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Preschool: Ready or Not?

While it's true that children learn more in their first three years than ever again, it's between ages three and five that they acquire the skills necessary for school. As a child's attention span, memory and language skills develop, she also becomes increasingly more sophisticated and social--qualities she'll need for preschool.

A child's preschool readiness depends more on her individual personality and temperment than her so-called "academic" abilities. Use our developmental checklist to help gauge whether your child is ready for this big step.

Preschool Readiness Checklist

Social Skills

  • Initiates and maintains independent play (for example, plays alone in the sandbox, or role-plays independently
  • Enjoys doing things on his/her own sometimes, such as reading, crafts or getting dressed
  • Can separate from you for several hours, such as an afternoon at a friend’s house or a sleepover at Grandma’s
  • Appears interested in going to a “big-kid” school, learning new things, and/or meeting new friends
  • Enjoys participating in group activities
  • Can express emotions, needs and requests
  • Responds well to consistent routines, such as quiet time or naptime following lunch
  • Anticipates what comes next during the day (for example, knows that naptime follows lunch)

 

Language Skills

  • Uses language to communicate with others for a variety of purposes (for example, describing something, making requests, greeting someone, etc.)
  • Speaks clearly to be understood by others
  • Uses accepted language and communication styles (for example, using polite manners, using appropriate volume and tone)
  • Tells simple stories
  • Uses accepted nouns, verbs and adjectives in familiar contexts
  • Understands words for common categories (for example, toys, food, clothes)
  • Uses sentences with two phrases or concepts

 

Reading

  • Holds a book properly and turns pages
  • Understands that words convey the message in a story
  • Recognizes the first letter of his/her own name
  • Knows some letter names
  • Knows the main characters in familiar stories
  • Enjoys reading books with others

 

Writing

  • Holds a writing tool with a fist or finger grasp
  • Draws with a variety of tools (crayons, pens, pencils)
  • Scribble-writes in a linear fashion
  • Makes marks and refer to them as “my name”