After hours child care

3 Signs That Your Child Is Socially Ready For Kindergarten

15 January 2019 by Channa Van Den Acker

Your child has gotten to the right age, and you couldn't be more excited about them joining kindergarten. Even with all the excitement, one question that may linger is whether or not your child is really prepared for kindergarten — not just academically but also socially.

Kids that are not socially ready tend to have a difficult time in kindergarten, especially in the first couple of weeks before they adjust.  Here are a few tell-tale signs that you should pay attention to when gauging your child's social readiness

Ability To Share

There will be plenty of playtime in kindergarten and maybe not as many play items as there are kids. In and out of class, the kids may have to share a few things. If your child doesn't like sharing or doesn't understand what it means to take turns with others, it may stir up trouble with the other kids, with tantrums here and there. Additionally, no one will want to play with the mean kid who doesn't like to share, and this will cause your child to become alienated.

Ability To Communicate Their Emotions And Needs With Words

If your child chooses to scream at the top of their lungs, throw things around and hit others instead of communicating using their words, then they may not be ready for kindergarten after all. The other kids will probably be too afraid to get close. As a parent, you should teach your kids how to communicate in a socially appropriate manner, and that is by using their words, not their fists or screams.

You should also make a point to teach the kids polite language. At the kindergarten level, phrases such as 'thank you', 'excuse me' and 'please' should be very much a part of your kid's vocabulary.

Ability To Interpret The Emotions And Behaviors Of Others

How well does your child interpret the emotions of others? Is your child empathetic enough to offer a simple 'sorry' to another child who may be hurting? By the time your kid is joining kindergarten, they should be able to interpret and appropriately respond to the behaviour and emotion shown by others. Being able to do so will make the process of making friends much easier for the kids.

There is more to kindergarten than academics. A child who is socially ready for kindergarten will thrive, and that is why it is your responsibility as a parent to help your child develop these and other essential social skills.

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