Is My Child Ready?

I ventured into Walmart yesterday and maneuvered through aisles already filled with bins of back-to-school items.  I passed them as quickly as possible; I want to embrace summer for as long as I can!

However, when reality sets in next month, we want our children to be ready.  A few months ago, I found these questions in the 2012-2013 Curriculum Catalog for My Father's World and thought they might be helpful for parents whose children are officially beginning their schooling.

Is My Child Ready for Kindergarten?

• Is he ready to sit down and do 20-30 minutes of written work each day?
• Does he have the manual dexterity to begin writing letters and words and is he interested in doing so?
• Is your child taking time to sit down to draw and color on his own initiative?
• Is he excited about starting school?

Is My Child Ready to Begin First Grade?

• Does he/she know the 26 letter sounds (consonants and short vowels)?
• Is your child generally able to print alphabet letters correctly?  Is he generally able to place letters accurately on kindergarten-sized lined paper?
• Can he/she easily read short words such as hat, pig, and men without help or accompanying pictures?  Was he taught how to blend sounds, not just memorize words?
• Is he able to sit long enough to copy 4-6 short words on kindergarten-sized lined paper without complaining or becoming tearful?
• Is your child mature enough to sit cooperatively for 20-30 minutes at a time for structured school activities?

Whether you're homeschooling or sending your child off to school, these are some practical ways to gauge his or her readiness for the coming year.