Why do we send our children to school? This is a question asked by an ambitious parent to our Headmistress in a Parents Teachers Meeting (PTM) when a discussion on how parents can help their children flourish in education was ongoing. The purpose of the question was very evident. The parent imperatively wished to say that it is the duty of the school to improve the students. This is the approach of most of the parents, as in today’s times’ parents are busy earning their livelihood. Not taking the query of such parents otherwise, we are trying to answer this for every busy parent to observe the child as they grow and see to it that apart from scholastic development, the child also develops some age-based skills. Proper development of the child can be assured only if parents and teachers work together from improvement and development. At this juncture, we are discussing for an age group of 5 to 8 years.
- Age-based skills for 5 to 8 years: Does your child aged between 05 to 08 years perform the following tasks or possess these skills
- Self- Awareness and Self-Reliance
- Can your child express his/her thoughts clearly and without fear?
- Does your child have a sense of pee and toilet? Can he/she express her desire to visit the loo before it’s too late or before they get wet?
- Can your child eat meals on its own or do you still need to feed them? Does he/she have a sense of becoming hungry and asking for food and eating food on its own?
- Is your child aware as regards wastage of food? Can he/she finish the plate? Do they know that one should not waste food?
- Is your child sensible enough to put the soiled dish in the wash area or wash basin after completing meals?
- Is your child sensible enough to come to the dining table of meals or do you have to feed them at front of the TV or in the sitting room?
- Is your child aware to put the vessels back in its rack or store after use?
- Can your child fetch water for him/her own self? Can he/she fill up the glass and drink water without wasting or spilling it in your absence?
- Is your child aware towards cleanliness and hygiene? Can they keep themselves tidy?
- Can your child take bath without your help? Are they aware to close the tap after use and not to waste water?
- Can your child keep the small and silly articles of your house in its proper place without breaking them?
- Is your child aware to keep the books and bag at proper place after use? Are they refined enough not to throw the school bag anywhere after they return from school?
- Does your child have a habit of removing shoes and keeping them in the shoe rack before entering the sitting room?
- Does your child like to travel? Can he/she pack their bag? Can he/she consider taking necessary clothes and articles and put them in the bag before leaving for travel?
- Can you child fetch grocery from a nearby shop on its own? Can you trust your child with some money and ask him/her to fetch some household stuff from a nearby store? Can they accomplish such task?
- Family and Social Awareness:
- Is your child aware of different relations within a family like Brother, Sister, cousins, Grandpa, Grandma, Uncle, Aunt, etc.?
- Is your child sensible enough to willingly share food and other stuff with brother, sister or other family members?
- Does your child remember and rejoice with family members and School Friends on his/her birthday?
- Does your child willingly and happily participate in the birthdays of his/her friends?
- Does your child gracefully visit the temple, church or places of worship? Is he/she aware of idols or images of different God/Goddesses, Saints/ Prophets?
- Can your child recite a prayer by-heart without reading it from a book? Does your child have a habit of reciting the prayer at different times of day like before leaving home for school, before taking meals, before going to bed, etc.?
- Does your child prefer to play outdoor games with friends in the neighborhood or family friends? Does your child play with the outdoor games like hide & seeks, cricket, football, etc.?
- Is your child sensible and graceful enough not to hurt anyone during play? And to say sorry if done accidentally?
- Can your child take care of any younger sibling? Can they behave cooperatively with them?
- Awareness towards Education and School:
- Does your child happily leave for school? Does your child like to go to school regularly?
- Is your child aware as to who is the Teacher / Principal of his/her school? Can he/she recognize or identify them if they meet outside school?
- Is your child on good terms with the teacher? Is he/she respectful and feeling full for the teacher?
- Does your child know the basic numbers from 1 to 100? Can he/she recognize what number it is?
- Can you child his/her name with good writing?
- Does your child inform you about the verbal or written instructions they received at school?
- Can your child identify things that do not belong to him/her and does he/she return them to its owner?
- Does your child bring back all the articles they took to school? Or do they have a bad habit of forgetting things often at school?
- Is your child obedient? Can he/she ask for something to the teacher in the class? Can he/she ask questions to the teacher to settle his/her curiosity?
- Is your child having reasonable listening skills, logic, smartness, sportsman spirit, and such good values inculcated? Do you believe that your child must possess some or all of the above values?
- General Knowledge, Interest and Other Activity:
- Can your child name the household appliances like mixer, fan, heater, chair, table, etc.?
- Can your child identify the different tastes of food like salty, chilly, sour, sweet, etc.? Do you feel your child’s taste buds have developed as per his/her age?
- Can your child identify and feel things with different temperature like hot, cold, chilled, temperate, etc.? Is your child touch sensitive? Do you feel your child’s touch senses have developed as her his/her age?
- Can your child identify the different categories and types of toys? Does he/she have a general liking towards electronic toys?
- Can you child arrange and solve different puzzles as per his/her age?
- Can your child recognize the different colors and shapes?
- Can your child identify different types of animals by looking at the images or by listening to their voice?
- Can your child identify amongst plants, trees, creepers, and shrubs?
- Can your child identify different fruits, vegetables, flowers, pulses available in the market?
- Is your child generally aware of the Sun, Moon, different planets and stars?
- Does your child find pleasure in reading children stories? Can they imagine the characters? Do you feel that your child is good at imagination?
- Does your child find pleasure in singing, dancing, playing, drawing, etc. activities?
- Does your child find pleasure when it’s raining? Has your child ever experienced how it feels when one gets wet in the rains?
- Does your child have the sensitivity towards other living beings, plants, animals? Can he/she sympathize with them?
- Can your child speak the names of the neighboring towns or cities?
- Does your child know how to celebrate different festivals? Can he/she joyfully celebrate different festivals even the ones that they are not involved?
- Does your child know the full address of the home? Can he report the full address of his/her home or the mobile numbers of parents if required?
- Can your child do cut and paste activity? Can he/she identify different colors and stick it to the shapes given to them?
The above are the chores that the said age group child can easily do. Parents need to assure that the child learns such basic skills and they can expect the child to develop scholastic achievement. Parents must take help of the school/class teacher if they face any issues while developing such skills in the children.
Wish you happy grooming of your child.
