Submitted by Rebecca Edsall, Marathon, NY

My child seems "knowledge ready" for Kindergarten, but has a hard time making friends and sitting for "lessons". He has a summer birthday and will be young if he goes. How do I know if he is ready for Kindergarten?

Answered by Eliza Clark , Savvy Source Parenting & Preschool Editor

Your child's preschool teacher can give you most of the answer to this question, but as a parent it is useful to know what sorts of things a teacher looks for in a kindergarten kid. Overall, it is not so important that a child enter kindergarten with any particular set of knowledge, but rather that he or she be equipped and ready to learn in a school setting.

Self-care skills
Most kindergarten classes have a significantly lower teacher-student ratio than in preschool, so it is important that the children be able to handle their own basic needs. Among these: wiping their own noses; using the toilet independently; washing their own hands; taking off and putting on their own coats, hats, shoes; eating unassisted; cleaning up after themselves; and so on.

Social skills
Learning in a large group requires everyone's cooperation, so social skills are crucial. A child will do fine if he or she can separate comfortably from a parent or caregiver; follow an adult's directions; play well with a group of other children; sit and listen for short periods (circle time!); understand and follow basic rules.

Intellectual skills
Here is it important to caution that children learns letters and numbers and all the rest at dramatically different rates at this age, and generally most kids catch up to each other a couple of years down the line.  When entering kindergarten, the key is that a child be comfortable in a school setting and express curiosity and eagerness to learn.  Tell-tale signs of readiness are: an interest in books and reading; knowing some songs and rhymes; recognition and/or writing of some letters; pretending to read and write; knowing how to use pencils and scissors; expressing ideas through drawing; ability to retell a story; counting to twenty; willingness to try to complete a task.