School readiness is associated with
- the child's readiness for learning: the level of development and learning of new material, volume of knowledge, language, use of basic concepts, logical thinking, concentration and others;
- readiness for the school environment; the transition and adaptation and the child's coping in the “typical” school environment (Carlton & Winsler, 1999). This may be related to motivation and interest in school, peer relations, social skills and adaptation to the process.
The components involved in school readiness are:
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physical well-being, which includes the state of health and the development of fine and gross motor skills.- social and emotional development: managing behavior and interacting with peers, and understanding one's own and others' feelings.
- approaches to learning: attitudes, learning styles and skills – enthusiasm, curiosity, persistence.
- the development of language and speech: listening, speaking, vocabulary, articulation, initial form of literacy - understanding the meaning of a story, story by picture, correct correlation between letter and sound combinations.
- cognitive development and general knowledge: knowledge about the properties of objects, skills for analysis, comparisons and differentiation of objects, events and people; knowledge of form and spatial relationships.
All of these are fundamental to school readiness and can be provided by the child's family and close circle to support the transition from kindergarten to school, as well as provide age-appropriate care. By paying attention to each aspect listed above, you will give your child the best possible start in their academic development.
What is the difference between cognitive and emotional school readiness?
There is no consensus regarding the specific attributes that qualify a child as cognitively “ready” for education (Blair, 2002). At least two different types of cognitive readiness may be important. One involves academic knowledge, which is a precursor to early achievement in the areas of developing literacy and numeracy skills. The other type includes executive functions, which provide a basis for reasoning and problem solving.
Campbell and von Stauffenberg (2008) ) define behavioral readiness for school as a set of social and self-regulatory skills that enable children to control their attention, emotions and interpersonal behavior to meet the expectations of the school classroom. Behavioral readiness includes the ability to approach learning tasks effectively, with focused interest and sustained engagement, and includes the ability to relate positively to peers and teachers, with cooperative initiative and appropriate control of aggression (La Paro & Pianta, 2001).
Not every child learns all these skills when they start school. That's why it's important to know your child's strengths and support them where they need it. There are tools that specialists use to diagnose school readiness, and it is good for every child to go through such a diagnosis at the age of around 6 and a half/7 years.