For Parents
What to Look For: Ages 2.5–6
The things preschool teachers quietly watch for, written out plainly so you can read them against your own child. Free, and there is nothing to fill in — the whole guide is on this page.
Every Child Arrives on Their Own Schedule
Two children the same age can be a year apart on any one of these and both be entirely typical. Read this as a picture of the range, not a list to score. A child who does most of it most of the time is doing what children this age do.
This is not a screening tool and it is not a diagnosis. If something here worries you, or if your child has lost a skill they had, your pediatrician is the right person to ask — early help is the kind that works best.
The Four Areas
What Preschool Teachers Are Watching
These are the four areas a preschool report card is built around, and the four Mrs. Kiki writes about at the end of a term.
Language and communication
- Puts several words together so a stranger could follow the gist
- Asks a lot of questions, and asks again when the answer was not satisfying
- Follows an instruction with two parts — shoes on, then coat
- Joins in with a familiar story, song or rhyme and notices when a word is wrong
- Nearer six: tells you what happened at some point during the day, roughly in order
Social and emotional
- Plays alongside other children, and increasingly with them
- Takes a turn — not happily every time, but can do it
- Names a big feeling rather than only showing it
- Separates from you for a while with a settling-in period
- Nearer six: notices when a friend is upset and does something about it
Thinking and problem-solving
- Sorts things by colour, shape or size without being taught the categories
- Counts objects rather than reciting numbers
- Recognises their own name written down, then some letters in it
- Sticks with a puzzle or a drawing past the first difficult bit
- Nearer six: guesses what happens next in a story, and can say why
Physical and coordination
- Runs, climbs and stops on purpose
- Holds a crayon with fingers rather than a fist
- Manages some dressing alone — big buttons, shoes on the right feet eventually
- Uses child-safe scissors with a hand steadying the paper
- Nearer six: draws a person with a head, body and several of the usual parts
The Clearest Picture Comes From Watching Them Learn
A checklist read at the kitchen table can only tell you so much. A teacher watching your child in a small group — taking a turn, trying a hard thing, asking for help — sees what a list cannot. Your first week of live classes is free, it matches the plan you choose, and nothing is charged until it ends. Mrs. Kiki will tell you what she sees.
Try a Free WeekWant a Teacher-Led Learning Path?
Our live online preschool classes build on the same four areas — with biblical values, hands-on activities, and a small group of friends who turn up every week.