Smooth Transition From Home To Classroom
Are your children ready to make that transition? How do you know?
For children entering a classroom–a structured environment, often for the first time–the experience can be pretty traumatic. In order to make sure a child is ready for the transition, a number of factors should be considered:
- Does the child know his/her birth certificate name?
- Does the child know mother/father’s names (other than mama or dad)?
- Does the child know how to sit still for at least 30 minutes?
- Does the child demonstrate ability to focus on starting and completing a task (tying shoes, coloring a page in a coloring book, etc.)?
- Does the child know where their address and parent’s telephone number?
- Does the child know his/her birth date?
- Does the child recognize letters of the alphabet?
- Does the child recognize numbers 0-9?
- Does the child use the bathroom by themselves?
- Does the child know how to hold a pencil/crayon?
- Does the child know how to hold a book?
- Does the child know how to follow instructions?
- Does the child know how to socialize appropriately with other children?
The above are the basics that every child should know before they ever cross the threshold of a classroom. Knowing these fundamental basics will insure a child’s success and learning will not be as traumatic as it for those who don’t know. A traumatized child means parents get lots of phone calls from teachers and principals.
A good pediatrician will always tell parents if there are physical or cognitive concerns about a child by the time they’re 3 years old. They monitor physical, fine motor skill development and the child’s ability to follow simple directions. Making sure a child is vaccinated ensures they’ll not infect others or get infected with communicable diseases. Make sure a record is kept of all their developmental milestones in a safe place.
To get a child ready for this monumental occasion, read to them, sing to them, play games with them that ignite a desire to learn and when they get to school, they’ll be ready to learn what the teacher has been prepared to teach. A child who sees a parent read a book is more apt to want to read for themselves. Having a variety of books available for children is a necessity to encourage strong literacy skills.
Breathe deeply–inhale–hold it, now let it out. Helping a child make this transition can be as easy as breathing when you know they’re ready for school. Help them and yourself–make sure they are SCHOOL READY!
maryhallrayford 