Abilities NEEDED To Be Successful In Our Online Class 1
We are pleased to provide a guide to families to help with determining first grade readiness. In general, we recommend that the child turns 6 years old by May 1.
Here are the abilities your child should strive to develop to be successful in first-grade classes.
My child…
Has basic gross-motor skills to run, march, skip, hop/jump rope (levity), and balance, and can bring their body to stillness. A comprehensive development of gross-motor skills are essential before moving to academic work. This is critical for optimal brain development.
Has basic fine motor skills to hold and use a crayon, paintbrush, and utensils. We encourage comprehensive gross-motor skills development before fine motor, as we will go deeper with fine motor skills in first grade by playing the recorder, writing, knitting, etc. Taking faculties from gross motor development to focus on fine motor too soon can be detrimental.
Willingly follows directions and can complete two- or three-step directions without reminders or prompts. For example,”Please go wash your hands, choose a book, and meet me on the sofa.”
Willingly stands and follows the teacher’s movements during circle time and all movement activities without reminders. Imitation is still evident.
Joins all offered activities.
Follows through on a task with minimal, if any, reminders to continue classwork.
Is aware of the needs of the group, individual classmates, and self. Can share the teacher’s attention.
Can communicate needs and self-monitor appropriate language and behavior.
Has the self-discipline to follow through on an activity until it is completed, even when working through frustration. Resilience.
Has a developing sense of responsibility for own actions and needs (for example, remembers to gather supplies before class or goes to the bathroom before class begins).
Has the ability to do quiet, focused seated work for 20 minutes.
Raises a hand to be called on by the teacher.
Can wait for a turn without speaking out to interrupt the teacher or classmates who are speaking.
Enjoys listening to stories and can recall simple details.
Has the motivation to learn new things and is interested in the world around them. Open-minded.
Has a balanced “diet” of time spent outdoors in nature and healthy physical activity. Screen use is limited to online learning with live classes, and time in front of entertainment screens and other technology throughout the day is otherwise limited.
To further prepare your child for first grade, read to your child, preferably daily or every night before bed. By age six, your child should be able to sit through chapter books without pictures. Hearing spoken stories without pictures cultivates your child’s ability to follow the thread of a story and, in the process, helps strengthen your child’s memory.
Each child develops different capacities at different times and in different ways. Readiness for first grade cannot be achieved by simply checking off all the items on a list. It requires a comprehensive consideration of the child’s abilities and willingness to participate.