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Getting Ready For School: How to Set Your Child Up For Success

Getting Ready For School: How to Set Your Child Up For Success

Getting Ready For School: How to Set Your Child Up For Success
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Written by: Dr Jane Williams and Dr Tessa Grigg

At the beginning of the new year, it is a good time to reflect on the skills of three- and four-year-olds. The readiness of any child for pre-school and school must be considered on an individual basis. The most important aspect to consider is how your child is developing, more than the date of birth.  This article lists some of the skills children need to ensure a smooth transition to school.

Research (Pagani, Fitzpatrick, Archambault, & Janosz, 2010) clearly shows that how ready children are for their school experience is critical to a confident start and their success at school. It is never too early to prepare your child for school. Parents can help prepare their children by being aware of the skills needed for entering school. Then, conscientiously and deliberately, provide opportunities for their children to develop these skills. The best preparation for school is a happy home where children have learnt to laugh, cuddle, talk, play, be active, help, wait, watch and above all, believe in themselves. The next best preparation is time in a sensory-motor program such as GymbaROO-KindyROO, where research-based activities (Goddard-Blythe, 2005; Thelen & Smith, 1994; Williams, 2015) and specially designed equipment encourages critical skills for early learning, especially literacy.

Sensory-motor stimulation through movement, massage, songs, games, and dancing enhances the child’s brain development. Children learn about climbing, jumping, swinging and ball skills, as well as balance, coordination, spatial and temporal awareness. These are all crucial pre-requisites for formal learning at school. Time at preschool will help them learn to cut, draw, construct, listen, share, write, stack, pack, and, most of all, participate and manage without their special adult. Readiness, however, is not just educational. It needs to be combined with a preparedness of the body, soul, mind and ego.

Your child will find school entry easier if most of the skills in each of the following areas have already been gained before entry: 

Social skills:

  • Able to trust and relate to other adults
  • Able to act on directions from other adults
  • Able to be left at preschool happily 
  • Able to mix with other children at preschool
  • Able to take turns and share resources

 

Emotional skills:

  • Able to separate from parent easily
  • Has confidence in own abilities 
  • Able to participate in activities by oneself 
  • Able to participate in group activities
  • Able to exercise some self-control 

 

Physical skills:

  • Able to take personal care of eating, dressing and toileting
  • Has developed a preferred hand, eye and ear 
  • Has developed gross motor skills to manage equipment in the playground
  • Has developed fine motor skills to manage equipment in the classroom 
  • Can cut and paste with ease

 

Educational skills:

  • Can talk in sentences, not just in two or three words, to express their own needs
  • Speech is understandable so they can relate experiences
  • Can follow two simple instructions
  • Can understand most concept words 
  • Enjoys listening to stories, looking at pictures and talking about them
  • Can remember parts of a favourite book or story
  • Can repeat some nursery rhymes or finger plays
  • Can sing some kindergarten songs and knows basic colours
  • Can draw people with three or four recognisable features
  • Holds pencil correctly and attempts to write
  • Can count their own fingers
  • Shows curiosity
  • Wants to learn by asking questions – Why? or How?
  • Able to attempt to solve simple problems

In general, children are ready for formal learning when they have most of the above skills. They are all set to have fun and enjoy their education. If they are struggling with many of these skills, then don’t rush school entry. Seek advice from your GymbaROO- KindyROO trained teacher or consult a Specialist in the area of Child Development.

 

References:

Goddard-Blythe, S. (2005). Releasing educational potential through movement: A summary of individual studies carried out using the INPP Test Battery and Developmental Exercise Programme for use in schools with children with special needs. Child Care in Practice, 11(4), 415-432. doi:10.1080/13575270500340234

Pagani, L. S., Fitzpatrick, C., Archambault, I., & Janosz, M. (2010). School readiness and later achievement: A French Canadian replication and extension. Developmental Psychology, 45, 984-994. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/a0018881

Thelen, E., & Smith, L. B. (1994). A systems approach to the development of cognition and action. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.

Williams, J. (2015). Does a neurodevelopmental movement program affect Australian children’s academic performance? Unlocking Potential: a report. Australian Journal of Child and Family Health Nursing, 2(12), 12 – 18. 

 

Authors:

Dr Jane Williams (PhD, BMgt, RN(Paeds)) was a Director of GymbaROO-KindyROO and a leading Child Development expert.

Dr Tessa Grigg (PhD, Dip Tch ECE and Primary) is the Research and Education Manager for GymbaROO-KindyROO. She has a wide range of experience teaching young children and adult students.