Watch the social behavior of the child. Ask these questions: Does he show concern and respect for others? Can he use the bathroom alone? Does he communicate with words rather than tantrums? Does he follow rules and routines? Does he interact well with the teacher, listening and following directions?
Evaluate the child's motor skills. Does she handle crayons, pencils and other utensils correctly? Can she string beads, snap snaps, fix buttons and use a zipper? Can she stack blocks? Are her motor activities controlled and calculated? Can she complete basic puzzles and shape sorting?
Check for math readiness. Can the student sort objects based on a variety of criterion, such as size, color, shape and number? Can he simulate and guess future simple patterns? Can the child count to 20 and recognize the numbers? Does he understand the correlation between numerals and physical numbers?
Check the language development and reading readiness of each student. Can the child remember short songs and poems? Does she know the alphabet and the sounds of each letter? Can the child recognize the upper and lowercase letters for each letter? Can she create stories for pictures? Can the child recall story details and comprehend a lesson? Can she follow a two- or three-step set of directions?
Evaluate the child's gross motor skills as well. The child should be able to walk in a straight line, hop on one foot, skip and hop, catch a ball, throw a ball, run with controlled speed and direction and walk up and down stairs with little hesitation.