Is your child School Ready?

School Readiness:

By Sanette Smit

According to Mrs Celia van As and Mrs Corneli Swart, two experienced grade one teachers in South Africa, one should carefully consider a couple of things before even thinking of sending your child to “big school”.  You child may seem very clever and witty, but that does not ensure that he will be able to cope in school.  If you realise that your child is not able to accomplish these things yet, now is a good time to start getting him ready if he is 5 years or above.  Help him with patience and always encourage him by praising him when he accomplish something.  Let’s look at a few of these points:

Concentration – attention span:  Your child must be able to concentrate and focus his attention on a specific activity or activities for at least a few minutes at a time.  Remember, a school day consists of a few hours (usually 4 – 5 hours per day) during which time your child will be required to sit still for long periods of time and focus his attention on his work.

Emotional readiness:  Your child must be able to separate from his parents and not constantly wanting to go home during the day.  He must be able to adapt easily and work/play in groups with other children.  He must not cry when leaving you and must not be playful all the time.  A child who constantly wants to play, instead of doing his work, is a disruption in class and will not be able to progress in his work.

Listening skills:  Your child must be able to listen attentively and with comprehension.  He must be able to follow orders (at least two at a time) and recognise sounds.  Get him ready by “playing” the following game on a regular base with him:

Let’s see what you can hear:  what do you hear in die beginning of the word when I say (e.g.)  cat?  Yes, it is a “c”.  Wonderful!  Now let’s see if you can hear what sound does cat end with.  Yes, it is a “t”!  Congratulations!  Now for a really difficult one:  what do you hear in die middle of cat?  Come, let’s try it again, I’ll say it real slowly. 

If you do this often, your child will get better at this and it will bear wonderful fruit in reading and writing later in the year.

Co-ordination:  Your child must be able to cut, paste colour in, write his name and tie his shoelaces with considerable ease to be able to cope with the work in school.

Basic mathematical knowledge:  Your child must know the meaning of big, small, more, less, etc.  He must also be able to recognise a variety of colours and a few basic shapes, such as triangle, circle, etc.

Responsibility:  Although your child is still small, he must have a certain sense of responsibility.  He must be able to take care of his own stationary, books and clothes.  He must also be able to arrange his workplace (desk) in order to have a neat and comfortable space to do his work.  Some children lack this ability and their desks are almost always in a messy state, where he tries to work on top of other books, stationary and sometimes even things like his jersey.  Teach him to put unnecessary things away when he has to start working.  That also helps to make him feel more comfortable with his work and working space.

By ensuring your child is able to do the above, you will have a happier child in school and he will have a better chance of growing into a leader and realise his potential.

Article from http://www.familysupport.co.za

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