Is Your Child Ready For Kindergarten?

Summer is a very stressful time for the parents of kindergartners-to-be. No wonder! You have to make a good judgement call that is going to affect the success in academics and future life and then career of your little one. It is a big decision and there is no room for mistakes. Many of you are wondering if your child is ready for this big step.
Here are some guidelines that I hope you'll find helpful in determining that.

Language

Your child should:

• use and understand many words
• listen to a story
• speak in complete sentences
• ask questions
• make up or retell stories
• use adjectives to describe an object/event of the day
• recite nursery rhymes/simple poems
• converse with adults and peers
• recognize some letters
• recognize and print his/her name
• use pencils/markers/crayons to draw and write

Mathematics

Your child should:

• describe different colors/shapes/sizes/patterns
• match colors/shapes/sizes/patterns
• recognize some numbers (1-10)
• count and match the number to an object
• understand simple concepts like "heavier/lighter", "bigger/smaller", "longer/shorter", etc.
• understand the concept "more/less/same"
• understand the concept of sequence "first/next/last"
• use words like "near", "far", "under", etc.

Science

Your child should:

• show curiosity, ask questions "where", "why", "what", and "how" about everyday things
• be familiar with 5 senses and use them to describe, observe and predict the environment
• show interest in simple and safe experiments

Social experience

Your child should:

• work and play with other children
• follow routines and directions
• work out problems with others
• understand people's feelings

Your child's teacher will also appreciate if he/she can dress him/herself independently and does not disrupt the classroom environment. Good manners go a long way too.
Most of the children who go to kindergarten are academically ready for the new challenges ahead of them. And even if they do not know as many letters or numbers as their peer friends, it is not a big deal. They will learn all that in kindergarten. Your main objective as a parent is to prepare your child mentally and emotionally for that. Creating just the right environment for learning is like preparing soil for the future seed planting.
And one more thing: nobody knows your child better than you do! Check with the list above and follow your gut feeling. Good luck!