This question gnaws at many parents whose kids may be starting kindergarten in the fall. Is my child ready? How will I know if they are? How will I know if they aren’t? What can I do to make sure my child is prepared to enter school?
I decided to go to an expert with these questions—a kindergarten teacher! Maria Householder, a 14-year kindergarten veteran in the Central Valley School District, kindly offered to answer all of my questions, and I’ve compiled what she had to say. There’s a ton of useful information here, and I think some of her comments may surprise you. It’s good reading for anyone who’d like to learn more about early childhood education. This article is in two parts—part two will be published in next week’s newsletter.
Also--please remember when reading this article that the factors Mrs. Householder reviews here are generalities. I’ve chosen not to turn the comments section on under this article in order to cut down on the “Well, my son was young and small for his age and couldn’t do anything that your article talks about but he was fine in kindergarten and he just graduated from college!” comments. We all know that every child’s an individual. This article is provided simply to offer guidance for parents, if they’d be interested in hearing from a veteran kindergarten teacher. It’s not here to offend; it’s here to educate because this is an important topic.
What factors should I consider when deciding if I should enter my child in Kindergarten?
First, it’s important that parents remember that each child is an individual and must be treated individually. When parents are deciding whether or not to start their kids in Kindergarten, they should consider each of these factors as a guide:
Chronological age: Does your child have a summer birthday? Even children who seem able for their age can feel frustrated with trying to keep up with older children.
Gender: This is important because boys, in general, can mature later than girls. Due to this level of maturity, they may have difficulty, in the early years, with academic skills such as reading.
Fine and Gross Motor Development: Physical size is sometimes an indication of this type of development: Is your child small for his/her age? Eye-hand coordination is one area of fine motor development: Can your children thread small beads or buttons, use scissors and crayons, and recognize likenesses and differences? A child with poor eye muscle control may have a difficult time with reading and writing.
Ability to Complete a Task: Children need to be able to concentrate for fairly long periods of time at one project, without being easily distracted. Seeing a task through to the finish is one important aspect of formal education.
Other Clues to Readiness: Can your child follow simple directions? Can your son/daughter cope with new situations? Does your child enjoy being read to at home? Is his/her speech clear? Is your child eager to go to school? The answers to these questions will give you a good indication of your child’s readiness.
Questions and Answers: A Kindergarten teacher tells you how it really is
Does chronological age have an impact on kindergarten readiness?
Yes, it definitely can. As kids get older, they physically get bigger and more coordinated. They begin grasping concepts and their language skills expand. I often tell parents of younger kids that it’s not that the ability isn’t there—it’s simply because they’re not developmentally ready. Just because kids are the same age doesn’t mean they’re going to be able to do the same thing. For instance, kids start walking at different times—some at 9 months, some at 13 months. They’ll do it when they’re ready. The brain development may just not be there yet.
Where does gender come in?
Boys can struggle more than girls—their gross and fine motor skills often develop sooner, but they don’t always develop the visual memory that they need to see something and remember it at the same pace as girls do. They can also develop auditory memory later on, and that’s the memory you need to hear and retain information.
Can I help my child develop auditory memory?
Yes, one of the things we do with the kids that’s great for parents to do is to give a child a short sentence and have them repeat it EXACTLY. We want to see if they can hear it, remember it and repeat it. Auditory memory is key to hearing directions, especially multi-steps directions, and following through with it.
What about physical development?
Sometimes, with fine and gross motor skills, we’ll see that stature tends to be an issue. Physically, development can give us an idea of what their readiness for school may be. They may have trouble with eye-hand coordination, and maybe have trouble with fine motor skills, such as stringing beads. There may also be problems manipulating crayons or a pencil. Of course, that’s not always the case, but sometimes stature can be a factor.
Why do kids need to be able to complete tasks?
The ability to complete a task is a huge issue at the beginning of the year for Kindergarten teachers. The kids need to be able to stay with something for a period of time, some sort of project, without getting easily distracted, even if there are distractions around them. Being ready for kindergarten is not just about kids being able to sit still.
What can I do to help my child learn to complete a task by him/herself?
Yes, you can give them a taxing project to complete at the kitchen table, set an egg timer, and then see if they can stay on task with that item. Can they stay on task without you having to redirect them?
How important is the ability to listen?
Listening is VERY important. But, we’ve seen that kids coming into Kindergarten don’t really understand what listening entails. They think if they’re sitting quietly that they’re listening, but that’s not true. We tell them a good listener does five things: Good listeners have eyes that are watching, ears that are listening, lips that are quiet, bodies that are still, and brains that are thinking about what the teacher is saying. You have to be able to do all of these things to follow directions—it’s not just sitting quietly.
My child is taking a Kindergarten assessment this spring. What does that tell me?
The assessment is valuable because it helps teachers and parents know if kids are ready to enter Kindergarten and if they will be able to complete the work that students are required to master in order to enter first grade.
Parents should remember that the assessment is a snapshot of that one particular day—it tells you part of the story, but you still need more pieces in order to make an informed decision. Kids may look forward to it, or they may be nervous, or maybe they don’t feel well. And it’s important to remember that testing is usually done in April or May, but Kindergarten doesn’t start until fall, and you can assume that physical, mental, and emotional growth is going to take place in the months in between.
How can I help my child follow directions that I give them and that the teacher gives them?
As parents, we get in the rut of repeating themselves (pick up your toys, pick up your toys, PICK UP YOUR TOYS), so it’s key that parents help their kids prepare to follow directions when they go to Kindergarten. The children know with me as their teacher that they’re accountable for what I ask them to do. I tell parents that if you give your child a direction, don’t repeat it. Have them look you in the eye and tell you what it was you asked them to do. If they’re not following directions on the first or second command, they need to learn how to do so. Teachers can’t repeat everything three times when they’re teaching, so applying this kind of skill at home will help your kids in school.
The second part of Mrs. Householder’s interview will be published in next week’s newsletter. She’ll answer more questions about what kind of skills your kids should have before entering kindergarten, why language development is so important, what a typical day of kindergarten is like, and some of the concepts that kids are tested on during that year.
