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Kindergarten is a great time for kids to develop their physical, social, emotional and academic skills. Encourage them to read, play games that strengthen their small muscles (like sorting short vowel sounds), and explore different cultures through art.

Children at this age also grasp concepts like the seasons and the concept of time.

Social and Emotional Development

Children’s social-emotional development lays the foundation for all learning. It teaches them how to relate to others, handle their emotions, and learn to get along with different people. It enables them to explore new environments and develop curiosity about the world around them.

Kindergarten is a big change for kids and they need lots of support to get ready for it. That’s why it’s important to make sure your child has a strong base of social and emotional skills before they start school.

These are the skills that help kids feel safe and secure, have a positive self-image and are able to take turns and follow rules in group activities. Research has found that proximal targets such as emotion understanding, competent social problem solving and prosocial behavior significantly predict kindergarten adjustment. (Bierman, Domitrovich & others, 2008). It also shows that growth in these skills is independent of growth in vocabulary and emergent literacy. In fact, these gains make a bigger contribution to kindergarten reading skills than do growth in words and numbers.

Language Development

In kindergarten, children are building skills that will help them learn in school and beyond. They are learning to communicate their thoughts and ideas with peers and teachers, as well as understanding how other people feel. Children who have strong language skills are more likely to succeed in reading, writing and math later on.

Language development is related to cognitive development, and both are crucial for preparing children for academic success. When children have strong cognitive and language skills, they are better able to follow directions, understand what they read and write, and use these abilities in everyday life.

Children begin to know their parents’ and caregivers’ voices between birth and month three, and will start to quiet down after hearing them. They also become more interested in sounds, such as turning or looking towards new ones, and they enjoy playing with rattles and other sound-producing toys. They will even repeat sounds like baba, mama, ahh and ooh.

Physical Development

In high-quality kindergartens, children engage in activities that promote physical development. They learn how to move and develop gross motor skills (like jumping or climbing) and fine motor skills (like writing or manipulating small objects). They also explore the environment using their bodies, like crawling under tables or throwing a ball.

Children’s physical development allows them to play more freely and explore their environments in a way that supports cognitive and social-emotional development. It can improve their overall health by building strong bones and muscles and helping them maintain a healthy weight. It can also reduce the risk of diseases and conditions like cardiovascular disease and diabetes by promoting an active lifestyle.

Educators who understand physical development can support children’s growth and well-being in many ways, including establishing safe indoor and outdoor spaces that encourage movement and motor skill practice. They can use the Physical Development Competency Reflection and the resources provided in this lesson to support their staff members’ professional development on this topic.

Academic Development

Developing strong numeracy skills is a critical aspect of kindergarten success. Parents can foster early mathematical literacy by creating a number-rich environment at home. Incorporating everyday counting opportunities – such as tallying stairs when climbing or enumerating items during grocery shopping – and engaging in educational games that focus on number recognition and counting can significantly enhance children’s early mathematical competence and confidence.

Academic content presented without sufficient strategic supports can create mismatches between classroom demands and children’s existing skills. This can tax children’s attention spans (Stipek, 2006), reduce the level of their approaches to learning (Logue, 2007), elicit externalizing behaviors and increase internalizing indicators of anxiety (Graziano, Reavis, Keane, & Cox, 2010).

Children can also cultivate a love for learning that will serve them well into their formal education years by being excited about and engaged in their educational experience. Incorporating educational activities into daily routines – such as cutting with safety scissors and coloring within the lines – can strengthen children’s fine motor skills, a key aspect of legible handwriting and artistic expression.

Reading intervention is an essential part of a child’s literacy development. It addresses students with reading difficulties and helps them regain missed skills.

Using a universal screener and diagnostic assessment, teachers determine where students are struggling with their reading. Then they give them targeted instruction and formative assessments. This includes phonological awareness, phonics, and comprehension.

Phonics

Whether in the classroom or one-on-one, explicit instruction in phonics helps struggling readers decode words and build their knowledge of letter-sound correspondences. Research confirms that students need strong phonics skills to read fluently and comprehend text.

