Here Comes Kindergarten
A recent issue of Newsweek entitled "The New First Grade" ran a picture of a little girl with a big stack of books and asked "Are kids getting pushed too fast, too soon?" Are you concerned about your 5 year old being overwhelmed? Parents, teachers and health care professionals know that our children need to be well-rounded and that while paying attention to academics is important, we need to also foster social, physical and emotional development. So what's a parent to do?
One year I taught both kindergarteners and grad students ... not at the same time, of course. When asked how I did it, my quick answer was that both groups had a lot in common: they were confident in their smarts, loved learning, and worked hard. I felt the challenge for me as a kindergarten teacher was to see that my children continued to feel confident and capable. Toward that end, here are my top five recommendations for getting children prepared for school:
- Talking - From day one, take time to talk with your child. Whatever you are doing together, use your words to describe, explain and answer the questions that will come with increasing frequency as your child gets older.
- Learning - At this stage, children learn from whatever they are doing. Of course it is important that they are exposed to the ABCs and 123s, so find opportunities to identify letters and count whenever possible. Also, expose children to science, history, geography and the arts, including music, dance and visual arts. Books are a great source for all of these areas and there are lots of ideas on this Web site for learning games and activities. Do take advantage of libraries and museums which have wonderful resources and programs for in-person and online learning.
- Moving - One of the best responses to the crisis in the health status of our children is to take time to be more active. Walk, dance and engage in games that get your child and the whole family moving.
- Sharing - Working together really is important in kindergarten, college and beyond. An important first step is to practice sharing. Sharing encourages the use of good manners and lots of opportunity to say "please" and "thank you."
- Remembering - Children like to keep track of what they have learned and accomplished. Help your child write stories about experiences and talk about likes, dislikes and interests. A dear friend and colleague just sent me a picture of her daughter dressed as Frida Kahlo. She had given her the book a year ago and the costume took a year of planning and three more books were read and pictures were collected. "Frida" started this project at 5 and now she embodies the 6 year old described in a poem by A.A. Milne: "Now I am six, I am as clever as clever, I think I'll be six forever and ever."
I want all 5 year olds not just to survive but to thrive in kindergarten. I hope these ideas help you get your child ready for school and all of us have a responsibility to see that our schools are ready for them. Find out about the kindergarten program in your area and about how you can work with the school to provide children with the best start possible.
