So, Is Your Child Ready or Not?

Some parents make the mistake of living vicariously through their children’s lives, or making important decisions based on adult peer pressure. Desiring the brightest child in the class, longing for the best athlete in the class, or pushing a child solely to “keep up with the Jones’” does no child any good.

When considering your child’s readiness for school, remember the following three guiding principles to help ensure his or her success.

1. Know your child. More importantly than knowing what your child knows, recognize and understand your child’s natural, individual developmental behaviors – how he or she acts in and responds to a variety of situations.
2. Know the program your child will be entering. Beyond the specific academic demands of the program, know what behaviors will be expected of the children in the program. Is your child expected to work independently for specific time periods? How long are the children expected to sit and listen quietly? What quality of work is your child expected to produce? How is your child expected to deal with emotions and social conflict? What kinds of physical outlets does the program provide? Will your child have recess? How does the program accommodate individual learning behaviors? How are parents included in their child’s educational experience?
3. Know that your child is in a constant process of growth and development. Development never stops. If your child is exhibiting appropriate developmental characteristics now for his or her age, expect that, in six months or a year from now, he or she will continue to exhibit age appropriate behavioral characteristics.

However, remember, it is unrealistic to expect that a child who is chronologically and developmentally a 4½-year-old will exhibit behaviors of a 5-year-old. If your child is developing normally, you can anticipate that this same child, in six months, will be acting just like a typical 5 year-old.

Development happens! Respect and cherish each stage of your child’s development.

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