Ready for a Pre-School Group
1. Immature speech patterns persist.
2. Many cannot separate without crying.
3. Mercurial in behavior. Constantly on the run; can’t slow down.
4. Likes all activities that involve movement.
5. Needs frequent change of activity – short attention span.
6. Shows limited fine motor ability (i.e., cutting, tracing, pasting, etc.)
7. Needs more mobile equipment because gross motor activity is preferred.
8. Needs supervision on equipment when he is playing. Forgets safety rules.
9. Lacks desire to conform.
10. Demonstrates aggressive behavior, sometimes disruptive, sometimes destructive. Argumentative.
11. Needs rest but resists settling down.
12. Easily distracted. Often out-of-bounds.
13. Can’t accept change in routine.
14. Needs reassurance in anything attempted. Often fails to finish tasks.
15. Works better in a one-to-one relationship. More time needed for giving directions.
16. Relates best to one or two peers; some isolate themselves.
17. Shows silly boisterous humor.
18. Poor bladder control evident (especially under stress).
19. Susceptible to contagion—therefore, absences more frequent.
Characteristics
of Children
Ready for a Regular Kindergarten Group
1. Still needs the teacher to set him in motion, and may annoyingly ask permission day after day for rather routine activities.
2. An entity unto himself. Separation from mother is easy.
3. Obedient – able to take in what you say to him and act upon it.
4. Sustains as long as task holds him. Can sustain within the framework of the group.
5. Better organized physically. “He fits”; “His heels are on the floor.”
6. Able to cope with table work. Likes to stay within the lines. Likes to copy things.
7. Has given up baby talk substitutions. Now grammatically correct. Asks what words mean.
8. Anticipates next activity and wants to get to it.
9. Gets very involved and very noisy when participating in activities.
10. More consistent in performance; more interested in completion of activity.
11. Better able to participate in group activities and discussions.
12. Able to retain information.
DO YOU REALLY WANT A SUPERBABY???
It’s only natural to want your child to get a head start on learning. But if you push too far too fast, you might actually make it harder for him to achieve. By T. Berry Brazelton, M.D.
THE RIGHT WAY TO HELP YOUR CHILD LEARN:
As a parent, your most important role is to nurture and support your child’s excitement in learning for himself. Rather than teaching him all the time or making him self-conscious by insisting he show off what he knows, learn to read the signs coming from him that show he is ready to take on a new task. To gauge how well your child is learning, ask yourself:
· Does he look excited or tense when he’s learning something new?
· Does he constantly look to me for reassurance that he is doing it right?
· Is he seeking new ideas independently, or must I provide each new step?
· Is he creative in working out problems or easily frustrated and dependent on me to give him answers?
· Are the tasks he performs appropriate to his age, or are they ahead of his stage of development?
· Does he get along with children his own age, or do other children shy away from him?
If you watch for the things your child wants to learn, then join in by encouraging him to master them – you will help him build the confidence he’ll need to accept challenges and learn new skills throughout his life.
TEN LESSONS FOR CHILDREN TO LEARN BEFORE ENTERING SCHOOL:
1. PUTTING ON CLOTHES – Able to put on coats, outer clothing, and overshoes. Can button, use zippers, or other fasteners. Uses tissues himself, and does not drool. Is able to wash face and hands. Knows his own clothing. Can get a drink alone.
2. TOILET HABITS – Cares for self at toilet. Is able to fasten and unfasten clothes. Does not wet or soil clothes – particularly day clothes.
3. HABITS ABOUT PLAY – Is able to roll a ball in play on floor back and forth to another person. Understands simple ideas about space and motion. Walks up and down stairs unassisted.
4. SPEECH AND TALKING – Is able to talk in short easy sentences. Speech is better than baby talk that only parents understand. Puts three or more words together in a sentence. Parents should encourage him to talk so as to express his needs and wants, instead of pointing or crying for them.
5. PAYING ATTENTION – Is able to give fairly constant attention to a play project, to listen quietly to a short story, longer. His mind should not wander quickly.
6. ADJUSTING AWAY FROM PARENTS – Does not cry easily or quickly when parents are not present. After a little chance to become acquainted, can be left with a sitter, with other children, or with a teacher for two or three hours without crying, and gets along happily with them. Goes about home, yard and immediate neighborhood successfully alone.
7. PLAYING WITH CHILDREN – Plays reasonably well with other children of same age. Adjusts himself to new playmates, in addition to familiar ones and to his own brothers and sisters. Does not injure them. Is not afraid, and other children do not constantly tease him.
8. USING CRAYON OR BLACKBOARD – Likes to draw and use crayons or chalk. Draws with some purpose for several minutes at a time. Fills in outline figures. Uses sheets of paper, slate, or small blackboard. Puts materials away without constant urging.
9. COLORING AND CUTTING – Able to match simple colors quickly and name some correctly. Notices color of clothes and flowers. Can cut with blunt scissors, and use other simple tools successfully.
10. NUMBER AND FORM – Knows the difference between big and little, and between one and two things. Is able to bring 2 spoons, 3 apples, etc. Is able to fit blocks and toys together. Learns that a cup is round, a table has corners, and a tree is tall, and similar ideas.
If a child is not mature enough, schoolwork is a mental strain and he becomes nervous. He becomes unhappy and dislikes school, which is very unfortunate.
Trying to force children with these tasks before they are mature enough is as useless as to expect a baby to walk or talk too early. Parents should avoid either extreme of forcing children in any task too rapidly or of not expecting them to do anything for themselves. A moderately firm but friendly treatment of children is the safest policy.
When children are mature enough, they will begin mastering many of these tasks.
READINESS FOR KINDERGARTEN IS...
A child who Adjusts
to change in routine and new situations without becoming fearful
to opposition and defeat without crying or sulking
to the necessity of asking for help when it is needed
A child who Plays
cooperatively with other children
shares, takes turns, and assumes his/her share of responsibility
can run, skip, jump, and bounce a ball with comparative dexterity
A child who Works
without being easily frustrated
and can follow one and two-step directions
and completes a task
and takes pride in his/her work
A child who Listens
to directions without interrupting
to stories and poems for five minutes without restlessness
A child who Hears
words that begin with the same or different sounds
A child who Sees
likenesses and differences in pictures and designs shapes and letters that match
shapes and letters that match
A child who Speaks and can
stay on a topic in discussion
tell a story or relate an experience of his own
A child who Thinks and can
give a main idea or a story
five reasons for his opinions
Adapted from the Gesell Institute
