Deciding on whether your child is ready for school is a big decision especially in Australia where children can either start at four and a half or almost six years old. Children who are ready will usually show a mix of social, emotional, physical and academic readiness and that will help them succeed in school. Here are some key questions and ways you can prepare your child for school:

Social Readiness

• Does your child cooperate with others? It’s important for children to spend time just being with other children. Children practise, role model and test their verbal and nonverbal social cues with one another. This helps children to understand and learn acceptable social behaviour.

• Does your child enjoy friendships? Building friendship is important when you want your child to want to go to school. Help your child by modelling how to initiate play, take turns, negotiate and share. Organise play dates with children from your daycare, preschool or mother’s group to practise and consolidate those skills. This will help your child in all their current and future relationships.

• Does your child separate well from their carer? Children need to know that their carers are there for them when needed. Have regular check ins with your child throughout the day to check in on their emotions and wellbeing. This will help to discuss any build-up of emotions and insecurities before they reach a level of emotional frustration.

Emotional Readiness

• Can your child express their feelings and understand the feelings of others? Teaching children emotional intelligence will help them have more positive relationships, will extend their attention span and help them to be more engaged in school. You can do this by praising your child when they respond calmly to situations, teach your child how to be a good listener and model empathy and care for others.

• Does your child bounce back from setback and get on with things quickly? Building resilience in children will help them to enjoy going to school and succeed in life. Embrace mistakes as a teaching moment and discuss when things don’t go as planned. Emphasise that it’s ok. Don’t make it a big deal and encourage your child to give it another go. Praise your child when things are going well and helping your child problem solve will build your child’s resilience.

Physical Readiness

• Does your child use the toilet on their own? Teaching children how to use the toilet will make the transition to school easier. Practise toileting on their own at home, including washing and drying their hands will benefit a child’s confidence and self-esteem. For the occasional accident, pack spare clothes in your child’s bag especially in that first year of school.

• Can your child look after their own belongings? Children start to recognise their own belongings from around two years of age. It’s a good time from then to ask your child to collect their shoes and their belongings whenever you go out. Organise your child’s wardrobes and toys with them and show them where things go, so they can start to organise it themselves.

Academic Readiness

• Does your child have ideas of their own? Encouraging children to ask questions, inquire and find out about the world around them. This will help children to engage and enjoy being in school. Reading to your child will often spark an interest and questions, embrace these and spend time discussing these interests with your child.

• Can your child concentrate on a task? Children who are able to focus for long periods will enjoy school. Set puzzles on the table, have an arts and craft table with a variety of writing and paper mediums for your child to engage with, ask your child to cook dinner with you. All these activities will promote problem solving skills and increase concentration.

• Can your child follow two or three step instructions? Children will be given multiple steps from the first day of school. Practice this at home, by giving your children two or three step instructions. Ask your child to take their dinner plate to the kitchen, scrape their plate and put in the sink. Have the instructions flow on from one another and end at a final result.

Above are just a few ideas to help your child get ready for school. If you are still unsure whether your child should start school or not, consider discussing your child with your early childhood educator, a paediatrician or your child’s local school. They can provide additional insight based on your child’s unique needs and development.