When to start your child at school is a major decision for parents. Naturally parents want their children to thrive and flourish, and not struggle to keep up or stay on top of things.

School readiness is a measure of the knowledge, skills and behaviours that enable your child to participate and succeed in school. To assist in the measurement process, we recommend parents purchase their child a desk.

Why a child’s desk?

School readiness is about the development of your child as a whole. This means monitoring how your child gets along with other children, how they follow instructions, and how they communicate their needs. Choose the right kids desk and you can practice all these things with your child.

Child-friendly desks are usually small enough to be tucked into the corner of a bedroom or playroom. They’re a place where your child can spend some quiet time drawing and colouring, painting, playing with playdough, or writing a story.

When your child is at their desk you can ask yourself the questions:

• Can they make an independent decision and follow through on it?
• Do they have ideas of their own?
• Can they follow two or three instructions at the same time?
• Can they move to new activities easily?
• Can they concentrate on one task at a time?
• How do they deal with frustration?

Choose a table equipped with four or two chairs, arrange a few craft dates, and look at:

• Can they work alongside other children?
• Do they interact with other children?
• Do they stand by their own ideas or follow other children?

Answering these questions will equip you with the capacity to assess your child’s school readiness.

Choosing a child’s desk

A good quality, beautifully designed and functional child’s desk can support your child’s creative and learning development. Measure the space available and choose something simple that will fit well into your child’s space. You don’t want to buy a desk that will overpower your child’s room.

You may be tempted to repurpose an old adults desk, but a comfortable child is a child who can concentrate more easily. Make sure your child has a comfortable chair and that their feet can touch the ground when they are seated. An adjustable-height chair can be a smart investment for the child who’s growing quickly.

Keep in mind as well that the volume of projects created at your child’s desk will grow as they grow, so plan ahead for storage. Choose a desk with one or two drawers for storing creative utensils, and consider ways to display favourite projects. Attaching a string to your child’s bedroom wall and putting pegs on it, for example, allows your child to hang their masterpieces, frees up valuable desk space, prevents their projects from getting ruined and also helps boost confidence.

Another idea might be to hang a painted peg board for tacking up their artwork. Paint a couple of spice racks in a bright colour and attach them to the board too and you have a space for notebooks, papers, crafts and supplies.

Personalising your child’s desk

If you have the room, it’s always nice to create a different ‘workstation’ for each child. Some ways to personalise each station are to include a framed photo, a monogrammed cushion, or hang flag bunting above. Bright colours, patterns and themes automatically make the space more attractive to your child, so aim for a fun atmosphere. Make their desk a place they want to spend time!

If space is limited and your kids need to share a desk, assign a drawer to each child or provide them with their own caddy that can be stored away when not in use. It’s important that your children each have a separate place to work and their own ‘special’ tools. A Piki Picnic Basket is ideal for keeping little one’s craft items in one handy space if you don’t have a drawer, and the sturdy handles will allow them to transport their utensils anywhere they like.

School-ready activities to do with your child

Craft activities can provide hours of fun for your child. HipKids stocks a wide range of craft activities, from origami planes and magnetic playbooks to squadron racers and lockable diaries. As well as craft, you can get your child to practice drawing with a range of different materials, such as pencils, crayons and textas. You can also:

• Arrange lots of play dates for your child to practice their social skills
• Provide access to lots of puzzles
• Encourage your child to dress themselves and use the toilet independently
• Read with your child as often as possible
• Develop a basic understanding of numbers by counting socks on the line, plates on the dinner table or steps on the stairs
• Play games with your little one - simple board games like snakes and ladders and card games like snap and go fish

Remember that every child develops at their own pace and has their own strengths, interests, temperament and approach to learning. Follow their cues and before long they’ll be 100% school-ready.

Ready to encourage school readiness in your child? Check out the range of kids desks at HipKids, home of furniture, toys, cubbies and more.