A school readiness checklist helps you see where your Grade R child is strong and where they need a little more practice before Grade 1. The key areas to check are language and listening, early literacy, early numeracy, social and emotional skills, and fine- and gross-motor control. Below is a practical checklist you can work through calmly across the year, without turning play into pressure.
Language and listening
Your child should be able to speak in full sentences, follow a two- or three-step instruction, answer 'who', 'what' and 'where' questions about a story, and hold a simple back-and-forth conversation. They should enjoy being read to and be able to retell part of a familiar story.
Strong oral language is the biggest predictor of later reading success. Chatting about your day, telling family stories and asking open questions ('Why do you think the dog ran away?') all build this — in whatever language you speak most comfortably at home.
Early literacy
Check that your child can recognise their own name in print, understands that we read from left to right and top to bottom, can hear rhyming words ('cat' and 'hat'), and can pick out the first sound in a word. Knowing some letter sounds — not necessarily all — is a bonus.
Notice a love of books, not just skills: turning pages, 'reading' pictures, asking for the same story again. This enjoyment is what keeps a child going when reading gets harder. Nal'ibali's free stories and reading-club tips are a wonderful, free way to build it at home.
If you want a structured way to grow letter sounds and early blending, SGEG's CAPS-aligned Literacy Learner Path is built for exactly this stage and offers free first lessons so you can start without commitment.
Early numeracy
Look for a child who can count to at least 10 (many manage 20), recognise numerals up to 10, sort objects by colour, size or shape, understand 'more' and 'less', and recognise basic shapes. Counting steps, sharing sweets equally and comparing sizes turn everyday moments into maths.
As with reading, understanding matters more than rote counting. A child who can count out five apples and tell you which pile has more is showing real number sense.
Social, emotional and self-help skills
Can your child separate from you without lasting distress, take turns, share, and play with other children? Can they express feelings in words rather than only through tears or hitting? These skills make the classroom manageable for your child — and for the teacher.
Self-help skills are easy to overlook: going to the toilet independently, washing hands, putting on shoes, opening a lunchbox, and packing their own bag. Practise these at home so your child feels capable and confident on day one.
Fine- and gross-motor skills
For fine motor, check that your child can hold a crayon comfortably, draw a recognisable person, cut along a line, thread beads and complete a simple puzzle. For gross motor, look for running, jumping, hopping, balancing and catching a ball.
These develop through play, not drills. Outdoor time, building, playdough, drawing and dressing all count. If you can only tick a few boxes right now, that is fine — Grade R is a full year, and steady, playful practice moves children along quickly.
Key takeaways
- Check five areas: language, early literacy, early numeracy, social-emotional skills, and motor skills.
- Full sentences, following instructions and enjoying stories signal strong language readiness.
- Recognising their name, hearing rhymes and knowing some letter sounds are the literacy basics to look for.
- Self-help skills — toilet, shoes, lunchbox, bag — build confidence for the first day of Grade 1.
- Motor skills grow through play; use the whole Grade R year and keep practice light and positive.
References & further reading
- Department of Basic Education — CAPS Foundation Phase
- Nal'ibali — South Africa's reading-for-enjoyment campaign
- Department of Basic Education — Grade R and ECD
External sources open in a new tab. Saving Grace Education Group is not affiliated with these organisations.