Start School Early: Is Your Kid Ready for School?

For the past years, there has been a noticeable change in the age by which children start going to school. Today, we have pre-schools admitting kids as young as two years old. Parents nowadays, for different reasons, prefer to enroll their children at a very young age. For some, it may be a matter of convenience. For most others, it's based on the belief that this would help the child develop mental skills early on.

If you are considering enrolling your two-year-old this coming school year, analyze whether your child is ready to be in school.

Observe the level of independence of your child. Can he eat meals on his own? Can he wash his hands by himself? Remember that while there is a teacher in the pre-school, your child will basically do small, personal things on his own. He must be able to handle such tasks will minimal supervision.

Evaluate your child's communication skills. Can your child effectively convey what he has in mind or what he feels? Can his manner of communication be understood by persons other than you? As your child will be spending time with new people, he must be ready to talk and communicate with them.

Assess whether your child is capable of spending time away from you. Does he throw tantrums every time you leave him with the babysitter? Does he feel comfortable staying with the grandparents when you leave for a business trip? If your child has not yet overcome separation anxiety, it is still probably too early to be enrolling him in school.

Determine whether your child is used to following a fixed schedule. Does he have a standard timetable at home? Does he recognize if it is play time, sleep time, bath time, and meal time? Your child will have to abide by a schedule once he enters school. Therefore, he must already have a sense of regularity and must be able to follow a planned set of activities.

Gauge your child's physical fitness. Your child will be engaged in various activities, which require a certain level of strength. Moreover, he will be playing and interacting with other kids whose energy level he has to keep up with.

If it appears that your child is not yet ready for school, don't feel disappointed. Not all children are suited to enter school at a very early age. Your child will eventually acquire the skills needed to enter school at the normal age.