To determine your students’ phonics needs, look at your Tier 1 universal literacy screening assessments (FAST Bridge, DIBELS, or Acadience Learning). Look for the first skill that they did not pass – this will be their area of need. Then sort through the assessments and keep notes of students who have similar deficits – these are your potential phonics intervention groups.

There are a few good phonics intervention programs on the market – look for one that is aligned to your state standards. There is also a lot of research on the effectiveness of these phonics programs. Generally, whole-class and school-wide approaches with tutoring have the largest impact on students. These programs have shown to improve students’ word and non-word reading on researcher-designed tests, with medium effect sizes.

Comprehension

Comprehension is a necessary counterpart to reading skills as it allows children to engage with stories and information. Students who comprehend can visualize, make predictions, connect new knowledge to existing information and understand the meaning behind words and sentences.

A student’s comprehension skills are influenced by their cognitive abilities (attention, memory and reasoning), language knowledge and skills, and their background knowledge and motivations. There is a lot of variability among students. Therefore, it is important to identify the specific areas of difficulty along Scarborough’s Rope, including foundational issues such as phonics and decoding multisyllabic words, and higher-level skills like morphological awareness, vocabulary instruction, and text structure.

Teachers can provide effective comprehension interventions by activating students’ background knowledge using prereading discussions, concept maps and anticipation guides, and through class discussion of texts. They can also support students in constructing their own mental representations of the text by asking them to make predictions, answer questions and create visual images.

Vocabulary

Vocabulary is the toolbox that helps children unlock the meaning of what they read. Without it, reading is like trying to solve a puzzle with some pieces missing.

Vocabulary development is especially important for English-language learners. Research shows that their poor vocabulary is a significant barrier to reading at grade level (Calderon et al, 2005).

To address this challenge, educators should use strategies that promote explicit instruction in word meanings and spellings. These include the “Essential Word Routine,” a quick, effective way to preteach new words that will support comprehension (such as synonym, antonym, and meaning-from-context questions). Teachers and clinicians should also prompt students to notice and revel in words they encounter in their daily lives, such as by posting target words on a bulletin board or privately encouraging family members and other school professionals to use them with students. In this way, they can help children develop an active, lifelong love of language. This can have a powerful, positive impact on their reading skills.

Fluency

Increasing fluency allows children to read words automatically, which frees up cognitive energy so that they can focus on understanding what they read. Fluency instruction also involves teaching expression and phrasing, which is called prosody.

A number of studies have found that Repeated Reading (RR) is a powerful reading intervention for students with low fluency. RR is especially effective when it includes passage previews and goal setting and when it is combined with vocabulary instruction.

In a typical lesson, the student practices reading the same passage multiple times and is graded on the number of words they correctly read per minute (WCPM). This is a measure of their reading rate, but also includes errors that may be made while reading. Often, the teacher will tally and subtract miscues such as missed, added, or pronounced words. Lessons last about 30 minutes. Several experimental conditions have been tested, including: TRF with a passage preview and tutor-led model reading (TRF/VSM); TRF with a new passage each session (VRRnew); TRF with same passage repeated across sessions until a fluency criterion is met (VRRsame); and TRC with a story map and literal comprehension questions (TRC/VSM). All treatments resulted in improved WCPM over time.

Education is a fundamental right for every child, regardless of their country, culture or family circumstances. Upholding this right requires an appreciation of children’s diverse experiences, and a deep knowledge of how they learn.

Russian psychologist Lev Vygotsky developed a socio-cultural learning theory. He believed that cognitive development and learning advance when a teacher acts as more of a facilitator to help children achieve skills or understandings just beyond their current capabilities.

Child Development

Educators who want to support children’s learning must understand child development. They must have a grasp on the developmental milestones for each age group, as described by resources like the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

This requires knowledge of general cognitive development and learning, subject-matter content knowledge and skills for specific subjects such as language and literacy and mathematics, and social and emotional development and health. Each of these domains interacts with and influences the others.

