I still remember the day I knew my firstborn was certifiably brilliant! He was two. As a zealous young mom who loves to learn, I purchased a set of preschool alphabet flashcards from Walmart. My little man sat attentively studying the bright blue letters on the clean white background. He intently repeated the letter names after me. Before long, he started bringing the flashcards to me, initiating study sessions himself that often stretched for 30 minutes at a time. Forget worrying about prekindergarten readiness, my boy was obviously Harvard-bound!
Young parents, we understand your hopes and dreams, your worries and fears because most of us here at CSA are also parents. We have all had those prekindergarten readiness jitters. Our children are our most precious gifts that we eventually had to entrust to others along their educational journeys. We were those young parents who wondered if our children were ready for that next step. Were they running behind and needed to wait another year? Were they too advanced and needed an extra challenge? Believe me. We get it. We understand.
The thing is, nine times out of ten, these conversations center purely on academic skills. On the one hand, that makes sense. We’re talking about school. School is how students are trained in academics. So, the assumption is that we focus on academic skills for proper grade placement or school readiness. However, in a classical school like Christ the Savior Academy, our goal is to educate the whole child – mind (intellect), body (appetites), and soul (values).
If this is the roller coaster you are currently on, allow me to offer a checklist to set your mind at ease. Here are the top three skills in the top three categories that will set your child up for an amazing prekindergarten year:
Independence Skills
These skills help promote hygiene and build self-reliance – all of which are essential for a comfortable school experience.
Handwashing:
Proper handwashing is vital for keeping children healthy and reducing the spread of illness in the classroom.
Practice at Home: Make handwashing a routine, teach the proper technique (soap, water, scrubbing), and sing a handwashing song to make it fun. Singing the ABCs or praying the Our Father (Lord’s Prayer) is an excellent way to make sure the scrubbing lasts an effective length of time.
Dressing Independently (to some degree):
Being able to dress oneself fosters self-sufficiency and confidence. It prepares children for the routines of school and reduces reliance on teachers for basic tasks.
Practice at Home: Practice putting on and taking off clothes, especially simple items like pants and shirts similar to our school uniform. And don’t forget to work on zipping jackets and tying shoes! Teaching my four young children the Montessori Coat Flip revolutionized our ability to get out the door on chilly mornings!
Using the Toilet Independently (or communicating needs clearly):
Toilet training is a significant milestone in a child’s development, and it is required to enroll in our prekindergarten.
Practice at Home: Establish a consistent toilet training routine, encourage regular bathroom breaks, and teach proper hygiene practices. Remember to teach your child not to be afraid of the noise of flushing. Practice on loud toilets, too.
Social-Emotional Skills
These skills allow children to participate effectively in a group setting. They promote self-regulation, foster empathy, reduce conflict, and allow children to seek help when needed. These skills create a harmonious and effective learning environment for all!
Following Simple Directions:
The ability to follow directions is essential for classroom learning and social interactions.
Practice at Home: Give your child simple, age-appropriate instructions (e.g., “Please put your toys in the bin,” “Can you hand me the red book?”), and gradually increase complexity. Play Simon Says. I also had my children practice playing with a toy, stopping what they were doing, and following instructions quickly (like leaving the toy and coming to Mommy when called, or cleaning up) to prepare for those all-important classroom transitions without emotional meltdowns.
Sharing and Taking Turns:
These skills are crucial for positive social interactions and cooperation. This is especially important with the youngest or only children in a family.
Practice at Home: Play games that require taking turns, encourage sharing toys and snacks, and talk about the importance of sharing and being fair. I often arranged play dates with children slightly younger than my youngest child so she had an opportunity to practice serving or considering the needs of another.
Expressing Needs and Emotions Appropriately:
Communicating feelings effectively helps children build relationships and manage their emotions. It prevents frustration and allows children to seek help when needed.
Practice at Home: Talk about feelings with your child, read books about emotions, and help them find words to express themselves. Practice deep breathing techniques for calming down. I often needed to coach my more direct children in rephrasing their overly blunt-sounding statements or requests. But I also had to coach my more reserved children in presenting a direct request rather than their more naturally vague, manipulative-sounding complaints.
Academic Skills
These skills are a little more “icing on the cake”. After all, this is why your child is coming to prekindergarten! So, don’t worry if your child comes to one of our PreKindergarten Assessment Days not knowing all of the following. They will leave our award-winning PreK program knowing this and more.
Letter Recognition (Uppercase and Lowercase):
Recognizing letters is foundational for reading and writing. It allows children to begin associating sounds with symbols, a crucial step in literacy development.
Practice at Home: Use alphabet puzzles, and flashcards, sing alphabet songs, point out letters in books and the environment, and play “I Spy” with letters.
Number Recognition (1-10):
Understanding numbers is the basis for mathematical, logical thinking. It helps children grasp quantity, counting, and simple math concepts.
Practice at Home: Count objects around the house, play counting games (like hopscotch), use number blocks or magnets, and read counting books.
Basic Shape Recognition (Circle, Square, Triangle, Rectangle):
Identifying shapes helps children understand spatial relationships and visual discrimination. It strengthens visual perception and is a building block for geometry and art.
Practice at Home: Point out shapes in everyday objects, use shape sorters, draw shapes together, and make pictures using different shapes.
Ultimately, the skills outlined here—independence, social-emotional development, and academic foundations—are not merely checklists for prekindergarten readiness. They are the building blocks for something far more significant: a lifelong love of learning. This love, nurtured by a strong partnership between parents and teachers, is the true heart of a classical education. It is this spark, ignited in these crucial early years, that will empower your child to embrace challenges, pursue knowledge with passion, and flourish intellectually, emotionally, and spiritually throughout their educational journey and beyond. Together, we can cultivate this love, ensuring that your child not only succeeds in school but also develops a thirst for wisdom that will enrich their entire life.
