Yes, it is that time of the year again. When you will be juggling lesson plans, active children and the mammoth task of writing report cards and sharing your personalised, insightful comments for each child. We understand the pressure you are under as Teachers and Administrators. We understand that report cards are more than just a piece of paper. It is a vital communication tool and a documentation of each child’s development. Done right, comments on preschool progress reports can deepen the parents' trust and motivate the child well. 

But let us be real, writing these numerous comments can be exhausting. That is why the blog today has been written with the teachers and program coordinators in mind. We would share with you some preschool progress report comments that would assist you in completing your work easily. In this blog, we will share with you dozens of preschool progress report comments examples. This will let you refine your current preschool progress report templates, or if you just need a fresh inspiration, to write quality feedback, we have your back. Let us make writing those essential comments on the progress report feel less like a chore and more like a chance to celebrate progress.

Why Your Comments on Preschool Progress Report Truly Matter?

When parents read your comments on the preschool progress report, they should be able to picture and understand their child’s learning and developmental journey well. In preschool, most of the kids have yet to express themselves well. This progress report is the best way to understand the child’s developmental journey, as a teacher is trained to observe and assess the child. An expertise that can be an asset to parents. So, good report card comments, which are clear and precise, help them see a clear picture of their child’s unique journey in your classroom. Here are six strategies to make sure your comments make a real impact:

• Start Strong, End Strong: Always start and end your feedback with genuine positivity and praise. This makes the parent receive the criticism in the middle.

• Use a format: this simple structure makes sure you get good feedback:
  • Mention a genuine compliment to the child. Hold forth the child’s positivity.
  • Add to your comment about a specific area for growth or challenge.
  • Give or share an actionable goal the child can aim for in the next term.
  • Include a warm closing thought in the end.

• Ditch the Jargon: Avoid using very difficult or technical terms. Keep the language simple and easy for parents to immediately understand and act upon.

• Prioritise Major Issues for Face-to-Face: The report card is not a place to add significantly shocking insights. Say if a child had a behavioural challenge or has a developmental delay, that kind of conversation needs to be shared face to face and not over the phone or through the Nursery Progress Report.

• Focus on Growth, Not Comparison: You should never compare a child to their classmates and peers. You can compare their current progress to their past performances. The focus should always stay on each child’s individual growth as outlined in the Nursery Progress Report.

• Be Specific, Always: Instead of writing “Good at Counting”, write “Counts objects up to ten and matches each item correctly when sorting”. This is the secret of writing insightful comments on a preschool progress report.
  
  

Using Preschool Progress Report Comments Examples for Every Skill Area

To write meaningful comments on preschool report cards, you must address all the key developmental domains and not just academic knowledge. Because preschool learning should be more holistic.

Below, we will share a table where there are preschool progress report comments for every area of learning, which you can use as you see fit for the children.

Skill Area	Descriptive Strength Phrase  (The Compliment)	Specific Area for Growth Phrase  (The Challenge)	Actionable Suggestion/Goal
Social- Emotional	"[Name] is a kind friend who often shows great empathy for peers who are sad."	"Is learning to use words to express frustration instead of physical gestures during conflict."	"Continue to practice using the 'I feel...' statement at home and school."
Cognitive/ Academic	"Demonstrates strong curiosity about numbers, counting confidently up to 15."	"With encouragement, he is beginning to show more focus during group story time discussions."	"Our goal is to encourage asking one question about the story each day."
Motor Skills	"Has excellent control with scissors, showing precision when cutting complex shapes."	"Is still working on consistently gripping the pencil correctly during writing centres."	"We will continue to focus on finger exercises, and we suggest practising drawing circles at home."
Class Participation	"Always volunteers to help tidy up and follows multi-step directions independently."	"Occasionally hesitates to join new group activities without a gentle prompt from the teacher."	"We are encouraging [Name] to take an active leadership role during small group time."

 

Creating an Efficient Preschool Progress Report Template for Your Team

This section is vital for the coordinators and head teachers. A proper template helps in tackling report card writing faster and ensures there is consistency across the classes in the progress report comments of preschool.

As a coordinator, your goal should be to make the report-making process easier and more standardised. Here is how progress report templates help.

• Create a Centralised Comment Bank: provide your teachers with a repository of pre-approved and professional phrases that they can personalise for each kid.
  
  
• Mandate the 'Growth Mindset' Language: The teachers should be encouraged to focus on the effort and progress of the children. The language must be standardised to reflect that the challenges are temporary towards learning. 
  
  
• Set Time Limits: Encourage the teachers to break down the task. Write a few comments on the preschool progress report cards every day than trying to write all the students of the class in one day. 
  
  
• Complete the Hardest Comments First: The most challenging comments are for the students who are consistently struggling academically and behaviorally.
  
