Is My Child Ready For Kindergarten?

As we all know, school readiness is an important topic. As that fifth birthday approaches, almost every parent wonders if their child is ready for kindergarten or if they would benefit long-term from another year of preschool. If only crystal balls were real! We can look at a child’s date of birth or their gender, but that is not enough.

It’s tempting to focus on how a child is progressing with academic basics: 

• recognizing letters and numbers
• understanding that letters are associated with sounds
• understanding that numbers represent quantities
• knowing and manipulating shapes
• identifying colors 

A child who excels in these areas still may not be ready for all the challenges of a kindergarten classroom. Similarly, the child who mixes up some letters may show plenty of signs of being ready to succeed in kindergarten.

How is a parent to know what to do? Most private schools look at the whole child and consider multiple areas of development. These areas may include:  

• Social and emotional engagement—How do they express their feelings? Can they solve problems with others? Are they able take turns, share, and work in a group?

• Language development—Is the child adept with language? Can they sequence a story? Can they follow directions? Can the child communicate their needs? 

• Cognitive ability—Can they manage transitioning from one activity to the next? Are they showing math and reading readiness?

• Self-help skills—Can they take care of their own needs? Does the child ask for some guidance, if needed? 

• Fine motor skills—Is the child developing a proper pencil grip and scissor use? 

• Gross motor skills—Is the child able to jump and run? Can the child catch and bounce a ball? Do they enjoy participating in creative movement games? Is the child able to pedal a tricycle? 

At Sanford School, a Kindergarten visit helps educators determine school readiness in a child-friendly way. Our goal is to partner with you to ensure that your child is in a setting that is developmentally appropriate. Because when a child loves going to school, there is no greater gift to the child or their family. 

Suzanne Humphreys is the former Director of Counseling and the Lower School Counselor at Sanford School in Hockessin, Delaware.