group)

• can they make an independent decision and follow through on it?
• do they have any of their own ideas?
• how do they deal with being frustrated?
• can they move on to new activities easily?
• can they follow 2 or 3 instructions at a time?
• can they concentrate on a task?
• how do they deal with other children?
• can they express their feelings?
• can they sit still for a certain period of time?
• can they use the bathroom by themselves?
• can they recognise some letters that are in their names?
• does he/she show an interest in learning
• if you are from South Africa you can check the following list to make sure if you child is ready to start Gr 1 in the new school year http://parentingcenter.co.za/a-school-readiness-checklist/

It is better to keep your child in pre-school a year longer if you feel they are not ready for school.  It is better than to let them repeat the First Grade or just get pushed through each grade each year and get more behind and in the process more frustrated with school and loose their confidence.

How can a parent help with getting a child ready for school?

You as a parent can help your child with a lot of activities in the pre-primary phase including things like

• taking your child on excursions
• reading with your child
• teaching them songs and nursery rhymes
• playing with letters and numbers
• creating regular opportunities for them to play with their friends

Watch the video for more information on school readiness

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Being ready for school is something that parents can help with.  If you would like to get some ideas, you can also watch this video

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Getting your child ready for school is something you can work on every day, it does not matter if you are at home, in the grocery store or in the car.

Most of the time you will not even know you are helping with school readiness, it will just be something that comes naturally to you as a parent, because you are teaching your child in so many ways.  

So take a breath and go with your gut feeling.  Keep on talking to your child and asking them questions and paying attention to their needs, teach them responsibilities and before you know it, they will be more than ready for school.