SCHOOL READINESS

School readiness is a measure of preparedness of a child's transition to school.

School readiness of a child can be quicking with adequate planning to ensure

that the child regularly participates in activities that develop the necessary

know-how required to help the child's learning ability at the start of school.

While most people think of academic works (e.g. colouring, counting in

numbers etc) as the important school readiness skills, school readiness for a

child is beyond just academic skill.

In addendum to some academic basics, school readiness skills include self care,

attention and concentration, physical skills, postural stability, Handwriting,

organizational skills, emotional regulation, language skills, play and social skills.

                                           Fig. 1. Children hopping, performing social skill

                                            Fig. 2. Hand washing skill

School Readiness Difficulty

When a child has school readiness difficulties, the child tend have difficulties

with the following:

● Self regulation: The ability to understand and manage your behaviour

and your reactions to feelings and things happening around you.

● Emotional development: This involves learning what feelings and

emotions are, understanding how and why they occur. facial expressions

of infants show happiness, fear and anger

● Social skills: The ability to engage in reciprocal interaction with others

and be able to recognize and follow social norms.

● Planning and sequencing: The sequential multi-step activity

performance to achieve a well-defined result.

● Self care skills: Self care skills are the everyday tasks undertaken so

children are ready to participate in life activities (including dressing,

eating, cleaning teeth)

● Gross motor skills: Gross motor (physical) skills are those which

require whole body movement and which involve the large (core

stabilising) muscles of the body to perform everyday functions, such as

standing, walking, running, and sitting upright.

● Fine motor skills: Hand and Finger skills such as writing, cutting, tying

shoelaces, etc.

The Importance of School Readiness

The development of school readiness skills allows school teachers to expand and

further develop a child's skills in specific areas.

1. Social skills – Being able to get along.

2. Cognitive skills – Basic number sense and thinking skills.

3. Emotional maturity – Learning the rules of schools.

4. Language skills – Developing mathematical vocabulary.

5. Physical health and coordination – Developing fine and gross motor skills.