Is Your Child Ready For School?

Are you wondering why we are talking about school readiness when it feels like school just started? Do you have a child who will be starting kindergarten next fall?  Or have a child in kindergarten? Now is the time to start working on skills that your child will be expected to already have when kindergarten starts.

How do you know if your child is ready for school? The first five years of a child’s life are critical to lifelong development. A young child’s earliest experiences and environments, at home, in school or daycare, and in the community, set the stage for their future development and school and life success. The time that you spend with a child every day can give you information about how he or she is progressing and whether or not your child is ready for school. The goal of school readiness is to help children enter school with skills and behaviors that are necessary for future learning success.

Kids follow a sequence of development. When this development does not progress typically, it can make learning challenging. Follow the simple guidelines to determine if your child will be ready for Kindergarten. Now is a great time to check with your teacher, see how your child has settled into the school year, and make sure they are on track in order to promote the healthiest learning environment. The following guidelines were adapted from the Montana Common Core Standards, which is the curriculum that the public schools are utilizing. Please find more information at: http://opi.mt.gov/Index.html

By the time your child enters kindergarten they should be utilizing a tripod grasp or another functional grasp (as illustrated on page 4) on their writing utensil.

What Should My Child Be Able To Do When They Start Kindergarten?

• Complete simple puzzles (12 pieces)
• Write their own name in print
• Write numbers from 0 to 20. Represent a number of objects with a written numeral 0-20 (with 0 representing a count of no objects)
• Recognize and name all upper- and lowercase letters of the alphabet
• Read common high-frequency words by sight (e.g. the, of, to, you, she, my, is, are, does)
• Identifies/points to three shapes: circle, square and triangle
• Draws shapes, such as vertical and horizontal lines, circles, crosses (plus sign) and squares
• Utilize writing and drawing tools with control and intention and hand dominance
• Utilize child size scissors with control, intention and correct orientation
• Utilize a tripod grasp or another functional grasp on their writing utensil.

What Should My Child Be Able To Do When Entering 1st Grade?

• Understand basic punctuation, such as capitalizing first letters of sentences and using periods and question marks
• Print legibly with spacing and on a line
• Write in complete sentences
• Tell time to the hour and half hour
• Write numbers up to 100
• Add and subtract within 20
• Use conventional spelling for words with common spelling patterns and for frequently occurring irregular words

 My child reverses letters, should I be concerned?

Often times, we become concerned if our child is reversing  letters or words (for example: writing b’s instead of d’s, and “tab” instead of “bat,” etc. This is a very common mistake that most beginner readers/writers will make, up to the age of 7. When children are learning to write they frequently have   letter reversals. Often, children will have letter reversals into first and second grade. It is not uncommon or unusual to see children 4, 5, 6 and even 7 years of age making letter and/or number reversals. There may be a need for some concern if a child  continues with letter reversals or mirror reading/writing into and beyond the 3rd grade. If your child is not utilizing these grasps, or if you have other concerns, you may want to have their fine motor skills evaluated by a school or private  practicing occupational therapist.