☑ Preschool Developmental Checklist

Thinking about enrolling your child into preschool? You want to know if they are ready for this first school step. Here’s some milestones — movement, language, cognitive, emotional, social — for ages 3 and 4 according to the American Academy of Pediatrics to think about as you make your decision to send them off to school.

• Is your child becoming more mobile and steady with their hands and feet?

• How is your child’s motor development — can they draw shapes, use child-safe scissors or play with blocks?

• Can your child use three-word or more sentences, use words that are 75 percent understandable by strangers or tell stories?

• Does your child understand some colors or numbers, engage in imaginative play or follow three-part directions?

• Think about your child’s independence. Does your child dress or undress, eat independently, or be in a social setting with children or strangers?

• Can your child use the bathroom independently?