Most of us can remember in our youth those kids whose parents chose to start them a year late in school….usually because of a summer birthday, social development, or even to gain an advantage in sports (I actually know people who did this last one).  Many parents choose to wait to start their children in Kindergarten for none of those reasons, but just simply because another year in pre-school or at home would be most beneficial for the child down the road.  Statistics show that only 33% of Kindergartners are actually prepared to learn core skills (math, science, reading, social studies, life skills)…which tells us that many children are beginning their education at a disadvantage.

As moms, we are especially sensitive to the major milestone and life changing event that is Kindergarten…and of course want to equip our children with the best tools necessary to begin their formal education off on the right foot.  I think we’d all agree that not doing so would be a huge injustice to our children.  But how exactly do you know if starting Kindergarten is the best choice for your child?  For me, I was pretty certain my girls were ready for school but I was looking for something more concrete….something from which I could assess their readiness socially, cognitively, physically, and emotionally.  In my research, I found loads of helpful information on Pinterest (naturally).  The best of these, however, are basic checklists to get an accurrate idea of where your child lies on the spectrum of Kindergarten readiness.

 

 

If you’re looking for a more detailed diagnostic of kinder readiness, this printable (below) could definitely be useful starting a couple of years prior to school in knowing which areas to work on with your child, their natural stregnths, etc.

via TeachingMama.org

Not meeting all of the suggested criteria certainly does not mean that you shouldn’t enroll your child when they’re of age….it just means that you have an opportunity to brush up on a few skills before that sweet, loving Kinder teacher gets ahold of them.  Also, it can be a great way to check off skills your preschoolers master even before Kindergarten shows up on the radar.

Moms of soon-to-be Kindergartners, how do you (or will you) decide if your child is ready to start?  Is it a gut feeling you have or do you prefer a more analyzed approach?

1 COMMENT

  1. The first list actually contains mostly kindergarten TEKS, meaning they are things that children should be able to do by the END of kindergarten.The state of Texas has PreK guidelines, which would be a better gauge to determine kindergarten readiness. Children are expected to know 20 letters, know the sounds of *some* letters, count orally to 30 and count sets of 10 objects, write their first name (but not necessarily with correct letter formation or title case and lowercase). It is not developmentally appropriate to expect a 4-5 year old to write uppercase AND lowercase letters or to read sight words. Not saying that they can’t, but it is not something to fret over or drill if they cannot. It seems to be a big trend to hold children back just because of a summer birthday, which itself can cause problems.

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