Kindergarten is an exciting and incredibly important year for kids. It marks a transition from learning at home or in preschool to education in the classroom with a teacher and classmates.
Kids in kindergarten learn about two-dimensional and basic three-dimensional shapes. They also begin learning to identify their own body parts.
Academics
In the era of No Child Left Behind and Common Core, kindergarten classrooms have become more academic than they used to be. Students learn to read and do simple math, while taking standardized tests. Play is the work of children, Fred Rogers famously reminded us. But in the rush to cram in academics, many teachers are sacrificing the discovery and creativity that occur through play.
Kindergartners will begin to write their names, and learn the sounds of the letters in their name. They’ll also practice writing numbers and working with basic addition and subtraction. Science is another area of focus in kindergarten, and kids will often learn about the different parts of a plant or animal, like heads, shoulders, knees and toes.
Many kindergartens have sports teams that children can join, which is a great way to develop their social skills. They may also participate in art projects and drama classes, and some even learn how to play a musical instrument like the recorder or xylophone.
Social Skills
Social skills are as important to kids’ success in school as academics. They’re the skills children use when they interact with classmates and teachers, whether navigating classroom rules or resolving conflicts.
Children typically develop social skills through infancy and early childhood. Those skills can help them understand how to express themselves and respect others. When they can’t do this, it can lead to behavioral problems and difficulty coping with frustration.
At VKRP, we’ve developed a variety of tools to teach these skills, including our Self-Regulation and Social Skills Guides. We’ve also studied the effects of interventions to promote these skills, and found that they have positive long-term impacts on kids’ well-being. We also used latent class growth analysis to identify distinct social skill trajectories in kindergarten and examined how home-rearing environment and demographic characteristics influence these trajectories.
Emotional Wellbeing
For children attending three-year-old kindergarten, establishing trusting and caring relationships with teachers and educators is important for wellbeing. Wellbeing also includes routines and managing transitions and separations.
Children need to learn how to recognise their own feelings and express themselves clearly. They also need to understand the feelings of others and be able to empathise with them. This enables them to form healthy friendships, handle stressful situations and manage their emotions.
Teaching these skills is known as emotional literacy. It is an integral part of a good education and lays the foundation for lifelong wellbeing. It is also one of the key components of social and emotional learning (SEL).
Independence
Kindergarten is a big step in children’s education, and it’s important to nurture their independence at this stage. Encouraging independence doesn’t just help children feel confident and capable, but it also lays the foundation for their future academic success.
An independent child can think creatively, approach challenges with resilience and perseverance, and solve problems on their own. Children who lack this kind of independence struggle to adapt to new situations and are often less successful in learning and social-emotional development.
Educators can encourage independence in young learners by giving them low-stakes opportunities to make choices and decision-making, fostering their problem-solving skills. For example, allowing students to select their own books during free playtime or leading small group discussions gives them the opportunity to demonstrate independence and self-reliance. Providing children with options also helps them develop confidence and resilience, even when they face setbacks such as milk spills or mismatched clothes.