How do I know my child is ready for Preschool?

It is completely normal for children to grow in different skills at different times and at different rates than other children around them. While some children seem to meet certain benchmarks early, others seem to take their time and that is fantastic! God has designed your child uniquely and on his or her own timetable for growth.

This means that not all children are ready for a Preschool class at the moment they turn 3 years old or even 4 years old. So how can you know if your child is ready for Preschool? Here are some great benchmarks to watch for and practice at home:

1. Fully potty trained – Your child should be able to handle all their bathroom needs on their own including dressing, wiping, and hand washing. If they still need reminders, that’s ok!

2. Separation ready – While the first days of a new Preschool can be scary, and tears are normal and to be expected, children should be able to be separated from their parents with minimal tears within a week or so after starting school. Everyone has bad days, of course, but a Preschool-ready child should be able to have more good days than bad.

3. Follows simple directions – In Preschool children will be asked to follow the directions of their teacher. This could be things like, “come sit down on the carpet,” “put your toys away,” and “color on the paper”. Students should be able to follow these types of directions on their own with reminders from the teacher.

4. Communicate needs – Your child should be able to speak their needs to a teacher in a way the teacher can understand. The should be able to ask to use the bathroom, and tell a teacher if they are hurt or hungry.

5. Follow a routine – By the time a child is ready for Preschool, they should be able to understand the idea of a routine. At home this may look like before we go to bed we brush our teeth, put on pajamas, and read a book. In school, they will follow a routine. While teachers will certainly lead children through the day’s routine, a Preschool-ready child will also learn that routine and be expecting the changes as they come.

6. Interact appropriately with other children – Part of the learning of Pre-school is learning how to play well with others. They will be learning how to share, take turns, and communicate their needs to others. A Preschool-ready child does not need to already know how to do all these things, but they should be able to learn them. This means that they know what sharing is, even if they are not great at it yet, and can have age-appropriate conversations with another child of their age.

If your child is ready for Preschool, great! We encourage you to register them for Preschool. They are going to learn so much! If your child is still working on some of these things, wonderful! Let us know if you would like ideas about how to help your child prepare at home to be Preschool-ready. Not sure? Fantastic! Contact us. We would love to talk with you about your child’s current strengths and needs and recommend a plan that is best for your child and family.