Kindergarten is a year when many children’s social, emotional and behavioral growth is accelerated with a concentrated dose of academics. They begin to learn how to be scholars, while retaining their childlike curiosity and natural sense of play.
Kids learn to identify upper and lowercase letters and match them to their sounds, plus high-frequency words that they’ll use frequently (like in, of, and the). They also gain a basic understanding of geometry.
Social and Emotional Development
Children’s social and emotional development influences all other areas of their growth, including physical, communication and language, cognitive and the ability to develop meaningful relationships with others. It’s the process by which they learn to form close and satisfying relationships, experience, regulate and express a range of emotions, build self-esteem and make decisions.
In this excerpt, teachers and kindergarten children in the schools “Majski cvet” in Bitola, “Mladost” in Tetovo, Pavlina Veljanovska” in Kocani, and “8 March” in Veles engaged in an interaction that offers a glimpse into guided participation of social and emotional skills. (As part of a larger research study, a total of eight teachers and 130 kindergarten children from different socioeconomic backgrounds participated in this particular interaction).
This method of observation allowed the researchers to observe authentic interactions and gain a more realistic measure of current levels of social and emotional learning in the classroom. It also enabled the teacher to guide and support children in the context of real-life situations that would occur in the school environment.
Numeracy and Literacy Skills
Children develop early numeracy skills naturally in the course of their everyday exploration of the world. They learn about numbers and quantities through their play, especially with the help of adults who facilitate learning by sharing mathematical language in conversations and during games that involve counting, sorting, and comparing.
Children’s early number knowledge, along with key neurocognitive predictors like working memory and language, are powerful predictors of school-age mathematics achievement. These findings highlight the importance of studying both early numeracy and literacy skill development, as well as the need for research on interventions to reduce math learning difficulties in young children.
By kindergarten, students should be able to recognize and count objects and identify basic shapes. They should also be able to follow simple instructions and read short stories from books independently. In addition, for safety reasons, ELLs should be able to identify their name and that of others, and respond when called by teacher or other safe adult.
Emotional Wellbeing
The relationships children form with teachers and caregivers in their early years have a lasting impact on their mental health. They learn to trust others, express themselves openly, and form a positive sense of self-worth and well-being.
A good kindergarten program will also help children develop emotional wellbeing through routines that allow them to connect with others and build resilience. For example, a teacher will listen to a child’s feelings and respond in ways that are appropriate to the child’s age and development.
For example, a kindergarten teacher might play with a child who is upset that her mother is leaving for work while other children are playing at the tactile table. She will read a story with the child and talk about her feelings in a safe and supportive environment. She will also spend time with the child during other experiences throughout the day (for example, greeting, free play, snack, lunch and departure). This builds a sense of belonging.
Independence and Self-Assurance
The kindergarten year is a time when children learn how to separate from their parents on a daily basis in a safe and structured environment. Children also develop their first friendships with other children and begin to build their self-confidence.
Encouraging independence is a critical parenting task. Helping your children develop a strong sense of autonomy paves the way for their success at school, at work and in life. It also builds resilience, the ability to deal with challenges healthily and problem solve effectively.
To help your kids become more independent, encourage them to take on small tasks on their own such as pouring a bowl of cereal or picking out their clothes. Then, support them as they solve any obstacles and learn from their mistakes along the way. The rewards are far greater than any milk spills or mismatched socks!