School Readiness Checklist: A Queensland Prep Guide
A school readiness checklist is one of the most common questions we hear from Queensland parents — especially as Prep enrolments open mid-year. Readiness isn't about reading or writing yet. It's about the small everyday skills — listening, dressing, taking turns, holding a crayon — that help your child step into the classroom feeling capable. This guide walks through what to look for in the year before Prep, and what to do if something feels behind.
In Queensland, children usually start Prep in the year they turn five by 30 June. State school Prep enrolments commonly open from mid-year for the following school year, so the window for noticing — and acting on — readiness gaps is now.
What is school readiness?
School readiness is your child's ability to manage the everyday demands of a Prep classroom: following instructions, asking for help, sitting for short tasks, joining group play, and looking after their own belongings. It's a mix of language, fine motor, self-care, and emotional skills — and most children are still growing into them right up to the first day.
If your child isn't quite there yet, that's normal. Targeted support before school can make a real difference.
Communication and language checklist
By the start of Prep, most children can:
Speak clearly enough for unfamiliar adults to understand
Follow a 2–3 step instruction ("get your hat, your bag, and line up")
Ask for help when they need it
Take turns in a short conversation
Use words for big feelings — "I'm sad", "I'm tired" — instead of meltdowns alone
Recognise their own name in print
Enjoy being read to and join in with familiar rhymes
If your child's speech is hard to understand, they're missing sounds, or they struggle to follow simple instructions, our Integrated Speech and Language Program can help build the language foundations Prep relies on.
Fine motor and pre-writing checklist
Fine motor skills set your child up for handwriting, scissors, lunch boxes and shoelaces. Look for:
Holding a crayon with thumb and fingers (not a fist)
Copying simple shapes — a circle, a cross, a square
Drawing a person with at least a head and limbs
Using scissors to cut along a line
Threading large beads, doing simple puzzles, building with blocks
Opening a lunchbox, drink bottle, and snack wrappers independently
Lots of children arrive at Prep still developing these. If your child avoids drawing or finds it tiring, a paediatric occupational therapist can build a fun, child-led plan that strengthens hand skills.
Self-care and independence checklist
Prep teachers can't dress 25 children. By the start of school, aim for:
Toileting independently — wiping, flushing, hand-washing
Pulling up pants and shorts without help
Putting on a jumper and a hat
Putting on Velcro shoes
Opening a lunchbox and packing rubbish back in
Washing hands and blowing their own nose
Following a simple morning and afternoon routine
If self-care is a daily battle at home, our occupational therapy team can break the steps down with visual schedules and small, achievable practice routines.
Social and emotional readiness checklist
This is the area parents most often underestimate. By Prep, most children can:
Separate from a parent without prolonged distress
Join a small group at play
Take turns and share — most of the time
Manage a short setback (a knocked tower, a "no") without melting down
Follow a simple group instruction
Show interest in other children, not just adults
Practice in real-world settings helps: playgroups, library story time, kindy, swim lessons, family barbecues. Each one is gentle exposure to the social demands of Prep.
How a paediatric therapy team can help
You don't have to wait for school to start to know whether your child is ready. A short, focused therapy block in the months before Prep can shift things — particularly around speech clarity, fine motor stamina, and self-care.
At Access to Therapy, our paediatric speech pathologists, occupational therapists and early childhood teachers often work together for children heading into Prep, so the skills your child practises in therapy flow into the classroom. We support children with and without NDIS plans, and we don't require a diagnosis to start.
Local support for Ipswich and Springfield families
We work with families across Ipswich, Springfield, Ripley and the surrounding suburbs — in clinic, in-home and via telehealth. School-readiness blocks tend to fill up quickly in Terms 3 and 4, so the earlier you start, the more options you have.
If you'd like to talk about your child and Prep, go to our bookings page for more information. It's a quick, no-pressure chat with a real person — no referral or NDIS plan required.