Many preschool teachers agree that a child's preschool readiness depends more on her individual personality and temperament—a combination of mental, physical and emotional traits—than her so-called "academic" abilities. Even so, our developmental checklist can help you and your child get ready for this big step.
Preschool readiness checklist

Skills

    
    Can separate from you for several hours, such as an afternoon at a friend’s house or a sleepover at Grandma’s
    Appears interested in going to a “big-kid” school, learning new things, and/or meeting new friends
    Enjoys participating in group activities
    Can express emotions, needs and requests
    Responds well to consistent routines, such as quiet time or naptime following lunch
    Anticipates what comes next during the day (for example, knows that naptime follows lunch)

Reasoning development

    Matches like objects, mainly identical objects, or matches objects by shape and color
    Develops object permanence and understands that objects continue to exist even when out of sight
    Shows interests in tinkering with objects by taking things apart and putting them back together
    Explores with elements of nature, such as sand and water
    Remembers short sequences of events of 2 to 3 steps

Reading ability

    Holds a book properly and turns pages
    Understands that words convey the message in a story
    Recognizes the first letter of their own name
    Knows some letter names
    Knows the main characters in familiar stories
    Enjoys reading books with others 

cursive handWriting

    Holds a writing tool with a fist or finger grasp
    Draws with a variety of tools (crayons, pens, pencils)
    Scribble-writes in a linear fashion
    Makes marks and refer to them as “my name”

Environment Science

    Asks questions about objects, events and animals observed in their environment
    Considers and offers explanations of how things might work
    Shows interest in different animals and the sounds they make
    Uses descriptive terms such as "fast" and "slow," "hot" and "cold" 

Creative arts

    Begins to use a variety of art tools such as crayon, construction paper and colored pencils
    Knows a few color words
    Drawings have basic resemblance to objects and people
    Articulates what he/she is drawing
    Likes to imitate sounds and rhythm; might have a favorite song
    Uses realistic toys in pretend play or to imitate household routines
    Engages in dramatic play with others to act out simple play scripts, such as playing house

Social studies

    Recognizes common features of the home and neighborhood, such as trees, houses and streets
    Shows interests in familiar people such as siblings, family members and friends
    Shows interests in common jobs and professions such as firefighter, doctor and nurse. http://www.oakfieldedu.com