Determining if your child is developmentally ready for kindergarten may be one of the most important things you can do for your child. Many teachers have observed that their "slowest" students are often their youngest. The child may not be ready for the demands of school, and this does not indicate a problem of intelligence.

Teachers have found that it seems easier for a child to be held back before entering kindergarten rather than later when his or her peer group is moving forward.

Ellen Baritot and Suzanne Warren, in the "Pacific Sun," outline things to look for when determining school readiness:

• Language Development
  Can your child describe what he or she sees, follow a series of simple directions, speak in intelligible sentences, sing or recite a short rhyme? Does your child enjoy listening to and talking about stories? Does he or she ask questions about his or her environment?
  
  
• Emotional and Social Development
  Does your child enjoy children of their own age, or tend to choose younger children? Can they wait their turn? Are they either extremely aggressive or withdrawn? Is your child large or small for their age? Are there obvious signs of emotional stress such as delayed toilet training or extreme fearfulness? (Girls of this age are often more mature than boys.)
  
  
• Motor Skills
  Is your child well coordinated and able to manipulate small objects with their hands? Are they able to hold a pencil correctly and copy a circle, cross and square? Can they balance on one foot for five seconds with eyes opened and closed?
  
  
• Health
  Is your child generally healthy? If ear infections have been common and you suspect hearing damage, an audiological evaluation should be made. A complete visual exam is also useful for determining eye-hand coordination, eye teaming and focusing assessment. If your child has constant colds or allergies, school performance will be affected by this.

If you decide your child is ready and, after beginning kindergarten, he or she suddenly undergoes major behavioral changes, you might consider that this could be lack of readiness for school.

{Excerpted from "When are Kids Ready for Kindergarten?" by Nancy Gump, Family Resources Newsletter, St. Gabriel School, 2550 41st Avenue, San Francisco, CA, March 1985.}

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