How to know if your child is ready for Pre-K or Kindergarten

If your tot is around three years old, you've probably been thinking about pre-school, pre-K and Kindergarten.

"Is he ready? Am I ready? How do I know? What will give her the biggest advantage and help her learn?"

These are probably a few questions you've been thinking about. I know I have for my three year old.

I recently asked Dana Vela, President of Sunrise Preschools  in the Phoenix area, for some advice for all parents wondering if their child is ready for Pre-K or Kindergarten. Here's what she had to say: 

Examiner: What is the best advice for getting a child ready for pre-K? 

Dana: Parents can look for some of the signs that their child might be ready and encourage areas like:

• Can your child work and play independently for short periods of time?
• Is your child able to focus on one project or task for several minutes? 
• Can your child follow simple directions with gentle reminders or cues?
• Self care: can your child remember to use the restroom by themselves or with subtle reminders, and do they have the ability to dress, undress and feed themselves?
• Can play along side other children cooperate and share?

The above areas will also be focused on daily as part of a good, solid preschool routine. 

Prepare your child for the separation in advance, and make sure you build confidence in your child when you are away. Many times children pick up on parent’s anxiety so both the parent and child need to be ready for the transition.  Children who have adjusted well to child care outside the home will probably handle the transition to preschool and Kindergarten without major difficulties. 

Examiner: What about Kindergarten?

Dana: Child needs all of the above as well as to be ready for longer periods of separation from parents, and

• the social ability to follow simple directions without as many reminders
• to take turns, and wait in lines for a short time
• to participate as part of a large group as well as part of a small group
• to work on an activity and put it away without starting another activity

Examiner: How do you know if your child is ready for pre-K?

Dana: Does your child enjoy planned activities and enjoy play dates without relying on a parent to facilitate or be involved? Is you child inquisitive and beginning to show signs of actively using problem solving skills?  

Examiner: Tell me 5 things every child should know upon entering Kindergarten.

Dana:

1. Concepts of colors, shapes, numbers, and letter recognition.
2. How to express their own needs and be able to verbalize them if needed.
3. Be able to recognize authority and follow simple rules.
4. Basic fine motor skills including using scissors and tracing objects.
5. Be able to separate from parents or caregivers for a length of time without being upset.

Examiner:  Anything different for pre-K?

Dana: Many of the concepts from above will be introduced and reinforced in a preschool setting depending on the age of the child when they are enrolled in a formal preschool setting.

Examiner: What are the common pitfalls parents should watch out for?

Dana: Make sure you are aware of the common developmental characteristics of your child’s age and try not to expect too much or push too hard.   

Academically ready verses socially ready, many children can struggle with the social aspect of Kindergarten more than struggling academically. 

When looking for a quality preschool program making sure all areas of development are met is key. A quality preschool setting should not be measured by price or strictly by how the environment looks.  What is the general feel when you walk in to the classroom and how is the curriculum meeting the needs of the children socially, emotionally, physically, and intellectually. 

Research shows that young children learn best through manipulation of materials and hands-on experiences. Don’t always look for the take home ditto’s and worksheets to show evidence of learning. There should be a good balance of age appropriate activities provided.