For example, a child’s implicit theories about how the world works can influence his or her understanding of math concepts. Moreover, understanding the interrelationships of these domains is critical for educators to develop activities that foster children’s learning. This chapter focuses on two core subject areas, language and literacy.

Social & Emotional Development

The ability to understand and regulate one’s emotions, build self-esteem and confidence, and establish positive relationships is essential to children’s social-emotional development. It is also central to their success in classroom learning.

Children develop these skills through healthy, supportive interactions with their parents/primary caregivers and educators. These interactions should be guided by an appreciation for each child’s unique temperament, as well as the family and community context in which they live.

In the classroom, promote social-emotional development by providing plenty of opportunities for cooperative play and activities that encourage sharing, taking turns, and empathy. In addition, model positive social interactions and emotional regulation, as children learn best by observing adults.

Cognitive Development

Children’s cognitive development is a complex interplay of nature and nurture. It involves changing the way we think, and how we understand and solve problems in the world. It also includes learning new things and building on existing knowledge.

One major theory of cognitive development is Piaget’s stage-dependent theory. This is a theory of how a child’s thinking changes throughout different developmental stages, and explains why some aspects of children’s thoughts change in gradual and continuous ways, while others change in sudden and discontinuous ways.

Activities that support cognitive development include hands-on experimentation, classification tasks, and logic games. It is also helpful to teach children about egocentrism and other social-emotional skills. For example, try using a “Wonder Wall” where children can post questions about the world around them.

Language & Literacy Development

The relationship between language and literacy development is crucial. Language lays the foundation for reading, and literacy helps children make connections between written words and the meanings they convey.

Language and literacy are closely linked, and researchers have found that a child’s oral vocabulary is highly predictive of their eventual reading skills. Language and literacy also promote cognitive development, encouraging problem-solving skills and enabling them to better connect stories they read with their own experiences.

Children enrolled in The Nest Schools Global Gull Dual Language Program gain the advantage of bilingual fluency at an early age, which fosters cultural sensitivity and provides a solid foundation for academic success. This dual language education also boosts cognitive development and encourages a lifelong love of learning.

Physical Development

Physical development relates to a child’s ability to use large and small muscles. Children also learn to manage self-care activities such as eating, drinking and toileting.

Babies and young children develop incipient theories about how people, other living things and objects operate by observing their environments, engaging in interactions with adults and peers, and actively exploring and playing. These theories are the foundation for future learning and life.

Educators arrange firsthand, meaningful experiences that support children’s observation, exploration, interaction and play. These include science experiments and construction projects, reading, storytelling and music-making experiences that promote vocabulary, imagination and the capacity for musical rhythm. They also arrange interactive experiences that introduce children to new cultures, languages and customs that broaden their understanding of the world.

Educational support encompasses a wide range of resources and guidance that help students navigate their learning journey. This can include tutoring services, study groups, and other in-school programs. It can also include family involvement and community programs.

It is a regulatory requirement that students with disabilities have access to their education in the least restrictive environment (LRE). This means they should be educated alongside non-disabled peers to the extent possible.

Student Success

Student success is a broad term that encompasses the academic achievement and holistic growth of students during their education. This includes everything from their interpersonal relationships to their access to resources.

A growing number of colleges and universities are instituting student success systems to help their students thrive academically, professionally and socially. These programs offer a variety of services, from tutoring and mentoring to career and mental health counseling.

Institutions also employ a range of strategies to boost academic performance, including high impact practices (HIP) such as internships and field experiences, first-year seminars, research and capstone projects, study abroad opportunities and service learning projects. These long-term experiences often provide the most lasting and meaningful educational benefits for students.

However, the current hegemonic framing of student success encourages many institutions to invest a disproportionate amount of their resources into facilitating academic definitions of student achievement. As a result, it is important for researchers to examine alternative definitions of student success when conducting their research.

Family Involvement

Family involvement is a key component to students’ long-term educational success. It builds a foundation of learning, reinforces classroom concepts, and establishes a consistent connection between the home and school environments.

Educators and families must work together to create meaningful partnerships founded on respect. Families provide a valuable understanding of their child’s unique needs and challenges, while educators bring expertise and training to support student success.

