School Readiness Skills with Free Printable

​It's the end of the academic year in the northern hemisphere.
It's the middle of the school year here in Australia.

Why are we talking about school readines?! 
​
Helping our children to be ready for school does not happen overnight. It doesn't even happen in just a few weeks. We are taking a look at the strong foundations that are needed in the preschool years (approx 3 - 4 years of age). 

When some parents hear the words school readiness, they often think about letters, numbers and learning to write a name. That's only a small piece of the puzzle, a small part of being ready for school. 

School readiness begins long before a child sits at a desk. As an occupational therapist, I'm looking at a holistic view of readiness; developing the physical, cognitive and self-help skills that allow children to participate confidently in classroom activities. These foundational skills are built through play, movement and everyday experiences.

Here are the key areas to focus on before they start school.
1. Gross Motor Skills
Gross motor skills develop the large muscles of the body. They are essential for sitting upright at a table, navigating the playground, joining in sport and having the stamina to get through a busy school day. Children this age love and challenge their gross motor capabilities. Provide opportunities such as:

• Riding a tricycle or scooter
• Climbing playground equipment
• Obstacle courses
• Balancing on beams or stepping stones
• Drawing or painting on a vertical surface

These activities build core strength, balance, coordination and motor planning.

2. Fine Motor Skills
Fine motor skills are important for managing classroom tools such as crayons, scissors, craft supplies and pencils. They are also important for managing cutlery, fastenings (like buttons, zippers and toggles), and daily tasks such as opening packaging, undoing bottles, opening/closing lunch boxes and more!
Some favourite fine motor activities include:

• Playdough (so many ideas HERE)
• Tongs and tweezers (check out my favourite tongs HERE)
• Threading beads (read a developmental progression of threading HERE)
• Pegs/Clothespins (I have some ideas HERE)
• Finger painting and stamping (free printable HERE)

You will have many more fine motor skills ideas on my social media pages and website.  

3. Bilateral Coordination
Many everyday school activities require both hands to work together. It's also helpful to encourage children to reach across their body (crossing the midline), which supports the development of a preferred hand for writing. The ability to cross the midline also affects posture, alignment of writing on the page, stability of the writing page (with the helper hand) and directionality for reading and writing. Read more about bilateral coordination HERE.
Bilateral coordination activities include:

• Cutting with scissors
• Holding paper while drawing
• Opening lunch containers
• Dressing independently

Activities like threading, construction toys, pretend cooking and craft help to build bilateral coordination.

4. Visual-Perceptual Skills
Children need to interpret what they see. These skills underpin reading, mathematics, handwriting and problem solving. Read more about visual perceptual skills HERE. 
Visual-perceptual skills help children:

• Complete puzzles
• Match and sort objects
• Recognise patterns
• Notice similarities and differences
• Understand shapes, colours and sequences

Simple games and everyday play provide plenty of opportunities to develop these abilities. Take a look at my room tour video of some of my favourite shapes and visual motor activities HERE. 

5. Tool Use and Early Writing Skills
It's important not to rush to writing! Offer short crayons or pencils, encourage drawing and tracing, colour within simple outlines and practise cutting along lines before moving to drawing basic shapes. The goal isn't neat handwriting at this age. 

When we (ie.occupational therapists) talk about "pre-writing skills" we are referring to drawing simple lines, shapes, representational drawing and even scribble. We are helping children to make visual motor connections, develop spatial awareness and make intentional marks. 

• Try drawing together, adding lines and talking about what these lines represent. 
• Try tracing around objects (eg. plates, blocks, scissors, cutlery, child's hand, etc).
• Try rubbing over leaves or coins. 
• Try chalk drawing on the footpath/pavement, driveway, brick wall. 
• Try "water painting" on any outdoor surfaces (this was a favourite for my own children when they were this age). 
• Try "drawing" in sand with toys, a paintbrush or even a golf tee!

I was visiting a preschool recently and overheard an educator speak with a parent. The educator was describing how the child was holding the pencil a certain way and how she would like to see them move towards a tripod grasp. She was also explaining how they were helping the child getting ready for school through various activities. 

I was listening and wishing that I had a resource that I could offer the educator, who in turn could offer it to the parents she met with.  So, I designed it! 

This printable contains (the information in this article):

• ✓ Key school readiness skills for 3–4 year olds
• ✓ Simple, everyday activities to encourage development through play
• ✓ Information about pencil grasp development and what is typically expected at this age
• ✓Tips to strengthen gross motor, fine motor, bilateral coordination, visual-perceptual and pre-writing skills
• ✓ Ideal for parent education, a teacher resource and as therapy handouts

The best thing is that I'm giving this printable to you for FREE. Download this today from the Your Kids OT shop. 

School Readiness Skills FREE Printable

Looking for More School Readiness Ideas? Read some of previous blog articles

• Five ways to get your child's body and mind ready for school
• 10 things to practise before starting big school
• Helping anxious children with school
• School Readiness Checklist​
• I'm ready for School (lift the flap morning checklist)

Until next time!

Cindy is a registered occupational therapist practising in Sydney, Australia.  She has two growing children who are a constant source of inspiration and learning.  Cindy loves working creatively to help children to reach their potential, finding opportunities in everyday living and making learning fun. She is also addicted to making printables (even when they take a long time to complete).  Cindy is the author of the Occupational Therapy blog Your Kids OT.  Read more articles from Your Kids OT at https://www.yourkidsot.com/blog

Cindy is a contributing author of the Functional Skills for Kids Therapy Team.  They have together published THE HANDWRITING BOOK, THE SCISSORS SKILLS BOOK and THE TOILETING BOOK.

​The information on this site is general in nature. The activities are safe for most children, however, you should consult an Occupational Therapist or health professional to address specific movement, sensory or other medical conditions. Affiliate links are used throughout this website to promote recommended products. Your Kids OT receives a small commission if any purchases are made through these links. Please see my disclosure policy for more details. ​​​
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