School Readiness: What skills should your child have in their ‘School Tool Belt’ before stepping out of the kinder gates for the last time?
In a click of the fingers, the year has flown! Your little one will soon be stepping out of those kinder gates for the last time. Hopefully you’re as excitable as your child about uniforms and school bags (until you find a three week old banana at the bottom of said school bag)!
At SpeechEase, we thrive on seeing our 4 year olds eager to start their first year in Prep. In order to ensure a smooth transition, we work with parents and children alike so that their ‘school tool belt’ is rearing and ready to go.
The big question is; What goes in that ‘School Tool Belt’?
- Your child will need to be able to follow three step directions. If you cast your mind back to school, it was often the case that a teacher would instruct a class of unruly students to “pack up your bag, go to the library and choose a book”. With the ability to follow three steps, particularly in a loud room, your child will certainly be in the teacher’s good books!
- We also see our Preppies thrive when they are able to be social. Making friends and taking turns (in conversation and in games) will be a big asset when it comes to class room activities and lunch time in the play ground!
- We also need to pop ‘being attentive during non-preferred tasks’ in the tool belt. Even we, as adults, can find ourselves misplacing this critical tool! Not all classroom activities are going to be thrilling for your little one, but if he or she is able to sit at the table and stay focused, that will be a great start.
- It is certainly will be a big advantage if your child can recognise their name in writing and be recognising letters. This will form a really strong foundation for the start of their school literacy.
At SpeechEase, we run a group called ‘Talking Together – School Readiness’ which builds on existing skills, and aids the development of new ones. Being in an environment with peers certainly drives the motivation of our clients and also enables peer modeling which research has shown to be very effective for youngsters. Alternatively, we offer private sessions which give us the opportunity to individualise the sessions in order to target school-readiness goals specific to your child.
If you have any questions, or would like to book in for an initial consult, feel free to call our friendly team on 0423 334 144.