Is your child ready for formal schooling? Or it would be better to say that you should prepare your child for an easy and successful transition into school. It is especially important for children with special needs because they need school readiness more than others.
What skills do children with special needs need to develop?
They learn more than the alphabet, numbers, shapes, sizes, and colors. The objective is to focus on the overall-development of kids and it is possible only when kids get the personal attention of teachers. Children with special needs can get ready for schooling only when they are trained in a supportive environment.
Following are the building blocks of school education
- Self-regulation
The ability to adapt to various situations and environments by changing emotions, behavior, and activity levels is called self-regulation. It is necessary to develop focus and build attention.
- Communication skills
Communication skills can be divided into receptive and expressive. The first thing is to apprehend the instructions given by teachers and the second thing is to respond to the teachers. Also, children need to learn to communicate with classmates.
- Controlling emotions
The ability to control emotions while communicating with teachers and classmates is a necessary skill for formal schooling. Children need to learn to control outbursts of emotions to prevent things from becoming complicated. Learning is a mind game with little room for emotions.
- Planning
Planning is an important part of the school readiness program because it helps children with special needs complete their tasks in the given time and learn time management in the long run.
- Discipline
It is the most important building block of school education. Children learn to follow rules and act according to instructions given by teachers. For example, they learn to make teams to complete assignments.
What happens during preparations for school education?
- Book reading
Children are introduced to books so they develop a liking and habit of reading books. They learn to recognize and use books. Also, they are taught to find chapters from the index to save time.
- Writing skills
Children with special needs learn to hold pencils, draw lines, and erase mistakes first with assistance and then independently. They learn to write the alphabet, numbers, and small words. The practice of creating designs and filling the designs with colors.
- Fine motor and skills development
Children learn to handle things with care. They join building blocks, use tools, and maintain cleanliness by removing residue and wastage. Fine motor skills are needed for classroom education and using education tools.
- Outings
School preparation includes visits to libraries, museums, parks, and zoos. Outings are necessary to allow children to interact with nature and the flora and fauna.
Enroll your child in a school readiness program, if you haven’t enrolled them yet. If your child has special needs, it becomes more important for you to keep the child in a supportive environment where the child can get trained to get formal schooling and lead an independent life.