Parents who are involved in their children’s education have higher academic achievement, improved attendance rates, and more positive social behaviors than those whose parents do not participate in school activities.

Schools can foster family engagement by promoting opportunities for volunteering, providing access to digital communication platforms, and hosting parenting support groups. This way, families can participate in ways that align with their schedules and personal interests.

School Resources

School resources are essential to fostering a supportive learning environment. They can range from physical tools to financial support. Inadequate resources can hamper student learning, leading to underperformance and disengagement. Addressing these needs requires effective resource management strategies.

The right educational materials can increase students’ understanding and engagement, allowing them to better grasp important topics and gain a deeper knowledge of various subjects. These resources can include interactive lessons and games, supplemental materials, and online resources.

Several websites provide educators with free educational resources. For example, the eponymous media outlet National Geographic offers free lesson materials and teacher guides for integrating content into interdisciplinary teaching. The New York Times Education Department provides teachers with articles, quizzes and writing prompts to help students explore current events and real-world issues. Educators can also access educational tools through open educational resources (OER) sites like OpenStax and New Path Learning. These sites offer peer-reviewed, openly licensed textbooks and teaching materials.

Community Programs

Communities are a critical component of education support and often include initiatives that provide services like food, health care and job training. These programs help individuals develop the skills they need to succeed and break out of the cycle of poverty.

Community workshops are dynamic learning experiences that equip participants with knowledge and skills they can use in everyday life. These workshops can range from financial literacy to parenting skills, empowering individuals to take control of their lives and achieve their goals.

Tier 3 supports are tailored to the specific needs of each grantee. For example, New Mexico’s program involves a virtual ECHO (Emerging Communities in Collaborative Organizational Research) session that brings together community school coordinators, principals and teachers to learn more about collaborative leadership strategies.

This level of support also includes regional gatherings to connect community schools across the state and a website that provides resources, presentations and research studies on community schools. It also involves collaboration with local boards of cooperative educational services, which are regional education agencies that work with groups of districts to offer support.

Running a school requires an entirely different mindset than running a business. School administrators must foster a culture of collaboration and innovation, not rigid bureaucracy.

Beyond academic learning, schools provide other important benefits. They can help students develop lifelong skills that are highly valued in the workplace. They can also serve as a social net, connecting students with mentors and professionals.

Education

Education is the process by which an individual acquires knowledge, giving them information and insight into various fields like science, math, literature, and history. It also teaches them how to think critically and act ethically in their professional and private lives. It helps them become more aware of the world around them, and enables them to help others by providing them with the necessary skills for life.

Schools also teach students to empathise with people from different backgrounds and cultures, and how to work with them. This is important because it enables students to create a better, more successful society.

Moreover, the school environment provides an ideal place to learn about the real-world economy. It can help them prepare for their future occupation, whether it is in a career-based program or at a university. This is important because the economy is always changing, and a well-educated population can adapt to this change. However, there are many challenges facing the world of education.

Confidence

Teachers must prioritise building student confidence by incorporating neuroscience-backed strategies like curiosity-driven questions, trusted resources, and reflective growth mindset activities. This will allow students to feel confident in their classroom environment and encourage them to take risks and persist through challenges that are inevitable on the educational journey.

Academic confidence fuels neuroplasticity, the brain’s ability to form new neural connections, and it also reduces stress levels. It helps students engage more fully, embrace challenge, and persevere through obstacles to become lifelong learners.

However, it’s important to distinguish between academic confidence and self-esteem. While confidence can fluctuate based on specific situations and tasks, self-esteem is a more general evaluation of a student’s worth and value. This can be influenced by social circumstances such as childhood trauma, discrimination, and low expectations in the classroom. In fact, research suggests that these factors may lead to a student’s decision not to participate in school. Ultimately, both can be improved by providing encouragement to students from their instructors and family members.

Decision-making skills

While adults often make decisions on a daily basis without thinking much about it—from what outfit to wear to how to get to work—children need to learn these skills at an early age. Decision-making involves critical thinking, emotional regulation, values and priorities, and courage to take responsibility.

