Is Your Child Ready for School? Social Skills

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.  

Social Skills  

Arguably one of the most important aspects of school readiness, is your child’s social and emotional well-being and whether they are mature enough to navigate the waters of primary school. This is very much unique to the individual, and there is no right or wrong answer or age to this scenario. When it comes to social skills, things to look out for include  

• Confidence with other children 
• Whether they are able to join in or initiate play 
• Their capacity for sharing and turn taking during activities 

• Their emotional language skills 

Can your child explain their unhappy or concerned feelings in a social setting? Are they able to use environmentally appropriate responses when faced with unfavourable conditions? Children who are still learning to interact in social environments may take a little longer to settle into big school, than those are using these skills comfortably.  

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!