Ask Dr. Cavallo
How do I know if my child is ready for kindergarten?
Pediatricians consider physical, social, emotional, cognitive and language development to assess whether a child is ready for kindergarten. Delays in one or two areas don’t necessarily mean a child isn’t ready. It’s looking at these factors in combination that helps doctors and parents decide.
Parents should start talking with their child’s doctor about these areas during well-child visits at age 2 or 3. That gives families time to address any readiness issues, perhaps in a developmental preschool.
A note about preschool: Skipping it by no means disqualifies children for kindergarten. Parents can nurture a child’s development at home by reading aloud, singing and playing games. Preschool-age children also should learn basics such as the alphabet and counting.
Prepare your child physically by assuring regular checkups and dental care, a balanced diet and good sleep habits. It’s important to get your child on a sleep schedule to match school.
Help your child develop basic physical and coordination skills through outdoor play, drawing and painting. Children at this stage typically are potty trained and able to dress and feed themselves.
Socially, a child should be able to interact with other children, have enough self-control to share and to avoid temper tantrums. Parents can expose children to social situations such as playgroups or outings to the museum if they’re not in preschool.
Emotionally, a child should be able to get along with other children and separate from parents. For a child who has stayed at home, having some time away from mom and dad at a church or gym daycare, for example, can help.
Cognitively, a child should be curious, want to understand how things work and demonstrate some basic skills such as counting, ABCs, singing and being able to listen to a story. Children should also be able to give basic information such as their name, address and phone number.
Your child should be able to speak in complete sentences, follow instructions and show basic writing skills, such as forming letters.
Children held back from kindergarten do gain a temporary edge on same-grade peers. But that advantage is gone by third grade. And for some, watching others their age move ahead deals a blow to their self-esteem.
If you have a question for Dr. Cavallo, email us at youngandhealthy@cchmc.org.