Teaching these skills in a supportive classroom environment is essential. Provide students with hands-on activities and projects that allow them to explore options, discuss consequences, and solve problems. Involving parents in this process can support students’ learning and help foster empathy and teamwork.

For example, if your class is planning a fundraising event for a school project, you can have the students assess risks by presenting different scenarios. Encourage them to brainstorm and evaluate solutions, and offer rewards for risk-taking—whether it’s verbal praise, certificates, or class privileges. By fostering these skills, students will be better prepared for life’s challenges that may come their way. These can include major choices like career path selection or financial management.

Social skills

Social skills, such as sharing and using manners, listening to others, not interrupting, resolving conflicts and respecting personal space, are crucial for children to be successful in school. Although some students may struggle to develop these skills, educators play a crucial role in fostering their growth.

Teachers should incorporate social skills into classroom activities and discussions, providing opportunities to practice these behaviors in a supportive environment. Incorporating role-playing and simulations in these lessons will help to reinforce these skills for students.

Another important aspect of teaching social skills is identifying specific deficits and then devising targeted interventions to address them. This could include teaching students to self-regulate their emotions, addressing environmental factors that affect learning (e.g., difficulty navigating the school environment) and teaching them to interact appropriately with peers.

Lastly, it is important for educators to model these skills in their own behavior, encouraging students to be open and engaged. This will help to boost student motivation and engagement in classroom activities, leading to more positive social interactions and a more dynamic learning environment.

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Kindergarten is a crucial year in your child’s education. It is a big transition and children can be overwhelmed at times.

Children often enter kindergarten at the age of 5 but cutoff dates vary by state. High quality kindergartens offer lifelong learning skills that help students feel capable, included and valued in classroom communities.

Literacy

Kindergarten is a time when kids move beyond the playing and craft-making of preschool to more focused reading and writing skills. They learn about the school community and how to interact with peers in the classroom.

Understands the basics of books and print, such as where to hold a book and what the front and back cover look like. Recognizes some letters, particularly those that appear in their own name.

Identifies words that have continuous sounds, such as “sh.” Can also break words into phonemes (the smallest units of sound that make up words).

Starts to write letters and short words using invented or creative spelling.

Math

The math skills kindergartners learn — such as counting objects and recognizing basic shapes — are important predictors of future academic achievement. But researchers say more comprehensive kindergarten math instruction that goes beyond counting could help many more children succeed in math later.

Kindergartners can count objects and recognize numbers, but they also need to understand how things relate to each other. That means learning concepts like adding and subtracting without pencil and paper, such as when Juan adds his 7 toy cars to Ida’s 5 to get 9. They’ll also begin exploring patterns.

Science

Nurturing children’s curiosity and providing opportunities to explore ignites their scientific journey. They learn about the similarities and differences between plants and animals, observe weather changes, and build their knowledge of matter and motion.

Children discover the scientific concepts of water’s different states and observe physical changes, as well as how to make a galaxy jar and a rocket. They also learn how to use tools—like a balance scale and a magnifying glass—to observe and measure. And they develop their ability to predict based on previous observations, such as whether an apple will sink or float.

Social Studies

Cultivating social skills is an important part of kindergarten. A high-quality kindergarten curriculum will support children’s holistic development and foster a strong sense of community within the classroom.

Explore a wide variety of social studies topics in these online lessons, including the United States and its history, cultures, and traditions, and global awareness. These engaging videos are easy to navigate and can be paused or replayed, allowing students to progress at their own pace.

Discover maps, learn about different cultures and celebrations, practice wise spending, and more! These kindergarten social studies activities cultivate curiosity and empathy, fostering an appreciation for the world around them.

Fine Motor Skills

Children develop fine motor skills throughout their early years. While every child progresses at his or her own pace, most pass through specific developmental milestones.

These tiny movements are what allow a child to perform tasks such as pinching, grasping, and cutting. Children are born with an involuntary grasp reflex, which is one of the earliest types of fine motor movement.

