Ready to Learn: The Changing Meaning of School Readiness

What does it mean for a child to be ready for school?

For many years, school readiness was primarily thought of in academic terms, such as knowing letters and numbers, recognizing shapes and colors, writing a name, and following directions. But educators are increasingly recognizing that before children can access academic learning, they need to be ready to learn.

Heidi Tringali, MS, OTR/L, speaking to parents at a LEAD Together event in the Taft Early School building.

When pediatric occupational therapist Heidi Tringali, MS, OTR/L, visited Seven Hills to speak with our families, she described learning readiness as being:

• Cognitively Organized: The brain is able to take in new information, process, and store it and have easy access to it for future use.
• Physically Calm: This is not the opposite of excitability. It lies between excitability and lethargy. It means that the body’s need for, or avoidance of, movement does not interfere with age-appropriate tasks.
• Socially Connected: Feeling connected enough to others that what they say matters.

Readiness isn’t simply about getting children to sit still or behave appropriately. It is about developing the ability to manage their bodies, emotions, attention, and responses so they can participate successfully in learning and relationships.

Heidi Tringali, MS, OTR/L, speaking to parents at a LEAD Together event in the Doherty library.

There are three skills that are essential for school success that more and more children are arriving at school without: holding a thought, being a first-time listener, and waiting without entertainment.
Imagine being in a classroom with 10 students who are still developing all three of these skills. Teachers can quickly find themselves spending more time managing behavior than facilitating learning.

These skills don’t develop on their own. They need to be intentionally taught, practiced, and named for children. Let’s look at each one.

Holding a Thought

Holding a thought means being able to wait to say what you want to say until it is your turn. Young children are often so excited to share an idea that they talk over others or blurt things out at inappropriate times.

This skill takes practice. Before sitting down for a family conversation at dinner, tell your child that you are going to practice holding a thought. Explain that they will need to keep their idea in their head until it is their turn to speak. Start the conversation yourself and ask your child to wait.

As your child becomes successful, make your stories or explanations a little longer. The important part is to name the skill: “You are practicing holding a thought until it is your turn.”

Being a First-time Listener

Being a first-time listener means listening and responding when you are asked to do something the first time. Children quickly learn how many times an adult will repeat a direction before they really need to respond. We can help them develop the habit of listening and responding right away.

Before giving your child a direction, tell them what you are practicing: “We are going to practice being a first-time listener. I’m going to ask you to do something one time, and we’re going to see if you can do it.” Start with a simple, one-step direction.

As your child becomes successful, gradually increase the complexity of the task. Remember to notice the success: “You listened the first time. That’s being a first-time listener!”

waiting without entertainment

The final skill is waiting without entertainment. This means being able to wait without a cell phone, iPad, snack, book, or other source of entertainment. This is an essential school skill. Children wait for other students, wait in line, wait for their teacher’s attention, and wait for their turn. There is a lot of waiting at school.

Look for opportunities to let your child practice waiting. When you know they will need to wait, tell them ahead of time: “We’re going to practice waiting today.” Resist the urge to immediately fill the time with entertainment. You might even tell your child that waiting gives their brain a chance to do some interesting things. When the wait is over, ask, “What did you think about while you were waiting?”

These may seem like small skills, but they have a big impact on a child’s ability to participate in a classroom. The goal isn’t perfection. It is giving children repeated opportunities to practice these skills so that, over time, they become part of how they navigate the world.

So, what are other ways that you, as a parent, can help your child? The good news is that it is not hard. Many of the skills children need to become ready learners can be developed through everyday experiences.

Give your child plenty of opportunities for active movement and outdoor play, especially before activities that require attention. Have them practice waiting, listening, taking turns, and doing things independently, even when it takes a little longer. Allow your child to experience manageable frustration rather than immediately stepping in to fix things. Boredom is a gift to your child. Let them be bored and see where their brain takes them and help them put words to what their body and emotions are telling them. Create predictable routines that help children know what to expect.

Most importantly, remember that self-regulation develops over time. Your job isn’t to make sure your child is perfectly regulated all the time. It is to provide opportunities to practice these skills and to help them learn what they need to get themselves ready to learn.

At Seven Hills, we see readiness as something we build together. Families and teachers each play an important role in helping our young learners develop the skills they need to participate fully in a classroom community.

Our goal is not to rush children toward the next stage or expect them to arrive already knowing how to do everything. It is to give them the time, experiences, relationships, and support they need to grow.

When we give children opportunities to move, play, connect, struggle, problem-solve, and try again, we are helping them develop more than readiness for school. We are building the foundation for becoming confident, capable, and curious learners.