A Closer Look at School Readiness

​When families sit down to discuss school readiness, the focus always goes straight to academic skills.  When will my child be able to read?  When should she be able to write her name?  When should he be able to count to 10, 20 or 100?  Although academic skills are important, they are really only about 20% of the skill set that a child needs to be successful in Kindergarten.  In fact, most Kindergarten teachers will tell you that they can teach academic skills if they are not in place; however, the entire class is at a disadvantage if the other skills missing.  Here is a brief list of skills that young children should have in place to be successful in Kindergarten:

• Health & Physical Well Being –
  • Eats a balanced diet,
  • Gets plenty of rest,
  • Receives all required immunizations & medical exams,
  • Runs, jumps, climbs, and does other activities that develop large muscles,
  • Uses pencils, crayons, scissors, paints, and does other activities to develop small motor muscles
• Social and Emotional Development –
  • Plays and shares with other children,
  • Follows simple rules and routines,
  • Demonstrates pretend play,
  • Expresses own needs and wants,
  • Shows curiosity and motivation to learn,
  • Explores and tries new things,
  • Separates easily from parents and family,
  • Works well alone,
  • Attends to tasks and seeks help when encountering a problem
• Language and Communication Development
  • Speaks in 5 or 6-word sentences,
  • Sings simple songs,
  • Takes turns in a conversation,
  • Knows own full name,
  • Reads & writes own name,
  • Can say home address, phone number, and birthday,
  • Knows how a book works,
  • Recognizes familiar print from surroundings (logos, traffic signs, etc.),
  • Listens and responds to stories read to them,
  • Uses scribbles and drawings to express ideas,
  • Recites the letters of the alphabet
• Self-Help Skills
  • Uses the toilet without help,
  • Fastens & unfastens clothing without help (zippers, snaps, Velcro),
  • Feeds self using utensils,
  • Help put away toys or clothing,
  • Keeps track of personal belongings,
  • Covers mouth or nose when sneezing or coughing,
• General Knowledge & Mathematics
  • Sorts & classifies objects,
  • Notices similarities & differences,
  • Identifies basic colors,
  • Counts in a sequence up to 30,
  • Counts sets of objects up to 10,
  • Matches numerals with objects up to 10,
  • Recognizes, names, and copies basic shapes,
  • Asks questions such as who, what, when, where, why and how,
  • Understands simple concepts of time (night and day, today, yesterday & tomorrow)

For many families, academic skills may seem to be the top priority; however, if a child does not possess skills like separating easily from a parent or going to the restroom independently, then the Kindergarten teacher must devote time to helping the child in those areas instead of academics.  Childcare programs need to work to prepare the whole child for Kindergarten including language, social skills, and adaptability so that each child will be as prepared as possible for the demands of continuing education.