School Readiness Checklist: 10 Skills Beyond ABCs and 123s

Starting ‘big school’ marks the beginning of an exciting new chapter, with many teachers and support staff playing a role in your child’s growth and development over time. Real school readiness isn’t about ticking off reading, writing, or counting early; it’s about building the confidence, social skills, and independence that help children feel secure and ready to learn. While children are at school to gain these skills, spending a little time building some foundations before they start can make those first weeks and months at big school feel calmer and more enjoyable for everyone.

What does “school readiness” really mean?

When we hear the term ‘school readiness’, it’s easy to think of children who can already read, write their name, or count to 100. But real school readiness is much broader than ABCs and 123s. It’s about your child feeling secure, curious, and capable in a brand-new environment.

Below are 10 key school readiness skills that early childhood experts look for, along with simple, practical ways you can support them at home over summer.

1. Feeling safe and secure away from parents

One of the most significant aspects of starting school is separating from parents or carers at drop-off. Children who feel safe and secure are more likely to settle, join in and learn. This often means they can say goodbye (even if they’re a bit teary) and then calm fairly quickly, and can stay with trusted adults like educators or relatives without you.

How to Prepare Your Child for School: Tips for Parents

• Plan short playdates or stays with grandparents or trusted friends.
• Practice a simple goodbye routine, such as a hug, a phrase (“Have a great day, I’ll see you this afternoon”), then leave confidently. 
• Talk positively about school: the teacher, new friends, and fun activities.

2. Managing big feelings (emotional regulation)

School days come with new routines, rules and expectations. Children don’t need to be perfectly calm all the time, but it helps if they’re learning how to manage big feelings. This might look like sometimes using words, not just actions, when they’re frustrated, and still getting upset at times but being able to be comforted and supported to calm down and return to play.

How to Prepare Your Child for School: Tips for Parents

• Name feelings: “You’re feeling really angry because it’s time to leave the park.”
• Practice calming strategies together – big belly breaths, a quiet cuddle corner, or squeezing a soft toy.
• Read picture books about emotions and talk about what the characters could do.
  In our Teach A Rainbow program at Edge Early Learning, educators use everyday moments – like sharing, turn-taking and changes in routine as opportunities to help children name their feelings and practise calming strategies.

3. Playing, sharing and taking turns with others

School is very social. Being able to join in play, wait their turn and share space and resources makes the classroom feel safer and more enjoyable. This might look like your child playing alongside or with other children, and starting to learn – with reminders – to share toys, take turns and use gentle hands.

How to Prepare Your Child for School: Tips for Parents

• Organise playdates or visits to the park where your child can practise playing with others.
• Use board games or simple card games to practise turn-taking.
• Model words like, “Can I have a turn when you’re finished?” or “Let’s use a timer to share.”
• Through group play and collaborative experiences within Teach A Rainbow, children learn how to build friendships, solve small conflicts and feel part of a community – all important foundations for starting school.

4. Listening, understanding and following simple instructions

In a busy classroom, children are often asked to listen, follow group instructions and switch between activities. This means your child can usually follow one or two-step instructions, like “Put your shoes on and grab your hat,” and can stop and listen when their name is called.

How to Prepare Your Child for School: Tips for Parents

• Turn instructions into fun: “First, hop to your room. Then, grab your pyjamas.
• Play games like Simon Says or Follow the Leader to practise listening.
• Give clear, simple instructions and praise them when they follow through.
  

5. Talking, asking questions and expressing needs

Children don’t need advanced language skills, but they do benefit from being able to tell a teacher when they’re hurt, confused, or need help. This includes being able to tell an adult if they’re hungry, need the toilet, or feel unwell, and answering simple questions while sharing ideas in their own words.

How to Prepare Your Child for School: Tips for Parents

• Encourage them to order their own babycino or say hello at the checkout.
• Practice phrases like, “Excuse me, I need help,” or “I don’t understand.”
• Talk often – describe what you’re doing, ask open questions, and let them finish their thoughts.

6. Curiosity and willingness to “have a go”

School is full of new experiences. It helps when children are curious and willing to try, even if they’re not sure they’ll get it right the first time. This might look like your child asking questions, exploring new things, and sometimes having a go at something challenging with a little encouragement and support from you or their educators.

