Child readiness for school has remained a controversial aspect. According to law, a young one must be enrolled in school when they reach a certain age, and for most countries, a five year old youngster is ready for kindergarten ( American Academy of pediatrics, 2009 ). Readiness due to birth dates is, however, confusing considering that children develop differently even in their early infant stages. As such, most educators and parents feel the need for schools to establish programs that can accommodate children of all chronological ages. In essence, age should not be a major determinant to child`s readiness for school but instead, the juvenile’s capabilities should tell when they are ready.
A parent needs to consider the unique abilities of their children as well as their local environments ( American Academy of pediatrics, 2009 ). Giving keen interest on the child’s development in terms of their communication, social and physical skills such as the ability to play will make them know when they are ready. Also, schools may conduct some tests to confirm the child’s abilities. These tests may become a yardstick to measure how a youngster’s developmental stages are in relation to those of others with the same age. Most importantly, parent`s intuition is the key measurement in determining when a young one is prepared to join school because they basically know better about their children’s capabilities.
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Identifying areas that a child`s progress is lagging behind will help a parent to partner with the school in coming up with a special program that suites the juvenile’s capabilities ( American Academy of pediatrics, 2009 ). Further still, sharing this information with the child’s teacher allows the school to be ready for the child and to create school relations that are beneficial for the child. Parents should, nonetheless, contribute in getting their children ready for school by continually enhancing their cognitive, physical and emotional development. They should reduce the burden for kindergarten teachers by ensuring they teach their children how to follow instructions, take turns and share and also, care about other children’s emotions.
Inculcating some skills in youngsters when getting them ready for school such as how to play with minimal fights, attentiveness, and use of toilet, zippers and buttons among others enables the child to go smoothly during the first year in school ( American Academy of pediatrics, 2009) . Moreover, reading for the child, giving them enriching tours, and involving them in practical activities such as community arts undoubtedly develops the child’s ability to recognize, remember and to interact successfully in school.
In my opinion, a parent’s intuition still stands to be the most effective method. If the caregiver honestly feels that the child can undergo school activities without giving major problems to the teacher, then they should enroll them to school. They should, nevertheless, be keen to confirm that the child will not be affected negatively by this transition, because taking a child to school too early or too late when they are much older for their grades may affect their psychological and emotional characteristics.
In light of above, it is clear that the child`s capabilities play the major role in identifying when a child is ready for school. Just like it is normal for two children who are of the same age to have varying physical abilities, for instance, one walking before the other, so is the variation in preparedness for school. Consequently, ensuring that the child is physically, emotionally and mentally ready is the first major step to measure their readiness for school.
Reference
American Academy of pediatrics (2009). Is your child ready for school? Caring for your school –age child: ages 5-12 . Health children.org. Retrieved from https://www.healthychildren.org/English/ages-stages/preschool/Pages/Is-Your-Child-Ready-for-School.aspx
