Kindergarten is a year of learning. Children are taught everything from the basics of science to foundations of literacy and math.
Hands-on activities encourage students to explore and learn by asking questions and making discoveries. In science, kindergarteners learn about basic life cycles and parts of plants and animals.
History
The term kindergarten has an interesting and complicated history. It was developed in the 19th century by Friedrich Froebel, who believed that children were not yet ready for the rigors of normal schooling, but could be intelligent enough to learn lessons through play. He based his approach on the teachings of Johann Heinrich Pestalozzi and Jean-Jacques Rousseau, who believed that children had an innate goodness that was to be encouraged.
He also advocated music, nature study, stories, and a variety of toys and crafts for the children to manipulate. He understood that children between the ages of 3 and 6 would not be able to grasp many academic subjects, but could develop self-control, interdependence, harmony, and cooperation through play.
He established his first free kindergarten in Chicago, and the society he founded grew to have under its charge fourteen of these institutions, giving training to eighteen hundred children from the poorer classes of the city.
Curriculum
Kindergarteners learn about the world around them through hands-on activities that make learning fun. Programs include a phonics program, basic math concepts, music appreciation and creative arts projects. Homeschooling families can use these curriculums to create a well-rounded education experience for their children.
Learning to read in kindergarten involves recognizing upper and lowercase letters, matching them with their sounds, blending sounds into syllables and reading sight words. Kids can also practice writing and drawing. Help them develop their skills by reading to them and introducing them to writing prompts, like drawing their favorite characters from their school day.
Kindergartners learn about the environment by exploring their surroundings and conducting simple scientific experiments, like watching a plant grow or comparing how pushing and pulling objects affects their movement. They also learn about their communities through activities that explore family and cultural traditions and how people meet their needs. Kids can also learn about different cultures and how to respect the opinions of others.
Socialization
Kindergarten offers children a number of socialization opportunities. Children get to know their teachers and classmates, and learn to interact with them in a structured environment. Children also gain independence by learning to deal with separation in a new setting and take responsibility for their own needs.
In the Netherlands, kindergarten is a part of the formal educational system called basisonderwijs or primary school (initially it was referred to as kleuterschool or Frobelschool). Kindergarten follows the educational approach established by Friedrich Froebel in Germany and adopted globally.
Playing cooperative games with your kids will help them develop teamwork skills, as well as empathy for other children their age and older family members. For example, playing the Human Knot where children stand in a circle holding hands with two different people and work together to untangle themselves without letting go of each other’s hands teaches teamwork, as does passing around a hula hoop and trying to keep it up for an extended period of time.
Behavior
When children are unsure of what is expected of them, they may behave inappropriately. Explain rules and expectations in a clear, straightforward manner. Directions that are yelled or given from a distance may be misunderstood.
Frequent household moves can increase the likelihood that kindergarteners display problem behaviors that inhibit learning and disrupt classrooms, research conducted by NICHD-funded researchers at the University of Michigan and the University of Colorado shows. These problems appear regardless of parental income.
Give kids positive attention for their behavior in a way that is consistent with classroom procedures. For example, if a child hits other students, teach him how to tap a peer on the shoulder or call their name instead. Practice and reinforce this replacement behavior heavily.
Give kids a control spot (also known as a time-out or “peace corner”) to go to when they feel overwhelmed. It’s not intended as punishment but as a way to calm down and regain control.