Kindergarten is the first step in your child’s educational journey. It’s a time when they start learning how to interact with other kids and learn new subjects like math, language arts and science.
It’s also a time when students learn how to clean up after themselves and behave properly in the classroom. If you’re a new kindergarten teacher, here are some things you can do to help your students succeed in the classroom.
Language
Kindergarten is the time when students begin to learn how to communicate with others through spoken language. They may already have a foundation in phonics and linguistic awareness, and they can start to build on this knowledge through whole class and small group instruction.
Phonological awareness is the ability to recognize and differentiate sounds in words. This skill is essential for learning to read and write.
During read-alouds, educators can use the language and the images in books to develop children’s phonological awareness skills by teaching them how to hear the syllables and sounds in words.
Then, they can start to create new words by replacing one letter with another.
By the end of the year, they will know how to spell most uppercase and lowercase letters. They’ll also be able to use question words like who, what, where, when and why and prepositions like to, from, in and on.
When a child starts to speak a second language, it helps them gain confidence and improve their test scores, experts say. It can also make it easier for them to be more accepting of others’ differences and cultures.
Math
Kindergarten math skills are essential to children’s development. They help students learn how to solve problems and develop critical thinking.
Counting and cardinality (the number of objects in a set) are basic math concepts that can be learned early on. For example, a child can learn to identify and count to 20 by placing objects in numerical order and saying each number aloud.
Pattern recognition is another important math skill, which helps children sort and organize items in a logical way. It also makes it easier to understand math, including addition, subtraction, and geometry.
Social Skills
Social skills help kids interact with other people, learn about their feelings and understand how to behave in different situations. They are essential for a child to succeed in school and life.
Children learn social skills through interaction with others, including their parents and teachers. They build upon these skills as they grow older and need ongoing refinement to keep them in good shape.
Taking turns in conversation, sharing, and working together are all important social skills for kids to develop. Rolling the ball back and forth between two children is a fun way for them to start practicing these skills.
Regardless of the caregiver’s learning environment, positive reinforcement is key for social skill development. Modeling behavior by using polite language and addressing other people respectfully is also helpful.
Physical Activity
Physical activity is important for young children because it helps build and maintain healthy bones, muscles, and joints. It can also reduce chronic health problems and prevent diseases like diabetes, heart disease, and high blood pressure later in life.
In kindergartens, physical activities are included in the curriculum and taught by qualified teachers. They are a critical part of a child’s development and are essential for reducing obesity, improving self-esteem, and building healthy relationships.
This study investigated the level at which kindergarten staff fulfil the health recommendations for physical activity and examined whether differences exist in physical activity levels between those working mainly with toddlers (1-3 years) and older children (4-6 years). They measured the physical activity of 43 kindergarten staff utilizing accelerometers and questionnaires.