Top 10 signs your child may not be ready to start school

School readiness is different for every child. Some children are born ready whilst other could do with a little bit more time. Here are some of the main signs your child is not quite ready for big school.

They rely on you to do self care tasks, such as dressing. Helping your child getting dressed is very different to them completely relying on you. It is age appropriate to still need help with buttons and laces etc.
They still require a sleep during the day to make it though the day.
They are not toilet trained during the day time (bearing in mind that night time can take some children longer than others).
They get easily frustrated when expectations are placed upon them. They struggle to follow instructions in daily activities.
They are socially immature (e.g. unable to share, or unable to shift with changing rules of a game in play).
They have poor receptive and/or expressive language skills. Receptive language means the ability to understand information, and involves understanding the words, sentences and meaning of what others say or what is read. Expressive language means being able to put thoughts into words and sentences, in a way that makes sense and is grammatically accurate. These difficulties can be diagnosed by a speech pathologist.
They have difficulty understanding the consequences of their behaviour.
They are not interested in looking at books and/or doing sit down activities.
They do not interact well with their peers (either in or out of the classroom).
They are resistant to input from others in order to learn and they get frustrated when offered help.

If your child is in a pre-school program, I encourage you to speak to their educators as they will provide vital information to help you with the decision making process. If you have any concerns about your child’s development, please contact your local doctor as soon as possible. There can often be long wait lists for these services so it is best to address your concerns as soon as possible.

For more information on school readiness grab a copy of our ebook here.