The question that comes up again and again in parent groups: my child starts Grade 1 soon and still can't write the whole alphabet, is something wrong? From a developmental point of view, nothing at all. The Thai curriculum starts teaching English in earnest in Grade 1, so whatever your child walks in with is a head start, not a requirement. If you'd still like them to begin with confidence, here's a checklist pitched at about the right level: not too much, not too little.
A Readiness Checklist Pitched at the Right Level
- Can sing the ABC song and point along to some of the letters. Not every letter, just some.
- Knows the sounds of five to ten common letters, for example that s makes a sss sound.
- Can write their own nickname in English.
- Knows twenty or thirty everyday words from real life, such as cat, dog, red, one, two.
- Most important of all: isn't frightened of English. Meets it and wants to have a go, rather than turning away.
The Last Item Matters Most, and Breaks Most Easily
A child who has been drilled into boredom before Grade 1 starts school already resenting the subject, and that is far harder to undo than not knowing the alphabet. In the three months before term begins, the answer isn't more tutoring hours. It's making English something to enjoy: songs, picture matching games, tracing and circling worksheets that feel more like play than work.
If your child finishes a worksheet and asks for another one, you're on the right track. If they sigh at the sight of one, stop there and go back to playing for a while.