Is Your Child Ready for School? Attention and Listening

Have you been wondering if your child is ready for school? Getting ready for school is such an exciting time, for both children and their parents! There’s nothing quite like the excitement (and nervous anticipation) of purchasing school supplies, heading to orientations, and watching your child prepare to navigate the world of higher education. 
 
One of the biggest questions parents often ask when it comes to their pre-school aged children, is ‘How do we know that they are ready for big school?’  

It’s easy to become overwhelmed when considering the skills your child may need to have mastered by the time that they start school. The most common skills that parents assume their child needs include reading, writing, counting, or spelling. However, while there is absolutely a place for these skills, there are many other, arguably more important areas of development that should also be investigated while establishing school readiness.  

Attention and Listening 

A great way to learn more about your child’s attention and listening abilities, is to give them a simple challenge and watch their reactions.  

Start with a one-step instruction, such as ‘Please go get your shoes for Mummy.’ If they can do this with ease, progress to a two-step instruction, such as ‘Please go get your shoes for Mummy, and come and sit on the mat.’ 

You can challenge them with both familiar and unfamiliar tasks, to see how they cope with listening to and following instructions. Children who struggle to pay attention or who get distracted while following more complicated instructions may need a little more time to develop these areas. 

It doesn’t have to be all a test, either. You can practice these skills in a fun and light-hearted manner, through everyday activities. Have your child sit and listen to a story with you, whether it be at bedtime or randomly throughout the day. Observe how they pay attention to the story and whether they can concentrate on what’s happening in the book. You can even test their beginning comprehension skills, by asking questions about what they think is happening. These skills will be invaluable in the classroom. 

What's Next?

As you can see, there really is so much more to school readiness then whether your child can pick up a pencil and write a story, or read a written story independently.

The most important thing is to look at your child as an individual, as opposed to comparing to others – and if you need a little extra support or guidance, look to a qualified speech pathologist to help you on your way.

If you would love to assist your child in getting ready for school, then my Kick Start Kindy program would be perfect. Otherwise, download the free School Readiness checklist to see if your little one is ready for big school!