Is Your Kiddo Ready For Kindergarten?

Beginning kindergarten may be harder on us parents than on our kiddos. More grown-up tears are shed on that first day of school than kiddo tears for sure! Beginning kindergarten is not only the beginning of something huge and wonderful, it's also the official end of "babyhood." Your child is no more a baby, no more a toddler, and no more a preschooler. To call it a big milestone would be the understatement of your child's life up to this point!

Is My Child Ready for Kindergarten?

You've probably asked yourself this very question even if you really already know the answer. And good for you for asking! You don't want to set your child up for failure by sending them into something they're not yet ready to handle, so you're right to approach with caution. Your child is probably ready, and the quiz below should confirm that. But if they're not, that's ok too and we'll talk about what you can do. So grab a pencil so you can tally up the score!

Quiz: Select the answer that best describes your child.

1) Can your child recognize their own name?
    a) Not even close (1 pt)
    b) Most of the time (2 pts.)
    c) Backwards, forwards, upside down and in between! (3pts.)

2) Can your child write their first name?
    a) With a little help (1 pts.)
    b) Like a pro! (2 pts.)
    c) First, last, and middle (3 pts.)
    c) Theirs, their best friend's, their baby sister's, and the dog's too! (4 pts.)

3) Does your child play well with others?
   a) You're scared to even go to the bathroom when friends are over(1 pt.)
   b) They occasionally need help from an adult to solve their differences, but generally get along fine (2pts.)
   c) You never have to worry! (3 pts.)

4) Does your child listen and follow directions with other adults? (Not your directions. Directions from non-related adults)
    a) They totally do their own thing (1 pt.)
    b) Most of the time (2 pts.)
    c) Of course! My child is an angel 0:) (3pts.)

5) Can your child recognize the lower case letters?
    a) A few (1 pt.)
    b) 10 or more (2pts.)
    c) About 20 or so (3  pts.)
    c) Yep, and some Chinese symbols too! (4 pts.)
    
 6) Can your child identify the sounds letters make?
    a) A few (1 pt.)
    b) 10 or more (2pts.)
    c) About 20 or so (3  pts.)
    c) Yep, you're just taking this quiz for a boost in your parenting-esteem (4 pts.)

7) Can your child count to 10?
   a) Not quite (1 pt.)
   b) Yes (2 pts.)
   c) They can count well past 20! (3 pts.)
   d) They can count to 100 and you're feeling good! (4pts.)

8) Does your child hold a book properly? (Not upside down, they start at the beginning, not in the middle or end ect.)
     a) We're still working on it (1 pt.)
     b) They "pretend" to read perfectly (2 pts.)
     c) Yep, and they can read some of it too (3 pts.)'


STOP!

So, tally up your points if you wish, but it's really not necessary.

If you answered all "b" every time, your child is ready (whew! That's a relief, right?).

If you answered C or D lots of times, I hope you feel good, but seriously, you already knew, right?

If you answered "a" once or twice, you have some stuff to work on.

If you answered "a" more than a couple times, you've got some decisions to make, so bear with me as we discuss your choices.


What Do I Do If My Child Didn't Pass the Quiz?

So, look through the test once more. Were your "a's" mostly about social readiness, academic readiness, or both?

Generally speaking, social maturity alone is not going to hold your child back from success in kindergarten. If they are academically prepared,  you probably want to send them now. Think about it, your child is already on top of things in the learning department. If you make them wait another year, they'll probably become a little more mature, but they'll also probably become smarter, which means they'll be more likely to become bored and cause problems.

If it's academic readiness that's a concern, you have 2 choices- buckle down and work with them a lot over the next year so they get caught up, or give them another year to catch up naturally before starting school. Either option is fine, but make sure to take your little gal or guy's age into consideration. They are not going to be happy with you if they are almost 20 and still in High School!

*Make sure to research your own state's rules as well. In some states, kindergarten is mandatory. In others, children are allowed to skip kindergarten, but must go to 1st grade in the year they turn 6 regardless of previous kindergarten attendance. *

If it's both social maturity and academic readiness, I recommend giving them one more year to grow up a little. Not every 5 year old is ready for kindergarten, and that's ok, but you have the same choices and considerations as the group with academic concerns alone.

WHAT IS NOT A OPTION-
Please, PLEASE, please, PLEASE DO NOT send your child to kindergarten unprepared and just think "well it's ok, they can always do kindergarten again." Seriously, PLEASE do not do this!!! It varies from district to district and state to state, but too many parents make the mistake of thinking it will be a piece of cake to tell the school to just hold the kid back a year, and in some places it is easy, but in other places it can actually be an extremely difficult process. But more than that, it's just tough on your poor kid. Have you ever been put into a position where you were destined to fail? Maybe it was a job that didn't give you enough training, or a class where you didn't have enough background knowledge. Regardless of the situation, it sucks to be set up for failure. Please don't do this to your kid. If you feel that it is best for them to go to school now, please work with your child's teacher to make sure they can be successful. If you, your child's teacher, and your child are all actively working together as a team, you CAN be successful! I'll be providing tips on fun and easy ways to help your child excel in kindergarten, so stay in tune!

As always, please contact me via facebook , email (growingakindergarden@gmail.com), or just leave a comment with questions!