School Readiness Begins Before Starting Preschool
Teachers often talk about children’s readiness for preschool, but what does that actually mean? Usually, they mean the development of preschool and school-related skills that a child should acquire before starting.
A child begins this preparation at a very early age, practically from birth. They learn to crawl and then walk, start forming sounds before they speak, and scribble before writing their first letters. Parents teach all of this through shared activities and daily practice. To ensure your child’s proper development, you should talk to them every day, read them stories, sing to them, and play with them.
Reading as the Foundation of Education
Our brains never develop faster than during the first years of our lives. Every time you speak to your child, you support brain development and the formation of neural connections. Reading is the foundation for developing all other skills, through which a child gains an understanding of language. Children also love being read to. They often ask you to read the same book over and over again. They frequently grasp the basics of reading precisely by memorizing individual texts. Surround your child with literature—from cookbooks and toy instructions to notebooks, books, and comics. The more options available, the more likely the child is to pick one up and begin improving their reading and writing skills.
However, the basics of reading and writing are not the only abilities a child should master before entering preschool. Other important skills include understanding the concepts of colors, shapes, sizes, position and direction, matching and sorting, and recognizing letters of the alphabet and numbers. Parents should practice these skills with their children at home, although children may also fully master them during their preschool attendance.
You can support your child’s development by:
- Exploring colors, shapes, and sizes around you together.
- Explaining the difference between “under/over” and “inside/outside.”
- Practicing matching and sorting familiar objects that they play with at home.
- Learning letters and numbers together and revisiting them in the books you read together.
All of these developmental activities can be presented to your child as a game. When they enjoy recognizing shapes and letters, they will learn much faster. Through play, children develop holistically—not only cognitively, but also physically, socially, emotionally, and creatively.
It is also important for preschool that a child gets along with others—that they can communicate with their peers, express emotions, share, and cooperate. Without these skills, a child will never successfully integrate into a classroom group, so make sure they have plenty of opportunities to learn them. Finally, do not forget that every child is different. One child may be excellent at recognizing colors, while another may be the first in their age group to start counting. This is completely natural.
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