Separation: Most children who are emotionally mature are eager to go to school and make friends. They can emotional handle being away from you for short periods of time.  The unknown of how the first day will go might be the most nerve racking part for parents. While it is normal for a preschool to be a little apprehensive or upset while saying goodbye the first day or even week, when they continue to be upset throughout the day it become a problem. A child who demonstrates fear, anxiety, worry, panic, or meltdowns when separating are clear red flag they need some extra support developing their emotional maturity. How to test this: Practice separation. Start with a short period of time (30 minutes) and work up to longer (4 hours). Drop them off at a trusted neighbor while you take a walk about the neighborhood. Leave them with friends while you run to the grocery store. Leave them with close family outside the household for a sleepover. Try out daycare for a day or two.

Willingness to Try New Things: Most children are curious to learn and explore. While they may (and hopefully do) demonstrate some caution in new situations, it’s typical for them to be willing to try something new. They will attempt new tasks knowing it’s ok to make mistakes. If you child refuses new experiences or even the thought of something cause fear or anxiety, this is a red flag they may need some extra help.

Transitions: They can generally transition between tasks quickly. Most preschools have a structure schedule throughout the day. Children are expected to transition between snack time, circle time, or play centers without much notice or verbal cuing. Similarly, when they have a usual routine, they should be able to anticipate what comes next. While is normal to show some disappointment when it’s time to leave their favorite task, they should be able to move fairly smoothly to the next task. If your child stay stuck on a task or demonstrates moderate upset, they may need some additional help. 

Social Skills: Is interested in engaging with peers. Generally children want to make friends. Now, they may not always be great at it, but there should be a desire to connect with others. Look to see if your child will smile, wave, greet others, recognize other’s emotions, take turns, share, follow rules and limits, and cooperates when playing in a group.

Response to Problems: While a 3 year old is clearly not equip to solve problems like an adult, their response can tell you a lot about their emotional maturity. Do they show concern for friends. Will they attempt to use works when they're angry or frustrated or do they first act with physical aggression?  Will they attempt to use please, thank you, and excuse me to help prevent problematic situations. Do they attempt to help friends when needed. Is their behavior is easily redirected.

Need help with any of these skills? Ask for an Occupational Therapy and Behavior Therapy Evaluation to improve your child's skills in this area. 

Gross Motor: These are big body movements, usually move a child across space.

Fine Motor Skills: These are smaller more precise movements, usually done with the hands and fingers.

• Puts together a simple puzzle
• Makes continuous cuts with child-safe scissors
• Cuts a piece of paper in half with scissors
• Draws with a crayon, marker, or pencil
• Hold using their fingers vs their whole fist
• Copies a vertical and horizontal lines and circle
• Traces around the edges of basic shapes
• Interested in writing letters and numbers (although may not be able to form the correctly)
• Stacking and building with blocks 
• Holds a book properly and turns pages
• Begins to show if they prefer their right or left hand

Expressive Language: 

• Talk in complete sentences 
• Talk about everyday experiences
• Begins to use descriptive language such as adjectives for color and size (“That’s a big dog with brown spots”)
• Asks for help  
• Tells or retells a story




Receptive Language: 

• Responds to “wh-“ questions (who, what, where, when, why) 
• Understand expectations 
• Remembers short sequences of events of 2 to 3 steps
• Follows simple 3-step related commands ( ie, get your coat off the hook, put it on and get in line)




Speech and Sound Production:

• Uses most speech sounds correctly
• Likes to imitate sounds and rhythm; might have a favorite song
• Able to express themselves in a way that an unfamiliar adult can understand