The first school year for your little one is a hectic affair because they’re going to be away from several familiar faces. However, once they get used to their friends at kindergarten, it’ll be smooth sailing from then on. 

Your job after the first year is to determine whether your child is ready to progress to the next level. There are several identifiers that you should watch for in your child to help you determine their readiness. We’ve explained a handful of the essential factors below:

Self-dependence

The kindergarten stage allows your kid to be their own person. Since they’ll be out of your care, they will learn to do a lot of things on their own. For example, dressing up shouldn’t be a problem, just like going to the bathroom unassisted. Therefore, if they have developed some independence after the first year, they won’t need to go back to the first stage. On the other hand, if your child still cries after leaving them in school, they’ll need another year to become emotionally ready for the separation.

Better Social Skills

While in kindergarten, your child will meet their peers and form new bonds with them. Their interactions are often the first steps towards forming lifelong friendships. Therefore, check to see that they have mastered some common social skills like sharing, openly socializing, and even recognizing the feelings of other kids. If they haven’t made any friends in the first year, it might be a good idea to keep them in school for a bit longer. 

Can Follow Directions

As children develop social skills in kindergarten, they respond positively to communication. A good indicator of this ability is that they are receptive to instructions. Also, your child should be able to hold a sensible conversation with their peers and instructors without going off-topic. 

Can Distinguish Letters, Shapes, Colors, and Numbers

Not every child has similar learning abilities, and there will always be performance variances in the kindergarten class. However, there are specific markers of a decently proficient child who has successfully completed the first year of kindergarten. Firstly, they can count to ten or more. Also, your kids should recognize the alphabet symbols and sounds, multiple shapes, and colors. 

Even though there isn’t a lot of reading and writing in kindergarten, your kids should at least grasp the fundamentals. Once they know the basics of reading and writing, they’ll be able to spell out their name.

Motor Skills

Even if they aren’t the athletic type, proficient kindergarten kids should bear decent fine motor skills like holding items and manipulating different objects like scissors and glue. Play is an essential aspect of kindergarten, and your child should actively participate in multiple games. Basic activities like balancing, jumping, and running mean that they’re mastering their motor skills and coordination ability. 

Repeating kindergarten is not a rare occurrence, and you shouldn’t panic when your child isn’t ready. Every child has a different development rate, and you should prioritize your child’s building blocks before moving to the next academic stage.