Parental dilemmas: when is a child ready and when is not ready for kindergarten?

When parents enroll their child in kindergarten, they are usually accompanied by many fears, especially when the baby has not attended nursery before. When a child is not ready for kindergarten, is there any way to recognize this? What problems with adaptation in the facility may indicate that the child is not yet suitable for kindergarten? 

This article is dedicated to all parents who are looking for information about their child's preschool readiness.

What is preschool readiness, at what age is it most common?

Kindergarten readiness is a set of important skills thanks to which the child will not only find himself very well in the facility (i.e. in the non-family environment), but will also derive a number of benefits from attending kindergarten, including group classes or playing with peers. When a child is not ready for kindergarten, at what age are toddlers still too young for kindergarten?

How can you recognize when a child is not fit for kindergarten?

Kindergarten readiness is a set of many features and skills of a child that parents can observe on their own at home, and in case of doubt consult their observations with a psychologist, eg in a psychological and pedagogical counseling centre.

When you think that the child is not jeszcze ready for kindergarten make sure you have mastered the following skills

Self-service

The ladies at the nursery are helpful. However, it is important that the baby is able to deal with certain challenges in a basic way:

• Food: the toddler can still make a bit of a mess or help himself with his hands, but he should already be able to scoop food on his own with a spoon / fork and accurately put it in his mouth.
• Using a Potty or Padded Toilet: when a child is not fit for kindergarten — Of course, the use of diapers does not automatically disqualify the child from going to kindergarten, but it is worth making sure that the child knows how to use a potty or a toilet with an overlay before going to the facility. If necessary, the educators will certainly help the preschooler, among others: Wipe your bum after defecating.
• Daily hygiene activities, including: self-washing and drying hands, self-brushing of teeth.
• Dressing and undressing yourself: in the basic scope (educators will help to fasten buttons and zippers).

Communication and interpersonal relations

• Signaling needs: when a baby needs something, something is wrong with it.
• Relationships with people outside the family circle: it's normal for toddlers to be shy, but once they get used to the situation, can a child relate to adults and children?
• Parting with parents: Can a child stay without mom and dad, even for a few hours?

Focus on the task

Pre-school children are expected to concentrate for several minutes, e.g. doing art work or listening to a story read by the teacher

When is a child not suitable for kindergarten? The above-mentioned skills do not have to be mastered by the toddler perfectly (over time, there will still be time for it in kindergarten), but it is important that the child presents them in the basic scope.

When the child is not jeszcze ready for kindergartenbut has to go to the facility: what can be done?

If you are concerned that your child is not ready for preschool yet, it is worth implementing an appropriate action plan in advance. Let's not force anything.

Let's focus on equipping the child with competences that will be very useful not only in kindergarten, but above all in the next years of life.

Learning to be independent

When a child is not ready for kindergarten because he cannot eat or dress himself, let's stop trying to do everything for the toddler. Let's cheer him on and show that independence can be very rewarding! 

Opportunities to acquire social competences

When we are afraid that the child is not ready for kindergarten because of his shyness - let's try to give him as often as possible the opportunity to contact with people outside the family.

Reading and talking about kindergarten

When we subconsciously feel that the child is not ready for kindergarten, let's buy some books whose characters start their preschool adventure. Let reading together be the starting point for conversations about what to expect, what a preschooler's day looks like (however, let's try to avoid coloring).

These are just examples of inspirations showing how you can help your toddler prepare for starting preschool education. When we believe that a child is not suitable for kindergarten, but the life situation forces us to enroll a toddler in a facility, it is worth talking to e.g. with the teachers of our chosen kindergarten.

Problems with adaptation in kindergarten: when may indicate that the child is not suitable jeszcze to kindergarten?

Children, at the beginning of their preschool adventure, are accompanied by stress and that's it completely understandable. Even adults, faced with challenges, such as the first week in a new job, feel stressed and tense. When is a child not suitable for kindergarten?

Parents should be concerned about the following situations:

• educators report that in kindergarten for several weeks the child is constantly depressed, does not want to eat, does not make contact with children and carers;
• After returning home, the child behaves differently than before — is sad, does not feel like playing his favorite games, etc.;
• every trip to kindergarten and goodbye to the parent ends with the child severe abdominal pain, and sometimes also gastric complaints among others vomiting, diarrhea.

These are just some of the signs that may indicate that your child is not ready for kindergarten yet. If adaptation in the facility is very difficult, do not hesitate to talk to the child's educators and/or seek advice from a child psychologist.