Pincer grip, the ability to use the thumb and index finger together, is important for writing. Research shows a strong correlation between fine motor skills and reading development.

Gross Motor Skills

Gross motor skills involve large muscles and movements like running, jumping and hopping. Developing these skills helps improve balance, coordination, and strength while building self-confidence and promoting healthy physical activity.

Children develop these skills at their own pace, but healthcare providers track progress through developmental milestones. These are behaviors that indicate typical stages of growth and development from infancy through early childhood.

Activities that encourage gross motor development include indoor and outdoor obstacle courses, jumping and hopping games, and throwing or catching a ball. They also provide opportunities for kids to build core strength and stability, which supports better concentration, independence, and academic performance.

Social Emotional Skills

A child’s ability to interact with their peers and navigate emotions in a classroom environment is one of the most important predictors of school success. Kids who lack social-emotional skills struggle with following classroom rules, getting along with their teachers and focusing on academics.

Teach students how to communicate their feelings using a feelings poster and role-playing. For example, students could play a game where they hide cards that name feelings and then find the card that matches how they feel.

Many kindergarteners have trouble with relationship skills, such as sharing and taking turns. Read books that feature characters they can relate to and help them practice these skills by role-playing.

Students in grades 6 and up who are below grade level may need reading intervention. These interventions are individualized and focused on developing foundational reading skills, reading fluency, and comprehension.

Interventions that are individualized predict unique effects on reading outcomes, which is important as previous research has identified group size and hours of instruction as possible moderators.

Phonics

Phonics is a key component of reading instruction that teaches children the correspondence between sounds and letters. Children learn that the letter n represents the sound /n/, and that the sounds of other words (like nose and nice) are represented by other letters (such as i and o).

Phonics instruction is most effective in kindergarten and first grade. However, research has shown that intensive phonics intervention can also improve the reading of at-risk students in grades 2nd through 3rd by reinforcing and building on learned sound-letter correspondences and learning to decode multi-syllable words.

Good implementation of phonics includes explicit teaching and practice in small groups. This type of grouping allows teachers to monitor each child’s progress and intervene as needed. It also allows for the opportunity to review and re-teach as needed. Periodic observation and examination of written work allow teachers to assess consistency and accuracy of students’ use of phonics skills. This information can then be used to inform further instruction and practice.

Vocabulary

Vocabulary development is a key component of reading intervention. Research shows that students’ reading comprehension improves as their vocabulary grows. Vocabulary is important for interpreting words and sentences in written language, including both grammatical and content words. It is also important for comprehending spoken language and determining meanings of unfamiliar words from their context.

Teachers should provide explicit instruction of vocabulary skills and include strategies that allow students to interact with words in multiple ways. This includes learning words before reading, repetition and multiple exposures, learning in rich contexts, and incidental word learning. Teachers should also help students understand that words may have different meanings depending on their context.

Using reading intervention to teach vocabulary, phonics, and fluency can enhance students’ oral and written language skills. Additionally, writing compliments reading by reinforcing letter recognition and phonics skills and expanding students’ knowledge of vocabulary and comprehension strategies. In addition, a universal screener is an assessment used to determine which reading skills students need to focus on.

Reading Comprehension

Reading comprehension, the ability to extract meaning from written text, is one of the most important aspects of reading. It requires decoding symbols into sound and leveraging background knowledge to build an understanding of the words on a page.

Group and individual reading intervention programs provide individualized instruction and support for students with low proficiency levels. Group interventions promote peer interaction and collaborative learning, which can increase engagement and motivation for struggling readers. Individual interventions allow teachers to provide targeted instruction and support for a single student, which can help improve their skills at their own pace.

To help students improve their comprehension, it is important to expose them to a variety of reading materials and to encourage them to reflect on what they have read. This can be done by facilitating classroom discussions or assigning reflective tasks. Exposing students to diverse texts can also help them develop the flexibility they need to comprehend different genres and writing styles.

Text Structure

The structure of text plays a key role in comprehension. Teaching students to recognize different text structures, such as sequence, compare/contrast, cause and effect, and problem-solution, helps them organize information, improving both reading comprehension and composition skills.

