We loved the below article from Goodstart Early Learning about school readiness. As we approach the final term of kindy for many of our Groovers, who are heading off to school next year, Miss Julie (our Under 5’s Program Manager) has added to Goodstart’s great advice below.  Check out how Jnr GymKids helps prepare your child for big school!

Is my child ready for big school?

It's the question that so many parents ask themselves. But how can you know if your child is ready for school? Well, one thing’s for sure – it’s about more than their reading and writing abilities. The fact is that school readiness – that stage when your child can transition to school with ease – will often depend more on emotional and social factors than academic ones. What skills do children need for school? A lot of school readiness is about social and emotional maturity – and this can’t be fast-tracked. So it’s important that each child receives a personalised approach to learning that suits their specific needs and interests. This is central to our aim of making every child school-ready. We know that children require a number of different skills before they attend school. Some may seem small but they can have a big effect on how smoothly they transition.

These are some of the factors that help determine school readiness:

Physical well being Factors include being healthy, well-fed, well-rested, and being able to concentrate, sit and listen, grip a pencil, turn pages, go to the toilet, dress themselves and wash their hands. Junior Gym Kids classes are a staple to building physically well-being. Core strength to sit and monkey bar arms & grip, help build your child’s stamina, which they will need to maintain focus & last all day learning at big school. Social competence This is about getting along with other children, coping with stress, playing on their own and with other children, and learning new tasks. Children learn to hold their own at gymnastics, working in a big group with games, warm ups & parachute play.  Taking turns, sharing equipment, and focusing on what they’re doing, supports a strong social competence Emotional maturity The ability to self-manage their emotions, have with interactions with adults, develop friendships and cope with change are key to being ready for school. As Junior Gym Kids classes are filled with excitement, energy, focus and new challenges each week, our coaches use many strategies to support children’s maturing emotional development, building confidence and control. Language and cognitive skills Basic counting, following instructions thinking for themselves and being able to read and write their own name are good indicators. We count our steps, jumps and bean bags at Jnr Gym Kids.  We count how long we can hold our shapes and how many can fit in our hoop. We use image cards, symbols and cues to support following instructions making decisions.  Children are encouraged to find their name on their class group buckets each week. Movement richly extends language, literacy and numeracy skills as well as building great thinkers and listeners.  Communication and general knowledge We look for basic conversational skills, manners, the ability to communicate their needs and an understanding the wider world. The Junior Gym Kids themes have us chatting and discussing all sorts of ideas and concepts. How big were dinosaurs? Why do bees like flowers? When do the rainbows come out in the sky? Does a turtle go fast or slow?  Asking their coach for help, encouraging & cheering on friend & saying thank you for stamps at the end of class are all seamless communications practiced at gymnastics. We are all about cheering on our Groovers as they take on their independent challenges.  We love to think we are helping you prepare them for school as they learn through gymnastics! Want to read some more?  https://deltagym.com.au/prepare-your-child-for-school/