Every parent or teacher wants their children to be ready and prepared for school. There’s a term called “school readiness,” but what does it actually mean? Who is responsible for supporting it? According to a recent survey of YouGov, in this particular topic, both parents and teachers have different opinions from each other.
“Teachers believe that only 46% of children starting reception are "ready for school," and 89% of parents feel that their child is prepared.” This drastic difference shows that there’s a huge need for understanding what school readiness actually means and how parents and teachers together support children. However, those teachers or even parents who have pursued courses like Certificate in Montessori Teachers Training Course know very well about school readiness.
However, this blog post will you understand the concept of school readiness, understand its importance, and how parents and teachers work together to support it. Additionally, we will also get to know what challenges are faced in preparing children for school and some practical tips for promoting school readiness.
So, without any further delay, let’s get started.
What is School Readiness?
School readiness means the children’s ability to fulfill the academic and social demands of school, which will also help them in their personal life as well. It consists of a range of abilities and skills, which include physical, cognitive, emotional, and social development. Those children who are “school-ready” will have the necessary competencies and skills to achieve their academic goals, and reading skills and interact with peers and teachers with confidence.
Importance of School Readiness
Most of the research suggests that children who are “school-ready”, have a better chance of achieving achieving academic success and social outcomes. They also have a better chance of engaging with the learning and reading process, comfortable during socializing, and have fewer negative emotions. Whereas, those students are not “school-ready”, they may struggle academically, in social situations, or even feel frustrated and having anxiety.
Factors Affecting School Readiness
There are several factors that affect the school readiness of children, such as-
1. Parental Involvement
In general, parents play a crucial role to shape the life of children in every aspect and one of those aspects is school readiness. They can do this by providing a nurturing home environment, engaging in activities that promote learning and development, and collaborating with teachers to support their child's education.
2. Access to Early Childhood Education
Access to early education is necessary but what’s more important is if your children are getting the top quality of early education or not. The quality of early education could really affect the school readiness of children, which will directly impact their academic performances and social skills as well.
3. Socioeconomic Status
Socioeconomic status can also affect school readiness. Children from low-income families may experience greater challenges in accessing high-quality early childhood education and other resources that support school readiness.
What Skills are Needed for School Readiness?
School readiness encompasses a range of skills and competencies, including:
1. Physical Development Skill
Physical development includes skills such as fine motor skills (e.g., holding a pencil), gross motor skills (e.g., running and jumping), and self-care skills (e.g., dressing and using the toilet independently).
2. Cognitive Development Skill
Cognitive development includes skills such as language development (e.g., vocabulary and grammar), literacy skills (e.g., recognizing letters and numbers), and problem-solving skills in every child.
3. Emotional Development Skill
Emotional skill development, which is also called Emotional Quotient, helps students to cope-up with their emotions and understand others, which will help them in school and beyond.
Emotional Development skills include- having empathy, social awareness, and emotional regulation.
4. Social Development Skill
Social development is one of the most important skills which will not just help children in school but in their personal life as well. Social Development skills include- communication skills, comfortable in social interaction, working in groups, and cooperation skills.
Tips for Parents and Teachers for Supporting School Readiness
Parents and Teachers both equally play an important role in helping children to achieve success both academically and in life as well. School readiness is one of the important factors in which both parents and teachers work together. Below we have shared some tips to support school readiness.
1. Reading with Children
Reading is one of the most important abilities that children must acquire from an early age. Reading with children is one of the effective ways of developing reading skills that Parents and teachers can use.
It will promote language development, literacy skills, and cognitive development in children. Both parents and teachers can read with children every day and engage in different interactive reading activities such as asking questions related to stories or lessons.
2. Encouraging Independence
Instead of doing every activity for children, it’s suggested to parents and teachers to make their children more independent. They can make them independent by giving them the opportunity to their children to do things by themselves, like getting dressed by themselves, going to the toilet by themselves, etc.
3. Providing Opportunities for Play and Social Interaction
Developing social skills is equally important as achieving academic success. Parents and teachers should encourage their children to play outdoor sports and to make friends which will help them to play in a group and socialize with each other.
4. Access of High-Quality Early Childhood Education
Access to high-quality early childhood education can be critical for promoting school readiness. Parents and Teacher need to make sure that children are getting quality early childhood education.
School Readiness is the Key to Success for Children
School readiness is one of the important components for every child’s success, not just in school but after school life as well. Those teachers or parents, who have pursued courses like Certificate in Montessori Teachers Training Course, know it very well. Parents and teachers need to work together for promoting school readiness by giving opportunities for physical, cognitive, emotional, and social development to every child. If parents and teachers work together then it ensures that every child is competent enough to succeed not just in school but in life as well.
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Written By : Abhishek
