Next month, children born in 2018 will enter Year One in government schools and the topic of school readiness will once again enter public sphere. Last September, the Education Ministry revealed that some 27.5% Year One pupils, or around 122,000, have not met minimum literacy and numeracy proficiency, or both, and they were listed for respective interventions.

Experts say these children may have suffered from development and learning loss, caused and exacerbated by the Covid-19 pandemic.

Born in 2017, these kids were three when the global health emergency struck and for the next two years, their social exposure was severely limited.

For children between zero and five years old, this means slower brain development and reduced learning of necessary skills, which may have prolonged effects."That isolation really affected these children, and you would only see the effect when they enter Year One. I suspect we will see the same pattern in the next few years before it tapers down," says Dr Nik Raihan Mohammed who runs Klinik Kenit, a social enterprise which provides underprivileged families with subsidies to help kids with developmental delay.

Dr Nik Raihan says trust and secure attachment are aspects that will help kids to learn better. Photo: Dr Nik Raihan Mohammed

"This a global problem. Some countries have identified this earlier and provided intervention for affected groups. "She says while some parents were equipped to help their toddlers develop despite social and physical restrictions during lockdowns, other families were not as lucky.

"There were financial and parental stress and some homes were not conducive. There was no socialisation and minimal interaction," she says.

School readiness, she emphasises, has less to do with literacy and numeracy, and more to do with social-emotional preparedness to start formal learning. Many parents, unfortunately, don't understand the concept of school readiness, thinking that sending their kids early to playschool or kindergarten gives them a better head start in school.

But research shows that the opposite is true. A 2015 study co-authored by Stanford Graduate School of Education Prof Thomas Dee found that children who started kindergarten a year later "showed significantly lower levels of inattention and hyperactivity, which are jointly considered a key indicator of self regulation". This beneficial result continues until the kids are 11. "We found that delaying kindergarten for one year reduced inattention and hyperactivity by 73% for an average child at age 11,” Dee says.

If not literacy, then what?

When children are between zero and three years old, parents and caregivers should build the foundation for learning and when they turn four, social learning can begin, Dr Nik Raihan says.

"We're talking about problem-solving skills, emotional regulation, social skills and independence. These are the skills children need so they can learn in school, including concentrating in class and interacting with their peers," she adds.

"It's not about teaching kids alphabets and numbers earlier. It's about preparing them with the necessary social-emotional skills as they transition from kindergarten to formal education," she says.

For senior consultant developmental paediatrician and general paediatrician Assoc Prof Dr Norazlin Kamal Nor, school readiness means a child has attained readiness academically (from a behavioural and developmental standpoint), emotionally and physically, as well as "able to navigate the experience safely and in the right mindset".

Dr Norazlin says school readiness enables children to adapt to a more structured learning environment and learn how to engage actively with lessons and school activities. Photo: The Star/Sia Hong Kiau

This includes a child's social-emotional maturity, including his or her ability to self-regulate, follow instructions and skills in interacting with peers, all of which are essential for thriving in a classroom.

"Children who enter school with strong cognitive, social and language skills are better equipped to meet the demands of formal education. They will be able to adapt to a more structured learning environment and learn how to engage actively with lessons and school activities," adds Dr Norazlin, who is attached to Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia's Faculty of Medicine.

"It is these skills that will help them to develop critical skills like literacy, numeracy and problem-solving. Early mastery of fundamental competencies sets children up for continued academic achievement," she says. Unfortunately, Dr Norazlin continues, common perceptions about school readiness are not accurate.

"Parents feel that a child who has shown academic ability like reading, writing and ability to do arithmetic, is ready for school. This is only one aspect. Other aspects play a role too, including behavioural, emotional and social maturity, as well as the child’s ability to independently manage himself or herself," she says.

There are kids, she adds, who can read, write and perform mathematics but have emotional, social or behavioural challenges. An example of this is a child with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) who is high-functioning academically, but has low threshold for noise or temperature change, or needs time to adapt to a new environment.

"For this child, a loud classroom with a lot of children chatting as well as noise, or a hot classroom with no air-conditioning, may become quickly overwhelming. In addition, a child who is not used to following set rules in school like queueing, staying quiet and listening during school assembly, may have difficulties adjusting to the daily rigours of formal education," Dr Norazlin says.

Forming secure attachment

What children need, to learn and adapt better in school (and other surroundings) is secure attachment to an adult; in most cases, to a parent.

A 2015 study published in Developmental Psychology showed that kindergarteners who were more securely attached to their mothers in toddlerhood showed better performance "on all executive function tasks, and were considered by their teachers to present fewer problems in everyday school situations".

These results, the study said, held above family socioeconomic status and a child's age, sex and general cognitive functioning. Dr Norazlin says preparation for secure attachment starts from birth through developing a positive and close relationship with the child and forming a strong bond.

Factors that can help parents and teachers prepare children to be ready for school. Photo: The Stargraphics

"Over time, parents should build on this bond by spending time with the child and interacting in a manner appropriate for his or her age. This includes ensuring a stable home environment with structure, such as regular bedtime; as well as enriching opportunities for learning," she says.

"Reading from birth or six months of age has been shown to be associated with better language development and improved learning ability. Parents should also know what a child’s normal developmental milestones are so they can raise any concerns with their doctors as early as possible," she says.

Dr Nik Raihan says the years before kids go to kindergarten should be used to teach self-help skills at home."This means learning from adults how to problem solve, how to ask for help, executive functioning such as focusing, planning and regulating emotions, and socialisation," she says.

Dr Nik Raihan says kids who form a secure attachment with an adult (often parents) are more ready to learn. Photo:The Star/Kamarul Ariffin

"This also includes learning how to accept criticism and instilling understanding in a subject, not merely memorising without comprehension," she adds. Dr Norazlin adds kids should also be encouraged to develop independence for toileting, dressing, feeding and hygiene, as well as start to be able to perform tasks like chores at home and understanding the concept of time and money.

"Throughout these, children should feel safe in their homes. Having strong attachments to close family members supports psychological well-being in children," she says.

"Trust and secure attachment are aspects that will help kids learn better," says Dr Nik Raihan. "Children should also be taught to recognise and express their emotions safely, and this starts with parents themselves."

"While the list of what parents should do may seem long, they should also remember that being good enough, is good enough. If you can get 70% of it right, that's sufficient. But we need to continuously improve how we educate children if we want our kids to grow better," she concludes.