Kindergarten is the first year of school for most children. Kids learn to use the pencil to write their names and the alphabet, and they begin identifying numbers and shapes.
They learn that the world is large and that people near and far are alike and different. They also explore the natural environment.
Cognitive Growth
Cognitive growth is a vital component of overall child development. Children develop critical thinking skills, improve their ability to understand multiple points of view, and become more able to follow multi-step instructions. All of this prepares them to thrive in future learning environments and supports healthy social interactions with peers.
Infants build their cognition through sensory experiences and motor activities, with key milestones including object permanence and understanding of cause-and-effect relationships. They also use their growing language skills to engage in imaginative play and follow simple instructions.
Lev Vygotsky found that social make-believe play is a key context for cognitive growth. It helps children to follow internal ideas and social rules, rather than their impulses, and to practice activities that they are too young to perform in real life. While promoting cognitive growth requires specific curricular approaches and thoughtful professional development, many opportunities to stimulate cognitive growth are found in everyday interactions between young children and responsive adults.
Social and Emotional Development
A child’s social-emotional development is as important as his or her cognitive growth. It is what influences their ability to form and maintain relationships with others, understand and follow rules, and build self-confidence.
This development is a process that begins long before a child enters kindergarten and continues throughout their academic career. It includes a child’s ability to express emotions in socially acceptable ways, tolerate frustration, and develop positive relationships with peers.
Educators across the country are struggling with how to set their students up for success in kindergarten. They’re finding that many children are coming to school knowing their ABCs and 1-2-3s, but without the skills necessary for classroom success—like listening, following instructions, writing, using tools like scissors and pencils and more. Educators tell EdSurge that much of this has to do with children’s social-emotional development.
Physical Development
From a young age, children learn about their bodies through movement. They wiggle and kick, gaining control over their fingers and toes, then figuring out how to sit, crawl, walk, run, jump, and throw objects. This physical development gives them greater independence as they explore their world and develop the coordination to overcome their body’s limitations, for example, rolling a ball back and forth with a friend (social-emotional).
While genetic factors influence height and body composition, the environment also influences physical growth and motor skills. For example, infants and toddlers build fine-muscle (motor) skills by grasping toys with their hands and fingers, which eventually leads to scribbling and writing as they get older (communication). Parents provide scaffolding for their children’s physical development by holding them up when they stand on a chair or couch (physical), helping them climb stairs in a zigzag pattern (locomotor), or playing catch with them (recognition and social-emotional). Regular exercise also helps support physical development by building strong bones and muscles and promoting healthy weight gain.
Identity Development
A strong sense of identity contributes to a child’s self-esteem, confidence and positive view of the world. Identity development happens throughout childhood and is influenced by the interactions children have with peers and caregivers.
At an early age, children develop a gender identity based on their biological characteristics and developmental influences. This is often different than the sex assigned at birth. It may be boy, girl, or something in between.
The best way to promote healthy gender identity is through unconditional love and acceptance. Parents can support this by reading books that show different ways to be a boy or a girl and encouraging children to play with toys of all kinds.
Teachers’ professional identities can be challenged by their views on classroom leadership, heightened attention to kindergarten readiness, and new relationships with administrative bodies as they work to implement publicly funded early learning policies. Developing these identities requires a balance of autonomy, professional support and a sense of belonging.