How to Prepare Your Child for School: Tips for Parents

• Follow their interests – bugs, baking, building, drawing and exploring together.
• Use encouraging language: “You’re still learning this. Let’s try again together.”
• Celebrate effort more than outcomes: “You worked really hard on that puzzle.”
  

7. Independence with everyday tasks

Little things like managing their bag, lunchbox and belongings help children feel more confident and less overwhelmed. This includes your child being able to have a go at opening their lunchbox, food containers, and drink bottle, and beginning to manage toileting and handwashing independently.

How to Prepare Your Child for School: Tips for Parents

• Practise “school days” at home: pack a bag, open containers, sit for a snack.
• Involve them in dressing themselves, putting shoes on, and hanging up their hat.
• Visit the school and walk through where bags, toilets, and classrooms are (if possible).

8. Fine motor skills – hands ready for drawing and writing

Children don’t need to write sentences before school, but they do benefit from hands and fingers that are strong and ready for drawing, cutting, and early writing. This means your child enjoys activities like drawing, painting, threading, or building, and can practise holding crayons, pencils, or scissors with growing control.

How to Prepare Your Child for School: Tips for Parents

• Offer playdough, threading beads, LEGO, peg boards, and stickers.
• Encourage drawing treasure maps, birthday cards, or “shopping lists.”
• Let them snip paper with child-safe scissors with close supervision.
  

9. Gross motor skills – bodies ready for active days

School days involve sitting on the mat, playing outside, climbing, and sometimes carrying a bag that feels big on little shoulders. Children who are developing strong gross motor skills can run, jump, climb and balance with increasing confidence, and are able to sit on the floor for short periods during story time.

How to Prepare Your Child for School: Tips for Parents

• Spend time at the park – climbing, swinging, sliding and balancing.
• Play simple ball games: rolling, throwing, catching.
• Have short “story time” at home where you sit together on the floor with a book.

10. Resilience and coping with change

Starting school is a big transition. Children don’t need to love every moment straight away, but it helps if they’re beginning to build resilience – the ability to bounce back and keep trying. Your child may feel nervous or unsure, but can be comforted and return to play, and is starting to cope with small disappointments, like losing a game or when plans change.

• How to Prepare Your Child for School: Tips for Parents
• Talk openly about what school will be like – new friends, new teachers, new routines.
• Share your own stories of learning something new and feeling a bit nervous.
• Reassure them: “It’s okay to feel unsure. I know you can do hard things, and your teacher will help you.”

How Edge Early Learning supports school readiness with Teach A Rainbow

At Edge Early Learning, our Teach A Rainbow educational program is designed to gently build many of these school readiness skills in a play-based, child-centred way. Teach A Rainbow celebrates each child’s unique strengths and curiosity, with experiences that support cognitive development, emotional intelligence, language and communication, physical health and wellbeing, and social connectedness. That means while your child is busy playing, exploring and making friends, they’re also developing the confidence, independence and resilience they’ll draw on when they start school.

School readiness isn’t about having everything “perfect” before day one. It’s about gradually building a foundation of confidence, curiosity and connection so your child feels ready to take that next step. Children are at big school to learn – socially, emotionally, physically and academically.

If you can gently practise a few of these readiness skills through play and everyday routines, you’ll help your child feel more comfortable and confident when they start big school.

If you’d like support with your child’s school readiness, your local early learning educators are a great place to start – they see these skills in action every day and can offer personalised guidance for your family. You can also read more about our Teach A Rainbow program here.

You can support building these skills before school starts – [book a tour at your local Edge Early Learning centre] and chat with our educators about how we nurture school readiness in our programs.

As you work through your own school readiness checklist, it can also help to see what your local education department recommends for children starting school. These government guides outline what Prep/Kindergarten looks like in each state, key skills, and how you can support your child’s transition:

• Queensland: Starting Prep – Information for parents
• New South Wales: Starting school – NSW Department of Education
• Victoria: Starting school – Victorian Government
• Western Australia: Starting school – WA Department of Education
• South Australia: Starting school
• ACT: Starting primary, high school and college
• Northern Territory: Education in the NT