Starting school is a huge milestone and as parents most of us try and do what we can to prepare our kids for a good education. It can be hard to know exactly when to send your child and whether or not their learning in on par with their peers.
For that reason some schools have started sending out school readiness checklists, which are loosely based on recommendations from child psychologists. They act as a way for parents to check off their child’s abilities and be confident that their child will be learning at the same level as the other children in their kindy class.
These checklists can also help parents focus on specific tasks which they may not have considered prior to the kids starting school.
Helpful, yes? Sure. Unless you are this mother from Ohio who received a checklist from her local school and posted a photo of it on imgur.
It starts off well, covering things like reading and counting. It tells parents that children should be able to draw a picture and tell others about what they have created. The note explains that kids should be able to follow along with a story.
All good things to know.
Except we get to the little issue of the alphabet. "Kids should be able to identify 30 plus letters".
Pardon?
The last time we checked there was only 26 letters in the alphabet.
My poor eldest child is starting school next year. According to this list I have failed to prepare him for starting school.
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Top Comments
Please not that kindergarten in America is Prep in Australia although as a kindergarten teacher, the most important aspects to school readiness is if they are emotionally ready to sit and listen, have some independence skills, can ask for help when they need it and have some level of concentration to finish a task. The reading /writing aspects will come. If certainly helps if they can hold a pencil and use scissors but its its not the end of the world if they can't, they will learn. That's what school is there for - to learn.
I have a problem with most of this list. Kindergarten is imo a place for play based learning and interaction with other kids.
We are placing far too much emphasis on the 3 R's too early. I know this is an American list but in WA my son went to Kindy at 3(turning 4 in June). He did not have the fine motor skills to hold a pen or cut. It is ridiculous to think he should. He is also 15 now and doing very well at school.