Kindergarten is where children make the transition from preschool to a formal educational environment. This early exposure to school’s social dynamics, schedules, and expectations enables them to quickly adapt to learning challenges that may otherwise feel overwhelming.
Moreover, kindergarten provides opportunities to sharpen children’s ability to think critically and solve problems. It also fosters their creativity and imagination.
Preparing for Kindergarten
Many parents worry about whether their kids are ready for kindergarten. It’s important to remember that every child develops at a different pace. While age is one factor, other considerations include a child’s social and emotional development as well as their cognitive and physical growth.
A kindergarten curriculum builds on concepts taught in preschool and focuses on developing school readiness skills. Teachers use a structured but flexible classroom schedule.
Children who can greet each other with a “Hello,” ask for help when needed, and negotiate with peers do well in kindergarten. Parents can help their kids develop these social skills with play dates, play-based preschool, and out in the community by letting them order their own food at restaurants or book at a library and by practicing basic life skills such as washing hands and using the bathroom independently.
Kindergarten also requires that children have a good understanding of their basic numbers and letters. Parents can help their kids develop these skills by talking regularly with them, reading to them, and asking them questions (such as “what are the days of the week?”). This back-and-forth communication helps develop their vocabulary.
The Academic Year
In the United States, kindergarten is typically the first year of formal education. The age requirements vary from state to state (and from school district to private school), but most require a child to be at least 5 years old to begin kindergarten.
Children who attend kindergarten are more prepared for elementary school, according to a 2019 study by the Learning Policy Institute. Additionally, they are less likely to be held back in grade school.
In North Korea, children go to kindergarten from ages four or five to six before moving on to primary school. In Luxembourg, the term Spillschoulen is used to refer to a public school attended between ages four or five until children advance to Grondschoulen (elementary school).
Froebel schools were filled with gifts and occupations for students to play with, including sculpting, painting, lacing and folding, among others. Discussion is also a major part of kindergarten learning, as children are encouraged to reflect on their day and share with their classmates.
The Social Year
Children in kindergarten build upon what they have learned in preschool, and their social skills are refined as they interact with peers and teachers. They learn how to share and play cooperatively with others, and they work to understand their emotions in healthy ways.
Friedrich Froebel opened the first kindergarten in 1837, and his philosophy of children’s emotional and spiritual development remains a cornerstone of modern kindergarten classrooms. Unlike traditional school, kindergarten classrooms emphasize learning through play and offer a wide variety of ‘areas’ to encourage exploration and creativity.
The Voluntary Social Year offers young people the opportunity to volunteer in social institutions such as kindergartens, retirement homes and schools. The people they accompany benefit from having committed volunteers, and the volunteers gain valuable experience while figuring out their next career step. Our society also benefits from the commitment of young people who have found a sense of purpose through their voluntary year.
The Physical Year
For many children, kindergarten is their first experience with a classroom. They may feel nervous and not ready, or excited and eager to go. Parents may also be concerned about how well their child can pay attention and manage their emotions and behaviors.
The word kindergarten means “children’s garden.” Froebel designed his school with gifts and occupations that were meant to foster imagination, creativity and ingenuity, just like plants in a garden grow. Kindergartens grew in popularity and eventually spread throughout Europe, America, Asia and Australia. Elizabeth Peabody founded the first English-language kindergarten in 1860. By 1873, St. Louis had the first public school kindergarten in America.
Kindergarten is an important part of a child’s early education. It allows kids to become more independent as they learn the social and academic skills they need for later success. Talk with your child about his expectations for kindergarten to help make the transition a smooth one. Children need 10 to 11 hours of restful sleep each night to be ready for kindergarten.