One Of The Signs Of School Readiness Is Communication Skills: Here's A Milestone Checklist

Editor’s note: Your kids are not likely to go to school physically any time soon because of COVID-19. But it doesn’t mean a school is out of the question. You will find options on homeschooling, blended learning, and distance education on Smart Parenting Classroom. But is your child ready for preschool?

School readiness very much applies even in a remote setup. And with the global health crisis, parents need to take an even more active role in assessing their child. One of the signs of preschool readiness is a child’s communication skills.

Children should be able to communicate wants and needs that an unfamiliar adult can understand. Being able to communicate lessens the frustration of your child, and it will also prevent meltdowns. It also aids in socialization or making friends.

This is crucial: All evidence tells us that to improve communication skills, parents must engage in face-to-face conversations with children.

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Signs of communication development (ages 3 to 5) 

Does your child...

• let you know when he is hungry, tired, sad, happy, upset?
• know how to ask for help?

How you can help your child’s communication development

1. Model how to use words or gestures and practice together.
2. Do a lot of practice face-to-face talking.
3. Limit gadget use.
4. If your child has certain words or gestures, let the teacher know about them

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Communication development checklist

In the National Institute of Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD) website, they share a checklist for Hearing and Communicative Development. Here are some of the communicative items per age.

3 to 4 years

• Answers simple “Who?” “What?” “Where?” and “Why?” questions
• Talks about activities at daycare, preschool, or friends’ homes
• Uses sentences with four or more words
• Speaks easily without having to repeat syllables or words

4 to 5 years

• Uses sentences that give many details
• Tells stories that stay on topic
• Communicates easily with other children and adults
• Says most sounds correctly except a few (l, s, r, v, z, ch, sh, th)
• Uses rhyming words
• Names some letters and numbers
• Uses adult grammar

Barbara Server-Veloso is known as Teacher Thumby in her preschool, Toddlers Unlimited, and Ms. Thumby in her grade school, Thinkers Unlimited, Alabang. She is also a partner in Spark Discovery Center in Jupiter Street, Makati where she teaches the Baby and Me Class. Teacher Thumby has a Masters degree from the University of the Philippines in Family Life and Child Development. She has been teaching since 1993. She is also the mother of Lucas and Verena.

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