School Readiness is Not What You Think.
If a child starts school developmentally behind, they don’t just catch up.
They struggle quietly.
They feel different.
School moves quickly.
Instructions get longer.
Sitting still is expected.
Listening becomes constant.
Independence is assumed.
If a child’s language, emotional regulation or attention isn’t ready -
they can’t do what everyone else is doing.
And here’s what happens next.
They watch.
They copy.
They guess.
They start to believe they’re not as clever.
By Year 3 or 4, it doesn’t look like “school readiness” anymore.
It looks like:
• Low confidence
• Avoidance
• Rushing
• Behavioural issues
• “Careless mistakes”
But the roots grew much earlier.
School readiness is not about reading at four.
It’s about:
Can they listen and hold instructions?
Can they regulate when frustrated?
Can they express what they don’t understand?
Can they separate confidently from you?
Can they perform basic self-care? Hand washing, undoing trouser buttons to use the bathroom? Putting on socks, their coat? Feeding themselves?
If those foundations aren’t there, the academic gap widens over time, because their brains have other things to learn, which should have been learned before.
So, waiting till they are older, doesn’t slow school down. It speeds school up. Everything moves along faster, even though they can't catch a breath.
This isn’t about pressure.
It’s about preparation.
Parents matter more than they’re told. They need to stop being sold the lie that someone else will take care of their child - they won't they can't.
Professionals have too many children to care for at a time. Parents can't let go of the reins.
If children are not prepared for school properly, their brains go into survival and when they are busy coping, they aren't learning and that's when they simply fall behind.
Save this. You’ might need it later.
#schoolreadiness
#earlyyears
#parentingtruth
#childdevelopment
#receptionparents
#mumlife
#raisingchildren