For example, identifying the sequence of events in a story makes it easier to understand the plot and the relationships between characters. In addition, teaching students to use these text structures when writing helps them produce better papers for school assignments.

A recent study examined the effects of a text structure intervention on main idea generation and reading comprehension among students with learning disabilities. Students were randomly assigned to either the structured reading intervention or a business-as-usual control condition. The structured reading intervention taught students about five text structures found in expository texts: description, sequence, comparison, cause and effect, and problem-solution.

Educators can incorporate text structure instruction into their curriculum by using graphic organizers, such as two-column charts, to help students identify and represent these patterns. Educators can also use guided questions to help children locate the relevant information in the text, making it easier for them to comprehend the content.

For millions of children around the world, access to quality education remains a dream. Conflict, natural disaster, displacement, poverty and other factors prevent children from exercising their fundamental right to learn.

Fostering children’s learning requires general knowledge about child development and learning, as well as deep knowledge of each individual. This knowledge comes from careful observation and from knowing each child’s culture and family heritage.

Social studies.

Social studies, also known as humanities and social sciences, is a broad subject area that includes history, civics and government, geography, and economics. It centers knowledge of people’s rights and local, national and global responsibilities so learners can work together to create a better world.

It instills core democratic values like justice, equality and diversity, and prepares students for informed participation in society. But it is often neglected in favor of test-focused subjects like math and language arts.

Science.

A strong science foundation builds children’s curiosity and self-confidence. It also reinforces math skills and teaches them to make observations, ask questions and communicate their findings.

Young children are naturally curious and want to make sense of the world around them. This natural inquiry, if guided by adults, builds a framework for scientific exploration.

For example, when kids experiment with different fabrics and see how water drops spread on each fabric, they’re developing enquiry skills. These skills are critical to learning about science and the way it works.

Math.

Mathematical knowledge and skills are essential for children’s cognitive development. Yet, much more attention has been given to early foundations of literacy than to early mathematic experiences.

Teachers of young children should learn about the mathematics content they will teach and how to encourage students’ enjoyment and confidence in this subject [97]. Preservice programs should include more field work and coursework that combines content and pedagogy. Teachers should be able to ask meaningful questions that help young children develop their mathematical understanding.

Language arts.

Language arts are essential for children’s ability to learn and grow. Strong language skills enable children to communicate and interpret their surroundings, their ideas, thoughts and emotions.

Language-building begins early and involves teaching the child to listen, talk and expand their vocabulary. Parents may also teach them about basic concepts like ocean life through hands-on experiential learning like playing in salty water or sand with objects such as rocks and shells.

Art.

Art enables children to tap into their imaginations and boosts narrative and writing skills. It also develops fine motor skills through activities such as mixing paint colors or kneading homemade play dough.

Educators who focus on the process, rather than on a finished product, allow children to experiment and explore their creative instincts. This fosters a strong sense of self-efficacy and builds confidence in their own abilities.

In early childhood, neural connections are formed at an incredible rate; art enhances cognitive flexibility and visual literacy.

Music.

Music builds skills that are valuable for learning in all subjects. It promotes creative thinking and helps kids approach complex problems in different ways.

Musical activities can be easily adapted to kids with physical, speech or language challenges. They can feel competent when they sing a song, powerful when they pound a drum or proud when they invent their own dance moves.

Young children should have access to diverse, play-based music engagement opportunities in all settings serving them, including homes, child care and early education. NAfME supports the inclusion of all kinds of music in the curriculum for young children.

Physical education.

Children who are regularly active will reap a variety of benefits. They’ll have stronger bones and a healthier body weight, along with lower cholesterol and blood pressure.

In addition to their physical health, kids who participate in PE will learn the value of perseverance. Whether they’re learning to ride a bike or mastering a new skill, children will learn to push through setbacks and work toward their goals.

Health.

Educators who prioritize health education build confidence in children and create a positive learning environment. They also support the well-being of students and families.

