Soft and academic skills should determine school readiness say parents

Parents think that a child should start school when they have the emotional, social and academic ability to do it and the child’s age is less of a concern.

76% of parents feel social confidence, followed by verbal confidence (61%), emotional maturity (58 %) and a degree of reading ability (40%) are the top things that a child needs when it comes to school readiness.

A child’s social confidence was a major factor for 88% of single parents and 79% of Generation X-aged parents. Meanwhile, prior reading ability was a big priority for 51% of Millennial-aged parents and 48% of full-time working mums and dads.

Just 8% of parents felt that no child under the age of five should start school under any circumstances.

Psychologist Kim Shortridge from The Sydney Psychology Centre in Mosman, says being socially confident and verbally articulate can certainly be helpful for children in kindergarten, as it can assist kids to feel more confident in finding and making friends. She says if parents are unsure as to if a child is “emotionally mature” enough to start school there are several things to look out for.

“Children should be able to recognise their own emotions, and regulate those emotions wherever possible, so they’re not too dependent on an adult to help them,” she said. “Therefore, a child should be able to know what emotions like frustration feels like and be able to implement strategies like taking deep breaths to get back in control. Crying readily, shouting, poor persistence when things are tough, and tantrums, are all signs that a child might need some help honing their emotion regulation skills before they are ready to start kindergarten.”

Half of all parents surveyed (53%) believe competency in core skills can determine whether a child is ready to start school or not. In addition to reading ability, 34% of parents feel some prior writing skills are needed, and 2% say a child should have some basic maths knowledge.

The results came from a national survey of parents of children aged 12 or under conducted for online children’s reading program ABC Reading Eggs. The study was conducted by YouGov Galaxy on an omnibus survey between 9 - 11 July, 2019. The survey was administered online amongst a nationally representative sample of 403 Australian parents aged 18 years and older with a child aged 0 – 12 years, distributed throughout Australia covering NSW, ACT, VIC, TAS, QLD, SA and WA.

ABC Reading Eggs literacy consultant Sara Leman, an experienced teacher and literacy specialist, believes it’s only natural for parents to be anxious about school readiness when it comes to ability. “Understandably, many parents feel pressured to teach their child to read and write before starting school,” she said.

“However, these skills are not prerequisites. Teachers are generally more interested in knowing that the child is socially, emotionally and physically mature enough to handle school life. Having said that, young children have an incredible capacity to learn new skills. I would certainly encourage parents to harness their child’s natural curiosity and enthusiasm, and to introduce them to some basic literacy skills before starting school.”

According to Leman, who was instrumental in developing both ABC Reading Eggs and the Mathseeds numeracy program, research has shown that being literate is crucial for children’s social, emotional and academic well-being.

“We can encourage future success by teaching key literacy skills whilst children are engaged, motivated and wanting to learn,” said Leman. “It’s very important to teach young children the five essential skills they need to become fluent and confident readers. These skills include phonics instruction, vocabulary building and comprehension.

“This is why a program like Reading Eggs is a good tool as it allows parents to feel confident that their child is learning the fundamental literacy skills they need in a safe, engaging and educationally rigorous way.”

The ABC Reading Eggs program, for kids aged two to 13, is one reading program that has had a lot of success since its inception more than 10 years ago. The program has been used by more than 10 million children worldwide.

“In today’s increasingly digital world, educational apps such as ABC Reading Eggs are providing reassurance for many parents who worry about too much passive screen time,” Leman said. “Reading Eggs encourages children to work at their own pace and individual level whilst remaining actively engaged at all times. The program is educationally sound, highly motivational and rewarding. It allows parents to cheer their children on and to celebrate their child’s reading success.”

Psycologist Shortridge reminds parents that careful discussion is needed with a child’s pre-school educator to assess whether a child is ready'for school. “There are many children who are so thirsty for knowledge, that keeping them at home an extra year is not in their best interests,” she said. “So, if a child seems almost ready for school, in the lead up to the start of school they might benefit from some extra time around same-aged peers."