Many preschool teachers agree that a child's preschool readiness depends more on her individual personality and temperament—a combination of mental, physical and emotional traits—than her so-called "academic" abilities. Even so, our developmental checklist can help you and your child get ready for this big step.
Preschool readiness checklist

Skills


Can separate from you for several hours, such as an afternoon at a friend’s house or a sleepover at Grandma’s
Appears interested in going to a “big-kid” school, learning new things, and/or meeting new friends
Enjoys participating in group activities
Can express emotions, needs and requests
Responds well to consistent routines, such as quiet time or naptime following lunch
Anticipates what comes next during the day (for example, knows that naptime follows lunch)


Reasoning development

Matches like objects, mainly identical objects, or matches objects by shape and color
Develops object permanence and understands that objects continue to exist even when out of sight
Shows interests in tinkering with objects by taking things apart and putting them back together
Explores with elements of nature, such as sand and water
Remembers short sequences of events of 2 to 3 steps

Reading ability

Holds a book properly and turns pages
Understands that words convey the message in a story
Recognizes the first letter of their own name
Knows some letter names
Knows the main characters in familiar stories
Enjoys reading books with others

cursive handWriting

Holds a writing tool with a fist or finger grasp
Draws with a variety of tools (crayons, pens, pencils)
Scribble-writes in a linear fashion
Makes marks and refer to them as “my name”


Environment Science

Asks questions about objects, events and animals observed in their environment
Considers and offers explanations of how things might work
Shows interest in different animals and the sounds they make
Uses descriptive terms such as "fast" and "slow," "hot" and "cold"

Creative arts

Begins to use a variety of art tools such as crayon, construction paper and colored pencils
Knows a few color words
Drawings have basic resemblance to objects and people
Articulates what he/she is drawing
Likes to imitate sounds and rhythm; might have a favorite song
Uses realistic toys in pretend play or to imitate household routines
Engages in dramatic play with others to act out simple play scripts, such as playing house

Social studies

Recognizes common features of the home and neighborhood, such as trees, houses and streets
Shows interests in familiar people such as siblings, family members and friends
Shows interests in common jobs and professions such as firefighter, doctor and nurse. www.oakfieldedu.com