Flash cards featuring well-known symbols such as an apple, bicycle or pet are an easy and fun method of assessing a child's vision. Show the flash cards to your pre-kindergarten student and ask her to identify the picture on the card. Repeat the process at various distances. Include examples that are both colorful and colorless, to avoid your pre-kindergarten student memorizing specific colors on your cards instead of actually relating to the symbol that they see, says the All About Vision website. If you notice any reluctance or errors on this test, consider taking the child to the eye doctor where the optometrist can perform a more thorough exam.
Your pre-kindergarten student will communicate regularly with other students as well as with you. Listen to his pronunciation of words, both simple and complex. Note any regular errors in his method of pronunciation. Picture books, posters and toys make excellent tools to help inspire your child to speak. If you notice a particular speech error repeating itself, sit down with your child and discuss the word, showing your child how to pronounce it correctly. Poor pronunciation can be misdiagnosed as a learning disability when it is just as common for a child to simply be unfamiliar with the correct form of pronunciation.
Basic information such as your phone number or your child's name can serve as another assessment tool. Teach your child to memorize your phone number and to identify those numbers on a telephone. This technique is important if your child should ever need to contact you, but also allows you to assess her memorization and to look for specific instances where your child may be recreating your phone number in the wrong order. This could point to dyslexia or other learning disabilities, says the National Center for Learning Disabilities. If you notice these errors early, you can seek treatment at that early stage.
Physical activities such as playing ball, jumping rope or chasing other friends through the yard are a powerful assessment tool. Watch your child as he runs and jumps. Note any areas of extreme weakness, limping or clumsiness. Remember that while your child is growing, she will be naturally clumsy and prone to mishaps. If you notice any conditions or hindrances beyond what is normal at your child's age, seek a medical doctor and explain the symptoms that you noticed.