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Kindergarten readiness: Is your child ready for school?
Kindergarten readiness may be more important than you think. Find out how you can encourage your child's development — and help make the most of his or her first school year.
By Mayo Clinic staffYour child may be old enough to start kindergarten — but is he or she ready for school? Recognize the factors that might affect your child's kindergarten readiness and what you can do to help him or her succeed in school.
Why is kindergarten readiness important?
Kindergarten marks the start of a child's formal education. A child's first school experiences can influence the way he or she relates to others for the rest of life. Success or failure at this stage can affect a child's well-being, self-esteem and motivation. A lack of kindergarten readiness also can lead to a child being held back a grade. As a result, it's important to make sure that when your child begins school he or she is developmentally ready to learn and participate in classroom activities.
What factors affect a child's ability to learn?
Many factors can affect a child's ability to learn and increase his or her risk of problems in school, including:
- Poverty
- Low parental education
- Speech defects or delayed speech
- Behavioral concerns, such as hyperactivity
- Low birth weight
- Exposure to household smoking
- Bedwetting
- Being male
(1 of 2)
- Is your child ready for school? American Academy of Pediatrics. http://www.healthychildren.org/English/ages-stages/preschool/Pages/Is-Your-Child-Ready-for-School.aspx. Accessed April 1, 2010.
- Harris LL. School readiness. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed April 1, 2010.
- High PC. School readiness. Pediatrics. 2008;121:e1008.
- Rohren CH (expert opinion). Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn. Sept. 23, 2010.
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