Child ready for school

Is my child ready for school?

Choose a good school and guarantee that the moments you'll spend with him/her at home are of quality time. By quality time I mean that you'll be homeschooling with enthusiasm. School is to socialize and give your child the opportunity to insert him/herself in the world outside of the home. Surviving includes knowing how to have interpersonal relationships and to understand the competition that reigns in today's world.

Do you need help dealing with a misbehaving child? Click Here!

Many cases known no longer to be isolated to one single country but present throughout the world, are those of children who are molested by their caretakers. The molestor is, most of the time, the one who against all parental knowledge and will, harm the child for life. A good school, chosen based on rigid criteria is truly best for the child. There, s/he can relate to other children and acquire skills to function in society. Therefore, between leaving your child with someone you might not fully know in terms of his/her psychological tendencies or personal philosophies and taking your child to school, it is better to enroll her in an institution where the actions therein are made far more public, well observed and regularly reported.

Furthermore, the school will plan to and motivate your child's mind. Therein, s/he will have the opportunity to develop language and experience the well-being brought about by the physical movement of dance classes and daily playground practices. S/he will develop emotional and socially. S/he will learn to accept restrictions that apply not only to him/her but to a group as a whole. And s/he will learn to respect the other. S/he will also have opportunities to try and create, accomplish and solve problems proposed in pedagodical activities that s/he would not otherwise experience at home with a sitter.

Above all, in school your child will be learning means to an end making use of tools to think and learning the importance of reading.

At the same time, it is only your child who will show you that such participation in scholl is working out. Stay alert, pay attention and see if the child is communicating to you his/her thoughts and needs, and, most importantly, if s/he is happy in school. See if s/he displays curiosity and enthusiasm with what's s/he's doing and to what is being done there. See if s/he is getting along with peers. Any sign that going to school is not going well must be considered with care. It could be that s/he is in a group where there are differences in cognitive development and that, despite their sharing a same chronological age, they're learning at different paces. There can be some problems such as: hand-eye coordination difficulty, short attention spans, delay in language development, and difficulty in expressing him/herself, in jumping, in holding toys,or in playing ball. Among others, difficulty in cutting with scissors, glueing, and holding crayons should also be indicators that the child needs special attention.

Here's an example: if by age 2 s/he is not able to express him/herself in sentences of complete meaning such as ''I want'' or ''Stop that!'', or if at age 5 s/he does not climb stairs, there's an indication that she must see a phonoaudiologist or, for the second case, an orthopedist. Finally, besides differences that would stand out from what can be considered the behavioral norm in a family setting, respiratory diseases should be considered as well.

Thus, all things considered, school is highly recommended. If you are certain that your baby, or your toddler is happy, go right ahead. I'll be cheering for you that s/he may become a human being filled with potential to help the world, promote peace and participate in the collective evolution of man and womankind.

Eliane Leao, PhD

2010 Child ready for school