This is the second part of a two-part series on Kindergarten readiness. Part one is here.
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 one was published last week and included lots of information on the factors to consider when deciding if your child is ready for kindergarten. You can find it here.
Also--please remember when reading this article that the factors Mrs. Householder reviews in this article are generalities. I’ve chosen not to turn the comments section on under this article so that I can 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 is a typical day in Kindergarten?
- Attendance, Pledge, and computers
- Circle time
- Language arts
- Math
- Art/music/movement
- Playtime
- Library
- Dismissal
(Schedules differ from district to district)
What are children tested on throughout the year in Kindergarten?
Some skills listed on Central Valley’s kindergarten report cards include:
Language arts:
Identifies capital and lowercase letters
Recalls and prints letters
Recognizes/verbalizes letter sounds
Blends sounds into words
Recognizes and produces rhyming words
Motor skills:
Demonstrates gross motor skills: Jumping, hopping, skipping
Demonstrates fine motor skills: coloring, cutting, printing
Work Habits and Social Skills:
Works without disturbing others
Practices self-control
Interacts appropriately with staff and peers
Pays attention within group setting
Works independently
Understands and remains on-task
Mathematics:
Identifies numerals 1-10/1-20 randomly
Counts orally from 1-30
Recalls and prints numerals 1-10/1-20
Recognizes colors and shapes
Creates a pattern
Identifies coins
Questions and Answers: Part Two
What other skills should kids have besides what you reviewed in last week’s article?
Mrs. Householder says: Other skills that we’d like them to have are directionality skills. We ask them to “put your name at the top of the sheet.” But they don’t always know top, middle, and bottom. Maybe we’ll ask them, “Can you put your hat in the cubby? In, out, beside—those are words that can be difficult to attach meaning to. Try to work on spatial relationship words with your child, like "before" and "after." Review the days of the week and yesterday, today, tomorrow. See if they know that Tuesday comes before Wednesday. These are very abstract concepts. It’s difficult for kids to learn this, and studies have shown that kids have to hear something around 1,500 times before it becomes a part of their long term memory. That’s why Kindergarten involves so much: every day, we count to 30, we go over patterns, we take about the weather, we review the calendar. We need to keep reinforcing those skills.
We’d like for kids to be able to recognize their own name. We have many labels placed around the classroom, and the kids’ names are some of those labels. We’d like them to be able to write some of their first name, because even on the first day of school, we’ll be doing activities, and I’d like to know whose paper I’m looking at. It doesn’t have to be the neatest printing, or even using upper and lower case. They’ll be learning that in kindergarten. We’d also like them to have an understanding of color and basic shape.
Why is language development so important for Kindergarteners?
There are two different types of language that you’ll hear educators talk about: Receptive and expressive language. Receptive language develops first. That’s when toddlers will understand what you’re saying, and they’ll do it. Expressive language is when kids start expressing themselves by telling you their needs, and we see a gap with expressive language. Kids can’t always speak in complete sentences, they misuse pronouns, and they speak in the wrong tense. If the people who are around you look at you when your child says something—if they’re looking for a translation from you—then you may want to consider whether your child is ready for kindergarten, because they’ll need to use expressive language in school.
By kindergarten, sentence structure should be pretty developed. So, if your child is pointing to something because they can’t say it or can’t find the words to say it, you’ll want to work with them on that so that they can develop their expressive language. Language delays can very much affect kids when they start kindergarten, so it’s important that parents concentrate on this area and help their kids.
What can I do to help my child with language development?
The way that you can help is a simple one: Just read to them! Read a story to them every day. Read them a bedtime story, and if bedtime is hectic, read to them at some other point in the day. Read books to them that they haven’t heard so that they can be introduced to new vocabulary.
Also, ask them questions about the story. Stop and say, “Do you know what this word means?” When the story’s over, have them repeat what happened in the story. Ask who was in the story, what the problem was, how the problem was fixed, where the story took place. Make sure you ask them open-ended questions. This will be a huge help with language development.
Something else you can do is to rhyme with your kids. That’s a hard skill for them to pick up, so try rhyming with your kids at home--even just saying nursery rhymes with them will help them understand rhyming. Songs and nursery rhymes improve auditory memory.
Entering kindergarten is very different than entering any other grade, because all the kids are coming from different places: at-home care, preschool, daycare, or a mixture of these. They all have different abilities, but kindergarten teachers need to be able to meet the same educational goals during the year in order to prepare children to enter first grade. It’s our job to find a balance, work with concepts that all kids are familiar with (Central Valley kindergarten begins its lessons with “The Farm”) and then the playing field levels out.
I’m still concerned. I just don’t know if my child’s ready to start school.
If you are still uncertain whether or not your child is prepared for their kindergarten experience, talk with the principal, counselor, or a teacher. They can help you determine if your child is socially, emotionally, and developmentally ready for kindergarten. You should also have an honest conversation with the people around you who are with your child or see your child often, like a babysitter or a preschool teacher.
If you decide to wait another year before your child enters kindergarten, you’re certainly not alone. Mrs. Householder suggests that if you are questioning sending your child to school, that you can certainly give your child the gift of time and give them another year to get ready—physically, emotionally, and mentally.
