OT Corner: Readiness Skills: Preschool and Kindergarten
By Amy Wagenfeld, Ph.D., OTR/L
Originally printed in February, 2005

Be you veterans or novices, those of you embarking on the journey into 
either preschool or kindergarten are taking giant developmental steps 
with your children.  Not only is heading off to school a rite of passage 
for our children, as parents, we too are integral in facilitating this 
process.  In this column, I am going to spend just a paragraph on 
preschool readiness, and really concentrate on kindergarten readiness.  
I will explore each from both a developmental and OT perspective, and in 
doing so, hope to answer some questions you have.  Before I dive into the 
column, please keep in mind that all of the skills I will talk about are 
normed based on a typically developing child.  Norms for skill acquisition 
are guidelines only - every child develops at his or her pace!

First, a couple of words about preschool.  And, speaking of which, preschool 
is often the first "formal" socialization experience separate from Mommy 
and Daddy for many children, which I am sure is a mixed bag for all of you 
(at least it was for me!).  In preschool, the range of social, cognitive, 
and motor skills that children display seems vast.  When selecting a 
preschool, one that accommodates, welcomes, and most importantly, expects 
difference is a critical factor.  I am very fond of preschools that encourage 
a lot of hands on explorations for children.  I also like to see a great 
deal of flexibility on the part of the teachers and of the curriculum itself.

Kindergarten,* now.  One step in the decision-making process to enroll or 
delay is to check with your sending district to find out if there are 
specific qualifiers that they are looking for in matriculating kindergartners.  
It is also important to find out what, if any, testing is done with entering 
kindergartners.  If there are tests, how are they to be used?  Remember that 
standardized tests are not perfect, and certainly not always an accurate 
predictor of a child's abilities.

An area of current interest to developmental researchers has to do with 
social emotional readiness and success in kindergarten.  Research suggests 
that a child who shows signs of "healthy" social emotional development 
has a greater chance of success in kindergarten, and that this foundation 
sets the stage for future success.  According to a study by the Child 
Mental Health Foundation and Agencies Network (FAN), signs of a socially, 
emotionally ready-for-school child include (but not necessarily all!) 
"confident, friendly, has good peer relationships, tackles and persists 
at challenging tasks, good language development, can communicate well, 
listens to instructions, and is attentive."  I think that what is most 
striking about this study is that the emphasis of readiness for school 
focuses on skill development, not chronological age.  For those of you 
who are interested, the study is entitled, "A Good Beginning: Sending 
America's Children to School with the Social and Emotional Competence 
They Need to Succeed."  I think that if you have questions about any of 
the social emotional markers that were identified by the study, talk to 
your children's preschool teachers, any preschool therapists that are 
involved in your children's lives, religious school teachers, and also, 
above all, trust your judgment in this decision making process.

When considering cognitive development (the thinking skills) and readiness 
skills, research suggests that a child entering kindergarten will typically 
be aware of general concepts having to do with big and small, up and down, 
understand the difference between day and night, recognize basic shapes 
and colors, count to 20, match simple pictures and objects, and be able 
to count with one to one correspondence (being able to not only count by 
rote, but to understand that numbers have meaning- i.e. 1 = one object, 
2 = two objects, etc.), and will be able to tell or recall stories on a 
simple level.

Motor development is another realm that factors into the whole development 
scheme, as well as into the kindergarten readiness puzzle.  An emerging 
kindergartner is typically able to throw a ball overhand and catch it with 
hands and arms, skip, hop, and walk up and down stairs holding the railing 
with alternating feet.  In terms of fine (little movements done with the 
hands) motor skills, a typical kindergartner will be able to cut simple 
shapes with about a 1/2" deviation from a line, can move the paper along 
while cutting, put a paper clip on a piece of paper, fold paper, and will 
be able to grasp a pencil with the thumb and index finger and begin to 
generate the motion for writing from the hand and wrist (not the upper arm).  
In the 5 to 6-year age range, a child will typically be able to copy their 
first name, more or less color within the lines, trace letters, may begin 
to print upper case letters, and draw a person with 3-6 body parts.  Note: 
I am planning a handwriting column for the not too distant future, so we 
will get into much more detail about grasp patterns and ways to enhance 
writing skills then.

A few final comments now.  First of all, I am writing this column in the 
middle of December.  For those of you with children chronologically ready 
to begin kindergarten, late August or early September is still a ways away.  
If the skills I have talked about are not "happening" yet, there is a 
solid seven months until the big day, and developmental changes may happen 
quickly.  Remember, what I talked about in this column are typical norms 
for typically developing children, and not all children achieve their 
developmental milestones at the "appointed time."  Just because a skill has 
not emerged is not reason to decide to hold a child back as there are many 
factors involved in the decision to enroll or not enroll your child in 
kindergarten at age 5.  That said, keep up a close dialogue with teachers 
and therapists, and if there are concerns, weigh the pros and cons of starting 
or delaying kindergarten. 

The time between now and the end of the summer may be conducive to doing lots 
of hands on experiences with your children.  If you do not already have one 
(and you feel it is warranted), ask any therapists (Speech, OT, PT, etc.) to 
provide you with a realistic home program.  Let me add my slant to this; a 
home program is good for all children, whether they are receiving services 
or not.  In fact, at a school I do some consulting for, I give out home 
programs to all children and their parents.  Involving your children in a 
prescribed program will enhance the therapy process as well as developmental 
skills, and will likely provide a positive opportunity to interact with your 
children.  As always, please feel free to contact me 
(childrenstherapyconnections@verizon.net) with any further questions.

*For clarification, I am considering a kindergartner to be in the 5-year age range.