How do I know if my child is ready for school?

Very often parents can’t decide whether to send a 6-year-old child to school, or wait another year. The answer to this question lies in the child himself, and by observing him, you can understand if he is ready for school life and first grade sight words. There are certain aspects of readiness for school: physical, intellectual, motivational, emotional-volitional and social.

The physiological criterion of school readiness.

The child should reach the height and weight that are normal for his age. This also includes: the ability to resist overwork, the ability to quickly adapt to a new environment. If he often gets sick or looks younger than his age, it is worth postponing enrollment in school.

Intellectual criterion.

Another sign that it is time to go to school is the proper development of the cognitive sphere  and read https://argoprep.com/worksheet-sets/kindergarten-shape-tracing/. This is the presence of the necessary knowledge about himself (his name, surname, age), about the environment, about other people and their relationships. It also includes: the ability to focus on the subject, since schoolwork requires increased attention; sufficiently developed memory and vocabulary; free use of the concepts of “more – less”, “high – low”, “left – right”, – it’s all necessary in the learning process.

Motivational criterion.

It is the child’s desire to learn. If he/she has a positive attitude towards school, teachers, future classmates and the very process of learning activities; is able to regulate his/her actions and behavior – then he/she is psychologically ready for school.

The emotional-volitional criterion.

A first-grader should be able to control his emotions, be they positive or negative; volitional readiness – the ability to sit through a lesson in his place, as well as to set goals, to break barriers on the way to their implementation, to perform not only interesting, but also useful work (teacher’s instructions, performance of tasks https://argoprep.com/math/1st-grade/addition/commutative-law/ – home or in the classroom). It is easy to check whether these skills are formed. When the child performs simple, but constant errands (to clean toys), makes his bed, does not interrupt in conversation. If the answer to these questions is positive, then readiness for school is formed.

Social criterion.

The ability to communicate with adults and peers is an important acquisition that is formed in preschool age. The child will behave with others as he/she sees and hears it at home. Willingness to connect with people is the first necessity when entering school.

All of these aspects show whether your child is ready for school and should be considered when deciding your child’s fate. It is important to understand if he or she is ready to take the first step into adulthood, or if he or she needs to wait a little longer. Talk to your child about school. Ask if he wants to study. If yes, why, what his motivations are. Explain that school doesn’t always give good grades, see what the reaction will be. Give him/her a task which takes some time to complete. Observe whether the child will be able to finish it. Do you see that your child is ready? Then go ahead!