1. Your child gets along with peers
A child who has an easy time getting along with peers and working through small conflicts is likely prepared for the kindergarten classroom environment. That’s not to say that children who have less exposure to kids their own age shouldn’t attend kindergarten, but it’s important that you take time to expose your child to his or her peers so that they can begin to adjust to this new environment. Taking the time to ease into a brand new social situation is beneficial for your child as well as to the teacher and your child’s classmates.
2. Your child can sit still
This, of course, is all relative. Your kindergarten child will not be expected to sit and engage in hours-long, complicated lectures, but he or she should practice sitting still long enough to hear instructions and to listen carefully to the teacher. This a skill that will continually be touched on, but the more your child already knows, the better off they’ll be. We believe that private education is an excellent place to develop this skill in students for whom it is otherwise an issue.
3. Your child is ready to leave mom
If your child has already been attending to daycare, they likely will not have a hard time leaving mom and dad in kindergarten. However, not all children make the transition to school as easily as others. Be patient with your youngster, and if you haven’t spent much time apart leading up to school, perhaps you start slowly by hiring a babysitter in the afternoons.
4. Your child is using the bathroom independently
A kindergarten classroom is not set up to support students who are still learning to use the facilities independently. A student entering kindergarten should be able to alert their teachers when they need to use the restroom and do so with little or no support. While children develop at many different speeds, most kindergarten classrooms are not set up to support the needs of your un-potty trained child.
There is no law stating that your child must start kindergarten on the day they are of age. So, if your child isn’t quite ready for school, talk to someone about the possibility of holding them back a year until they’re ready to excel. And if you’d like your child to receive an excellent, Christian education, contact us today. At St. Barnabas we are committed to making sure that your children receive a values-based, high-quality education from day one of kindergarten through middle school.
