The 1979 6-Year-Old: Less Reading, More Range

The Difference Between First Graders In 1979 And Today
KNUTSFORD, UNITED KINGDOM - MARCH 23: A mother walks her children to school in the constituency of Britain's Chancellor George Osbourne on March 23, 2011 in Knutsford, United Kingdom. The Chancellor will implement further measures to tackle the United Kingdom's deficit when he presents the budget to Parliament. The UK Consumer Prices Index (CPI) annual rate of inflation has risen to 4.4%, the highest since October 2008, increasing pressure on the Bank of England to raise interest rates and slow inflation. (Photo by Christopher Furlong/Getty Images)
KNUTSFORD, UNITED KINGDOM - MARCH 23: A mother walks her children to school in the constituency of Britain's Chancellor George Osbourne on March 23, 2011 in Knutsford, United Kingdom. The Chancellor will implement further measures to tackle the United Kingdom's deficit when he presents the budget to Parliament. The UK Consumer Prices Index (CPI) annual rate of inflation has risen to 4.4%, the highest since October 2008, increasing pressure on the Bank of England to raise interest rates and slow inflation. (Photo by Christopher Furlong/Getty Images)

Is your child ready for first grade? Earlier this month, Chicago Now blogger Christine Whitley reprinted a checklist from a 1979 child-rearing series designed to help a parent figure that one out. Ten out of 12 meant readiness. Can your child "draw and color and stay within the lines of the design being colored?" Of course. Can she count "eight to ten pennies correctly?" Heck, yeah, I say for parents of kindergarteners everywhere. "Does your child try to write or copy letters or numbers?" Isn't that what preschool is for?

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