  
• Use 'Yet' Statements: This is the language of a growth mindset. It reframes a current lack of skill as a future potential.
  • Instead of: "[Name] does not recognise his letters."
  • Write: "While [Name] doesn't recognise all the letters yet, he is showing a lot of effort and enthusiasm when practising his name recognition."
    
    
• Focus on the Process, Not the Outcome: Praise their persistence.
  • Example: "Though problem-solving tasks can be challenging, [Name] demonstrates persistence and consistently asks thoughtful questions when he needs help."
    
    
• Frame Behaviour Positively: When addressing behavioural concerns in your preschool progress report template, focus on the desired behaviour, not the negative action.
  • Instead of: "Often disrupts others."
  • Write: "We are actively working on allowing others to finish their thoughts and have seen great progress in [Name]’s ability to wait patiently for a turn."
    
    

Preschool Progress Report Sample for Every Age

Let us now go through some ready-to-personalise comments that have been sorted by age groups and learning areas. Use these as preschool progress report comments examples to fill your report cards quickly and in a hassle-free manner with this preschool progress report template. 

Nursery Progress Report and Toddler Comments (18 months - 3 Years)

For this age, focus is mainly on self-help, routine and early social-emotional development. These are perfect Nursery Progress Report comments.

Area	Positive Nursery Progress Report Phrase	Constructive Nursery Progress Report Phrase
Routines	Successfully navigates the classroom confidently with minimal directions.	Is still working on following simple, one-step directions independently.
Separation	Settles quickly into the daily routine after a smooth drop-off.	Shows some hesitancy separating from caregivers but responds well to teacher redirection.
Social Play	Engages in parallel play happily and is beginning to watch others closely.	Needs gentle reminders to keep hands and feet to self when excited by a toy.
Self-Help	Independently put on their coat and help tidy up toys when asked.	We are encouraging the use of utensils consistently during mealtimes to foster independence.
Communication	Uses several clear words to communicate needs and wants effectively.	Is beginning to use more descriptive language to convey ideas and feelings.

Preschool/Pre-K Comments (3 - 5 Years)

For this age, the focus is on self-help, routine and early social-emotional development. 

Area	Positive Nursery Progress Report Phrase	Constructive Nursery Progress Report Phrase
Routines	Successfully navigates classroom transitions with confidence and minimal prompting.	Is still working on following simple, one-step directions independently.
Separation	Settles quickly into the daily routine after a smooth drop-off.	Shows some hesitancy separating from caregivers but responds well to teacher redirection.
Social Play	Engages in parallel play happily and is beginning to watch others closely.	Needs gentle reminders to keep hands and feet to self when excited by a toy.
Self-Help	Independently put on their coat and help tidy up toys when asked.	We are encouraging the use of utensils consistently during mealtimes to foster independence.
Communication	Uses several clear words to communicate needs and wants effectively.	Is beginning to use more descriptive language to convey ideas and feelings.

Preschool/Pre-K Comments (3 - 5 Years)

These comments on preschool progress report focus moreon academic readiness, social problem solving and working independently. 

Domain	Positive Comments on preschool progress report	Constructive Preschool Progress Report Sample
Social Skills	Consistently initiates imaginative play and includes two or more peers in their narratives.	Needs encouragement to compromise when sharing materials or negotiating roles in group play.
Literacy	Accurately identifies all uppercase letters and is recognizing several initial sounds.	Is working on holding the pencil with a correct tripod grasp to build writing stamina.
Math	Easily counts objects up to 20 and can successfully identify and categorize basic shapes.	Finds applied problem-solving (e.g., measuring ingredients) challenging and needs adult guidance.
Work Habits	Demonstrates excellent focus during independent center time, often completing tasks fully.	Needs occasional verbal prompts to remain engaged and on task during lengthy activities.
Creativity	Expresses complex ideas through artwork, explaining their choices and processes clearly.	Is encouraged to explore different textures and art mediums beyond their comfort zone.

By using these preschool progress report comments as examples you can change and evaluate your feedback. 

Sample Preschool Report Templates

Sample 1

Sample 2

Sample 3

Conclusion

Writing detailed comments on preschool progress report is one of the most demanding tasks an early childhood educator does. But by adopting these simple, strategic, and human strategies, and by using these comprehensive preschool progress report comments examples, you are transforming a bureaucratic task into a meaningful communication point.

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FAQs:

Q1: How do I write personalised general comments?
Start with a simple opening line, then mention something that only their child did. For example: “It was lovely to see [Name] grow this term. We enjoyed watching them lead the ‘Dinosaur Zoo’ activity in the block corner.” A small, real moment makes the comment feel special.

Q2: What should I write for a non-verbal 2-year-old?
Talk about what the child understands, how they communicate without words (like pointing or smiling), how they interact with others, and how well they follow routines. Keep the report focused on their effort and growth.

Q3: What if our school uses a different report card format?
You can still use these sentences! Just copy the main idea like “Shows curiosity about numbers”, and place it in the matching section of your school’s format. The wording works anywhere.