Are You and Your Child Ready for Kindergarten?
The year is coming to an end and parents everywhere with children who will be turning five in 2010 are or should be thinking about Kindergarten. This can be a daunting task, especially for families where it is their first child entering elementary school. As parents consider registering their child in Kindergarten, what questions should they consider?
- Is our child ready both socially and intellectually ready for Kindergarten?
- What are our expectations for our child’s experiences in Kindergarten?
- Is public or private education the right option for our child?
- What type of teacher would we like our child’s Kindergarten teacher to be?
- What is the class size for Kindergarten or what is the Student-Teacher ratio?
When contemplating these and, I’m sure many other questions, about their child going to Kindergarten, parents will get a variety of answers from the experts on Kindergarten Readiness. All of these answers should be weighed equally and used to determine what is in the best interest of the child.
The first place to start in the investigation of Kindergarten Readiness is parent observations. How would you as the parent answer the first question as to socially and intellectually being ready for Kindergarten? Most children who are 4 or older have had playgroup experiences, maybe taken swimming or dance lessons, and experienced a variety of family activities. All of these will have provided the parents with opportunities to observe social and intellectual behaviors.
Another consideration for parents is the date their child turns 5. Will the child be one of the oldest or one of the youngest in the class? The decision as to being the oldest or youngest may be a purely simple one for some parents but yet, again, can have its challenges.
The second place in the investigation is, if a child is currently attending Preschool, the child’s Pre-K teacher and maybe the school director. These individuals have observed and continue to observe a child’s ability to interface in an “academic” setting. They will have observed how a child does socially interacting with his/her peers; how a child does with simple academic activities; how the child problem solves and whether or not the child is self-sufficient when it comes to handling his/her personal needs.
The third place in the investigation would be contacting the elementary schools parents may be considering as an option. Each school or school district has its list of things Kindergartners should be able to do. The schools often state that these are the requirements and, if a child cannot do the majority of them, then the child is not ready for Kindergarten. A recent study in California’s Santa Clara County showed that most kindergarten teachers are not wishing for rooms full of children who can identify letters, instead they wish for children who have learned how to regulate impulses, follow through on a difficult task and have the self-control to listen to directions for a few minutes. This is very different from the “kindergrind” requirements that expect writing names, writing simple words, doing simple math, and much more that has been expressed by some elementary school principals.
Once parents have compiled their personal observations, the Preschool observations and the elementary school’s Kindergarten Readiness guidelines, they then can start to deal with the Question, “Is our child both socially and intellectually ready for Kindergarten?” If the answer is yes, then the process should focus on what options are available as to choosing the elementary school to send their child to. Parents may want to use Questions 2 through 5 above which will help parents focus on what experiences they would like their child to have as he/she starts their path in the field of education.
Certainly we feel that our school, Integral Elementary, is a excellent place to start kindergarten and your child’s path in formal education, as we offer individualized curriculum for each student. We honor and respect the individual child, and where they are developmentally, and strive to make the school environment a joyful and successful place for all.
Also, in looking at what is important to you, here is something to use as a gauge: “Your child is about to enter first grade. You are about to write a letter to your child’s Kindergarten teacher to congratulate him/her for doing a great job. What are the three most important aspects about the Kindergarten program you most appreciated that you would share with the teacher?”
In the final analysis, parents are the ones who must decide whether or not their child is ready and what their expectations are as to the school experience for their child. The best advice is to ask lots of questions and seek input in determining Kindergarten Readiness as well as be involved every day with your child’s educational experiences.
There is way too much emphasis on KINDERGARTEN readiness, where a child at the age of 4 or 5 or even 6 are at the stage where they are bundles of pure energy and their capacities to channel their energy towards self-control and focus on a task is next to impossible. The years through age 6 are when most of the foundation for social development and cognitive development are laid for later in their school years, and the early skills as painting and doodling are foundations for later writing and reading. The force that is part of the educational wave of “Kindergrind” to learn skills that used to be taught in first grade or even second grade and introduced now as early as Kindergarten, are backfiring in a big way.
From previous experience in different setting, I am sold that children should wait and be in kindergarten until age 6, starting kindergarten and turning age 7 during that school year. Mixed age kindergartens are SO beneficial. Instead of KINDERGARTEN readiness, as a parent I would advocate for FIRST GRADE readiness instead. Most parents – and even some educator – are NOT aware that significant developmental changes take place between the years of 6 and 7 that actually is so beneficial for the child to be more open to learning to write letters and numbers; to be open to the first stages of reading and math that will accelerate in the next couple years. And also, this age window is the field of opportunity when a child is most open to learn self-control, to sit in a chair, to establish routine, to effectively take directions from a teacher, and to be a part of a class community.
It is not the parent’s evaluation to determine readiness for a child to start Kindergarten or even first grade. It is up an teacher’s detailed evaluation on social and cognitive abilities so they can succeed in the grades.
When material is forced to a child and the child is NOT ready for it, it does more damage than good. When children are developmentally (not intellectually) open to material and they learn in a communal setting – the learning is effortless, fun, esteem-building and they -thrive-.
Michelle,
Thank you so much for your comment to my blog submission. I am thrilled that you read it and submitted a comment. This is why we created our blog, to establish a dialogue about issues that affect children and their education. I believe that you and I are on the same page when it comes to this topic but will re-emphasize that parents need to look at the whole picture and rely on their own personal perspectives, before enrolling their child in any kindergarten program regardless of the child’s age.
Thank you again. Great to hear from you and please be sure to comment on our blog at any time.
Nancy