Age : When is your child's birthday in relation to the school’s cutoff date? Will they be the youngest or the oldest in the class? Being the oldest is often seen as a positive because a child will be more mature both physically and mentally – potentially more prepared to read, more coordinated in sports and other physical activities, and more able to excel. This can enhance their self-esteem, confidence level, and allow them to be a leader. Being the youngest can have benefits, especially for gifted children, but otherwise, it can be overwhelming. Younger children may appear immature, and may be unprepared to tackle tasks that their older classmates find challenging and intriguing.

Social Skills : Does your child use words when angry instead of being physical? Can he follow simple one- or two-step directions? Can she express her feelings and needs? Does she ask questions about the world around her? Can he play well with other children including sharing and taking turns? These qualities are all essential for children entering kindergarten. The ratio of students to teachers is lower than in preschool, so kids need to be able to properly communicate, without the one-on-one guidance and intervention preschool often provides.

Motor Skills : Can your child hold scissors properly? Hold a pencil correctly? Put a puzzle together? Can he run, skip, and jump? Can she button/unbutton her clothes? Can he throw a ball and pedal a bike? Gross motor skills have to do with big muscles – the ones that help kids on the playground. Fine motor skills are small muscle movements of the fingers that eventually translate into the ability to do school readiness activities. If your child can’t do these fine motor tasks, it means that they may have a harder time with the activities that typically occur in kindergarten classrooms – like art projects and learning to write.

Academic Skills : Does your child tell stories? Can she count to 10 and recite the alphabet? Can she write both upper and lower case letters? Does he speak in sentences of five words or more? Can he retell the general storyline of a book that has been read to him? Can she recognize five colors? Can she write her name? Kindergarten will build upon these skills, but a child should enter with some of them already in place.