Kindergarten is an exciting time of growth in a child’s life. Children learn to work together and become more independent. They also develop their ability to think critically and solve problems.
For example, they’ll learn the letters of their name and how to spell them. They may also identify high-frequency sight words and start writing.
Physical Development
Children’s physical development includes advancements in their motor skills. They develop their senses of sight, touch, smell, taste and sound. This physical development helps to strengthen the bones and muscles of their bodies. It also helps to promote and support the growth of other domains like cognitive development.
The activities and environments that young children are exposed to impact their physical development and health. Some factors that influence this are:
Children will all grow and reach physical milestones at their own pace. They may be ready to move to the next stage in some areas while struggling with others. This is part of what makes each child unique. Nevertheless, it is important that you and your staff understand the typical development of the age groups you serve.
Social Development
During kindergarten, children build and practice the social skills that help them interact with their peers and teachers. These include working together, listening to others’ ideas, and expressing their own feelings.
They also begin to learn about numbers and basic math concepts like addition and subtraction. These skills aren’t something that kids automatically pick up; parents and teachers must teach them.
Research on children’s social development has shown that social skill growth trajectories differ across students. This can be seen using a method called latent class growth analysis (LCGA). This approach helps clarify distinct social skills trajectories, and links them to children’s gender and home-rearing environment. Findings suggest that boys are more likely to be in the lower classes of social skills, which suggests that more attention should be paid to their needs.
Emotional Development
Whether learning their ABCs or how to use crayons, kindergarteners need the emotional skills to handle frustration and stick with tasks that are challenging. These skills include learning to express feelings and work together with peers.
To do this, teachers help children understand their own feelings and those of others. They also teach children to communicate their needs — for example, asking the teacher to go to the bathroom or telling a friend when they’re sad.
Research has shown that when these skills are lacking, kids can struggle academically and have trouble in school. Students from low-income families are less likely to enter kindergarten with these social and emotional skills, and the gap widens throughout the years.
Language and Literacy Development
Kindergarten provides children with opportunities to develop literacy skills through teacher-guided activities. These can include rhyming, playing with sounds and letters, learning words and their meanings, and developing early writing skills.
Teachers also build children’s vocabulary and descriptive language through interactive stories and group reading. They encourage children to talk about what they are learning by guiding class discussions and using questioning strategies.
Teachers can also support literacy development by providing a visually rich environment with books, magazines and posters with words. They can label objects in the classroom to promote environmental print awareness and allow children to interact with these materials during free play. They can also incorporate reading into daily routines, such as a story at snack time or before nap. By doing so, they can help children develop a positive attitude toward literacy.
Thinking (Cognitive) Skills
In kindergarten, children learn to use their imagination, focus on a task, work cooperatively with others and solve problems. They become confident learners who develop positive self-esteem and are ready to take on school-age learning challenges.
Kids in kindergarten learn to understand that some stories are true and others are fiction. They can practice their reasoning skills by partnering with classmates and asking each other why they think something is fact or fiction.
They also begin to grasp the concept of time, such as the difference between day and night. They might count how many objects are in a container, or they may sort toys by shape and color. They can even recognize and draw shapes and describe their properties. This cognitive growth is an exciting milestone for children.