Preschool Preparation
What Parents Most Often Come to Us With
“My child is going to start school, but I am not sure they are ready.”
“They do not want to draw.”
“They hold the pencil awkwardly.”
“Their lines are tense and uncertain.”
“They cannot stay at the table for long.”
“Cutting with scissors is a struggle.”
“They get tired quickly and then have an emotional outburst.”
“At preschool, they say ‘they are not ready yet’ – but school is getting closer.”
Sometimes parents come simply with the feeling that “something is not quite right”. In other cases, they already have recommendations from preschool or an educational counselling centre – but it is still unclear what would make the most sense to support first.
Before starting school, it is often not about one specific skill. It is about whether the child has sufficient school readiness – in other words, a strong enough foundation for the demands of everyday school life.
How Preschool Preparation May Be Related to Persistent Primary Reflexes
School readiness is not just about “knowing letters”. Every day, a child needs to manage a wide range of developmental demands: sitting at a desk, listening, maintaining attention, following instructions, coping with changes, respecting rules, functioning in a group and, at the same time, not becoming completely exhausted by it all.
In some children, persistent primary reflexes may interfere with these abilities – automatic responses that should gradually have been inhibited during early development. If they persist, they may affect:
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postural stability and sitting endurance
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coordination and orientation (left/right, spatial orientation, crossing the midline)
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sensory processing (noise, touch, movement in the environment)
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regulation (switching between activity and calm, tolerance of load)
Typical Examples We See in Preschool Children
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The Moro reflex may increase alertness and sensitivity to change – the child becomes overloaded more quickly and may find pressure and new situations harder to manage.
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STNR may make sitting and desk work more difficult – the child leans on the desk, changes position frequently and quickly loses endurance.
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ATNR may interfere with coordination, cooperation between the cerebral hemispheres and crossing the midline – the child may have difficulties organising movement, directionality and, in some cases, visually guided tasks.
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The Spinal Galant reflex may contribute to restlessness when sitting and increased distractibility when the back touches the chair.
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TLR may affect muscle tone and posture – the body may be too “floppy”, with the child slumping over the desk, or unnecessarily tense, leading to rapid fatigue.
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The aim is not to look for “one single cause”. The aim is to understand what is using up the capacity the child will need every day at school.
How We Address This Area in NDS
Preschool preparation with us is not about drilling worksheets. We first strengthen the basic functions that help the child cope with the school routine with less effort.
As part of our work, we focus on:
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assessing persistent primary reflexes and their impact on the body, regulation and learning
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postural stability (sitting, support, muscle tone, endurance)
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sensory processing and tolerance of everyday environments (noise, movement, touch)
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attention, pace and the ability to follow instructions
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coordination and orientation (space, left/right, crossing the midline)
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visual functions needed for desk work (tracking, orientation, shifting gaze)
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fine motor and graphomotor skills as one part of the process (grip, relaxation, precision)
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short home activities lasting a few minutes a day, which are adjusted continuously according to the child’s responses
💡 Important to Know
You do not book “preschool preparation” as a separate service. Everything is part of Neuro-Developmental Stimulation (NDS), and the specific approach is determined only after the initial assessment.
The aim is for the child to start school with a stronger foundation – so that the school routine is not a daily struggle, but something they can manage.
Book an Initial NDS Assessment
Your initial assessment is with Marja. We will recommend a therapist for follow-up appointments based on the assessment results and your child’s needs.
We will look at key developmental functions, including persistent primary reflexes and sensory processing.
We will then create a plan together: what to support first and how to work on it at home for just a few minutes a day.
Early support of basic developmental functions may improve a child’s readiness for school.
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Callcott, D. (2012). Retained primary reflexes in pre-primary-aged Indigenous children: The effect on movement ability and school readiness. Australasian Journal of Early Childhood, 37(2), 132–140.
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Ježková, M. (2016). Nepodceňujeme fázi lezení pro zdravý vývoj dítěte. Rozhovor s Marjou Volemanovou. Integrace a inkluze ve školní praxi, IV(4). ISSN 2336-1212.
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McClelland, M. M. & Cameron, C. E. (2019). Developing together: The role of executive function and motor skills in children's early academic lives. Early Childhood Research Quarterly, 46, 142–151.
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Gieysztor, E. Z. et al. (2018). Persistence of primitive reflexes and associated motor problems in healthy preschool children. Archives of Medical Science, 14(1), 167–173.
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Volemanová, M. (2016). Možnosti ovlivnění vybraných oblastí psychomotorického vývoje dítěte pomocí Neuro-vývojové terapie. Diplomová práce, UK Praha, PedF.
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Volemanová, M. (2017). Neuro-vývojová stimulace ve školní praxi jako nástroj k inkluzi. Integrace a inkluze ve školní praxi, IV(9).
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Volemanová, M. & Květoňová, L. (2017). Links between SLI, Motor Development and Literacy Acquisition in Children. Gramotnost, pregramotnost a vzdělávání, 1(3).
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Volemanová, M. (2020). Primární reflexy a jejich vliv na motoriku a řeč. Listy klinické logopedie, 1/2020. ISSN 2570-6179.
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Volemanová, M. (2025). Primární reflexy v pediatrické praxi: prevence problémů s učením začíná u miminka. VOX Pediatriae, 11/2025.
The complete list of scientific references can be found on the Scientific Evidence page.
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