HOW TO is your child ready for kindergarten?

Shelia Rafat, Admissions Director at the Citron Campus, has had the opportunity to meet with hundreds of soon-to-be kindergartners over the course of her career. She recently conducted a Fairmont Chalk Talk on how to tell when your preschooler is ready for the big "K". While there is no perfect formula that determines when children are truly ready for kindergarten, she shared the following checklist.  And don't worry if your little one isn't an ace with her ABCs just yet. According to Ms. Shelia, and others in early childhood, what's more important is that your child demonstrates a willingness and eagerness to learn.

Signs that your child may be ready for kindergarten:

• Cuts with scissors.
• Traces basic shapes.
• Sorts similar objects by color, shape and size.
• Can pay attention for short periods of time to adult-directed tasks.
• Separates from parents without being upset.
• Identifies the beginning sounds of some words.
• Speaks in complete sentences of five to six words.
• Manages bathroom needs.
• Identifies alphabet letters and their sounds.
• Counts to ten.
• Recognizes some common sight words.
• Recognizes groups of one, two, three, four, and five.
• Can share and play with others.
• Can bounce a ball.
• Can look at a picture and then tell a story.

photo from Microsoft Office photo gallery

Contributed by Danyelle, Fairmont Private Schools