School readiness quick checklist......

If your little one is all 'growm up' and heading to school (prep, kindy, pre primary, etc) then you may wonder are they quite ready.

Your child needs to start school when they are able to concentrate, shift their attention and sustain or return their attention to the more important task.

It's a a good idea that we help them to get into a routine and do a few practise runs. This also includes a good food routine. The healthier food they eat the better they will also be able to concentrate. There have been links between certain foods and concentration.


Literacy
Emerging awareness of written and visual text.

Developing awareness of writing having meaning and environmental text.

Knows and uses book conventions.

Understands auditory and visual similarities and differences.


Language

Can remember and follow directions/instructions. Understands meaning of verbal expressions.

Has a developed wide vocabulary.

Listens to stories.

Speaks in grammatically correct, expanded sentences. Expresses ideas fluently.

Contributes to discussions (i.e. news).

Articulation is appropriate.

Sufficient volume to be heard when speaking.

Can ask for help and/or ask questions.


Self help

Can tend to own needs.

Recognise own belongings.

Toilet self independently.

Dress self.


Emotional
Displays emotional security.

Appears to have a positive self image.

Can cope with minor frustrations/disappointments.

Remains happy and content during most of the day.

Can accept guidance or direction from adults.

Separates happily from parents.


Cognitive
Finishes task.

Alert and interested.

Recognises and names, colours and shapes correctly.

Numeracy skills developing (i.e. one-to-one correspondence).

Mathematical concepts developing (i.e. weight, size). Sequencing, matching and sorting developed.

Remembers events.


Gross motor

Ball control.

Confidently run, skip, climb and jump.

Confidently balance and walk a beam using alternative feet.

A dominant foot that coincides with the dominant hand.


Fine motor
Established a dominant hand preference and grip.

Correct grip and use of scissors.

Detailed and recognisable drawings with attention to detail. Developed and accurate hand-eye co-ordination.


Social
Has developed positive peer relationships.

Ability to work alone and also in a group.

Relates to other adults other than parents.

Has positive social personality.


Creative
Enjoys participating in musical and/or group activities. Is aware of music types and recognises rhythms.

Uses construction imaginatively.

Uses a variety of mediums creatively.

Helping your child prepare for school is great to provide them with some skills. So, if you find that your child is having trouble sitting at the table for dinner for example and fidgets a lot it may be because they can’t sit still, straight and their feet can’t touch the floor not because they are unable to concentrate. All these things will take up his attention and they are unable to concentrate at the task at hand. This is the same for a school environment. They will be so busy focusing on this their attention will not seem to be paying attention. Practising sitting still and up straight is sometimes a good idea.

Girls only eats chicken nuggets....

There was an article in the paper on Sunday about this 15 yr old in the UK who had collapsed at the factory where she worked as she had trouble breathing. She was taken to the hospital and they had grave concerns over her health. It was established that she only ate chicken nuggets and had done so since she was 2 yrs old when her mum had bought her MacDonald’s.


No joke. This is a true story!

It reminded me of the time I worked in a child care centre where we had a 3 ½ yr old who only ate chocolate products. She would eat anything chocolate her parents said. They too were concerned but she just wouldn’t eat anything else they said.

Have you ever had a child who was a fussy, finicky eater? Or an eater just like the ones above? What did you do?

Have you read "Up the duff"? If you're pregnant it's a must....

Talking about books led me to have that revelation that there are so many parenting books (as there is with other topics too I’m not picking on parenting) that sometimes it’s hard to know which one to read or where to start.


When I first found out I was pregnant a friend of mine lent me a fantastic book. It wasn’t a, what I’ll call a bog standard parenting or pregnancy book, but a light-hearted look at pregnancy. Yep, it did have knowledgeable bits in there too but it was a refreshing look at being pregnant. It was really what I needed as everything was so new and I was quite nervous. I read and re- read this loaned book, so much so that I had pages falling out and so I purchased a new book to give back.

Think a pregnancy Bridget Jones Diary and you get the picture. Kaz Cooke (said author) has written a few other books which I would hazard a guess are just as great.

But, if you are newly pregnant and are looking for a book to read I would highly recommend “Up the duff” by Kaz Cooke.....

Have you heard about the Free Range Kids Movement?

Are we raising cotton wool kids?
Do we moddy-coddle kids?
Or on the flip are some kids given too much freedom?


This is a hotly debated topic. I have remarked of some instances where I was left puzzled at the apparent lack of supervision (I wrote a blog about it in August called ‘I can’t be the crazy one here’ about one particular incident I had witnessed) and received some emails with the view that I indeed was the one with the issue here.

Following on from that blog post and the comments I received I thought I would look at the concept of being more ‘relaxed’ in relation to parenting, but I just can’t do it. I can’t relax in the way that becomes complacent.

There is a book by Lenore Skenazy called “Free range Kids” and this book appears to be completely the opposite of the way I parent. This is not a judgement by any means just an observation as to the difference.

I just want to say on the record right now that I do not feel that there is no right or wrong way to parent but I do have concerns about supervision and safety and always will.

But....this book has, according to the grapevine, led to what can be described as the free range movement whereby she is encouraging parents to simply relax. Well, to me that is easy to say and not so easy to do and while I am all for encouraging children to have independence, freedom to play I have to say that I can only do this with limits.

I could not jump on the free range movement train. It just isn’t for me. It isn’t that I don’t trust my children I do. It isn’t that I don’t want to foster a confident independent child I do and this is where I disagree with this notion of free range parenting. You see I do not trust society to ensure that my child is safe and you know what it isn’t their responsibility to either. The problem I have with this free range parenting movement is the assumption that people in society will do the right thing and help to protect and keep my child safe. It does sadden me that I think this way but if you read the papers and watch the news and follow high profile cases then I don’t think I am over-reacting in the instinctive need to protect my children. To ensure that they are supervised and their safety is paramount. I am not suggesting that parents who embrace the free range movement do not have safety as a paramount concern and I am not suggesting that they are being neglectful in any way I am just saying it is not for me.

Personally I think it comes down to common sense and intuition on a lot of things without going too far either way. For example you can model the kind of behaviour and can talk with your child and teach them valuable tools to build on their experiences or help them develop skills to deal with situations.

But I’m going to pick myself up a copy of this book and I’ll let you know if I change my mind on things......