As a teaching professional, parents look up to you for advice on whether their child is ready to begin school. Understanding the right age for starting Kindergarten is only a small piece of the puzzle. It is also important for teachers to know who to send the parents to talk to about kindergarten readiness, as well as some tips and information to discuss with the parent themselves.
What is the Right Age for Starting Kindergarten?
Children who are five years old by a specific cut-off date are old enough to start Kindergarten. This cut-off date is generally September 1 or December 1 depending on the school district. If a child meets this age cut-off, he is allowed to be enrolled in Kindergarten, but teachers should help parents make an appropriate decision based on the specific child's readiness, and not solely on an age.
Who Can Give Kindergarten Readiness Advice
When parents ask whether their child is ready for Kindergarten, direct them to discuss the matter with their pediatrician or a pre-school teacher. Kindergarten teachers can give parents an idea of what will be expected of their child, and some of the activities that the children will complete that year. She can show parents around the classroom, giving them an idea of the chairs and desks the children will be working at. The pediatrician and pre-school teacher can also give parents an idea of whether a specific child is showing signs of being ready for the responsibility for kindergarten.
Kindergarten Readiness Tips
When a parent asks a teacher whether a child is ready for Kindergarten, there are several tips that the teacher can go through to help that parent make a decision. These are things that parents should ask of themselves about their child, and things that teachers can point to as a benchmark of a typical Kindergarten student.
- Does the child want to go to Kindergarten? An eager learner will be more ready for Kindergarten than a reluctant one.
- Does the child follow directions? Expectations in any classroom will be that a child will follow the directions that the teacher gives.
- Can the child complete simple tasks independently? A highly dependent child may not be ready for the activities and responsibilities of Kindergarten.
- How are the child's fine motor skills? Kindergarteners are responsible for holding a pencil, crayon and scissors for completing various tasks.
- Does the child know the ABCs and some numbers? While this did not used to be the case, most Kindergarten teachers today expect their students to already know some fundamental knowledge before beginning the school year.
Making the decision of whether or not a child is ready for Kindergarten is a joint effort between the parent, child and school. Many schools even have a Kindergarten readiness assessment that helps in the decision making process. Teachers should be open to talking to parents about the demands and expectations of Kindergarten. This will help provide important information to parents, and ensure that each child who enters Kindergarten is ready.
Learn more about what a child will learn in Kindergarten. Teachers may also be interested in information on how to utilize parent volunteers, as well as ideas for home communication.
Jennifer Wagaman - Jennifer is a mother of 2 and has both public, private and administrative experience in the education field.
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