I think it s very important to realize that although there are certain milestones that all children go through, they have their own timetable. It s important to remember that when you re reading child development books, when they say a child will do something at 36 months, that s an average. It means some children will do it at 30 months, some at 40 months. Neither is inappropriate. So what I think one needs to do is examine their own child.
Parents know their own child better than anyone else.
As parents there s a lot we can do to help preschoolers become ready for formal education. We can read to them and use paint, crayons and playdough with them. We can help them prepare for the social aspect of school by getting them together with little friends. Children decide whether or not they're good learners from their earliest experience with their parents. They're internalizing the fact that they know how to learn and are capable of doing things.