Linked lives in ‘school readiness’

This book is a perfect marriage between cutting-edge developmental science and an approachable writing style for parents and educators on school transition. Challenging the dominating conceptualisation of children's 'school readiness' that focuses on literacy and numeracy preparedness, this book proposes a theory-informed and evidence-based account focusing on the whole-child approach and highlighting well-being and flourishing.

The introductory chapter contextualises school transition in life course theory, discussing five key principles: life-span development, linked lives, time and space, agency, and timing. The life-span perspective highlights the cumulative effect of early years experiences and its implication in lifelong well-being and flourishing. A large proportion of the book focuses on linked lives – social relationships among peers, siblings, parents and teachers. 

Revising the current narrative that defines 'school readiness' as the individual children's responsibility, the book emphasises a shared responsibility among children, families, schools, and the community during school transition. Time and space encompass the impact of personal history such as having a sibling and cohort history around the time of school transition, and how children across the world experience getting ready for school as a shared community event.

The two chapters on thinking skills and mindreading highlight the child's agency, and discuss how parents and teachers can help children develop these meta-skills essential for social functioning and academic development. Last but not least, the timing of starting school is discussed in the context of children's maturity and their experiences such as observing an older sibling's school routine. The final wrap-up chapter highlights partnerships within and between families, schools, and communities that facilitate children's school transition.

Packed with examples, practical tips and strategies, resources, and even a research-informed original picture book, the book is reader-friendly. Each chapter is a standalone topic with quick summaries encapsulating the essence of that topic, as well as practical tips for parents and teachers. Parents and teachers could choose and pick individual chapters for in-depth reading. A list of resources at the end of the book provides further information for parents and teachers to support children in school transition.

This timely book reminds us that academic preparedness is by no means the only measure of school readiness. If anything, academic knowledge and skills are the 'downstream' of core developmental aspects such as self-regulation, social cognition, and supportive social relationships. Overall, the book provides rich evidence and a convincing argument centring around the key take-home message that 'it takes a village to raise a child'. 

More importantly, it serves as a guiding map helping parents and teachers navigate school transition while their little ones embark on the journey of formal schooling. It is a must-read for parents, teachers, and professionals working with children to understand what works, why, and how to support children's school transition.

Reviewed by Zhenlin Wang, PhD, Associate Professor at the Institute of Education, Massey University. [email protected].

Zhenlin has a research relationship with some of the authors of the book but was not involved in its writing