Students with unmet health needs like chronic illness, hunger or safety issues face unique barriers to learning. Monitoring chronic absenteeism is one way to help educators identify these students.

Equipping students with knowledge about physical health, mental well-being, nutrition and safety empowers them to make healthy lifestyle choices throughout life. Scientifically accurate information, engaging teaching methods, inclusivity and parental involvement enhance health education.

Social skills.

A child’s social skills help them engage in conversations, collaborate with peers, self-advocate when necessary and build lasting friendships. They can also lead to higher academic achievement, particularly in the classroom.

Children learn social skills through interactions with both younger and older people. For example, educators at Catholic Early EdCare facilitate relationships with nearby aged care services to teach children about the lives of older people and develop their empathy and understanding of others.

Students learn better when they feel supported. This sense of belonging motivates students to stay focused on their goals, fostering a learning environment that’s more enjoyable and productive.

ESP members are the heart of every school district. Without them, kids wouldn’t get extra help or attention, and schools wouldn’t run smoothly.

1. Identify Your Needs and Goals

Identifying your needs is the first step in getting educational support. This can include identifying the types of help you need academically, emotionally, and financially. It can also involve determining how to achieve your goals.

It is helpful to develop SMART (specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, time-based) goals. This will ensure that you are setting yourself up for success. Having clear goals will help you choose techniques and processes that have been proven by research or consensus to be effective. It will also allow you to specify how you will measure your progress and determine whether or not you are achieving the desired outcomes.

Education support professional members make a positive impact on students and their communities, but they need to receive high-quality learning opportunities and supports throughout their careers. That’s why we champion ESPs and their full inclusion in the Association. Without them, kids wouldn’t get extra help in class, lunch wouldn’t be served, and buses wouldn’t run.

2. Explore Your Options

Depending on your unique needs and circumstances, there are a variety of options when it comes to education support. From tutoring and academic resources to emotional guidance and financial assistance, the options are endless.

The ESP community is committed to working with schools to ensure students receive the educational support they need. Whether they are assisting with classroom learning, providing health and student services or maintaining quality schools, ESPs have a huge impact on the lives of students.

Education support professionals keep students healthy, safe and supported, allowing them to learn in the classroom. Without them, it would be nearly impossible for schools to operate. FEA champions ESPs and their full inclusion in the Association, their recognition as accomplished professionals and their access to high-quality professional learning opportunities.

Many parents are seeking ways to help their children succeed in school. Whether it’s through tuition tax credits, empowerment scholarships, public school choice, microschools or homeschooling, there are a variety of options available.

3. Engage with the Service

When it comes to education support, there are many avenues to help students excel. From community programs to online platforms, these resources can offer students the guidance they need to thrive academically and professionally.

Schools must be mindful of the sensitive nature of their interactions with students and families. As a result, it is essential to implement customer service tools that are robust and secure. This includes the use of help desk software and knowledge bases that can provide quick answers to common questions, such as school policies and troubleshooting guides for problems like failed online fee payments.

It is also important to encourage open communication between teachers and students, which can be done by providing a variety of feedback mechanisms. These can include surveys, suggestion boxes, dedicated feedback sessions and interactive platforms. This allows students and parents to share their thoughts on learning quality, teacher interaction and the overall student experience. It also demonstrates that the school is invested in its student’s success.

4. Monitor Your Progress

Regular monitoring helps educators identify student challenges early, providing timely interventions that prevent academic struggles from escalating. In addition, data-driven decision-making allows educators to adapt instruction and maximize learning outcomes for all students.

Education Support is a UK charity championing the mental health and wellbeing of everyone working in education. It supports trainees, newly qualified teachers, serving teachers and headteachers, school support staff and other education professionals throughout their careers and beyond.

Education support professionals, also known as ESPs, play critical roles in school functionality, classroom learning, student health and wellness, and maintaining quality schools. These public school district employees, including paraeducators, paraprofessionals, food service workers, administrative assistants, custodians, bus drivers and more, are dedicated to a quality public education for all students. When ESPs have clear expectations, are respected, and have opportunities for professional growth, they can make an even bigger impact on students.