Kindergarten is a big time in kids’ lives. There are so many new things to learn, including social and emotional skills and language and literacy. They also develop their thinking (cognitive) skills.
Physical development is a focus, too. Kids build large muscles and work on small muscle control through activities like playing outdoors, writing, drawing and doing puzzles.
Social and Emotional Development
The emergence of social-emotional skills during the early years offers kids coping strategies and emotional understandings that predict their success in school. They help kids learn how to work and play in groups, as well as interact with others and follow directions.
Kids in kindergarten learn to express themselves more constructively, such as by asking for help or using words to describe their feelings. They also learn to cooperate and develop close relationships with their peers.
Teachers can support this development by providing a psychological environment that includes elements like environment, play and relationships. Researchers use participant observations and informal and formal interviews to understand the ways in which classrooms support children’s social-emotional learning. These methods of gathering data allow the researcher to cross-reference them, helping her gain a richer picture of guided participation.
Language Development
Throughout their kindergarten year, children learn how to recognize the letters that make up words and begin recognizing some sight words. They can also identify their name and other familiar words in print, such as the names of their friends or their favorite food.
They start to enjoy poetry and nursery rhymes, and they will be able to identify the different sounds in the words that they hear around them. They will also understand that certain words are rhyming and can predict what word is coming next in a song, such as “Jack and Jill went up the hill.”
Children’s language development can vary widely, and there is no need to worry if your child does not say his first word by age 1. However, if you are concerned, consult with a pediatrician for a speech evaluation.
Math Development
In kindergarten, children are building on their preschool math skills and moving to more complex concepts like understanding numbers, comparing shapes and sizes, and basic addition and subtraction. Grasping fundamental measurements and interpreting basic data sets are also important.
Embedding significant mathematical learning into play, classroom routines, and learning centers provides a context that enhances the development of understanding and skills. This is particularly effective when addressing “big ideas” in early childhood mathematics—understandings that are essential, accessible at children’s present level of understanding, and generative of future learning [20].
When young children understand shapes and spatial awareness (the way objects relate to each other in space), they’re developing the foundations for geometry. Try going on a shape hunt with your kids and doing jigsaw puzzles together to help develop this understanding.
Science Development
Young children have natural curiosity and a need to make sense of their environment. When supported and nurtured, this curiosity can become a platform for learning science concepts and skills that will lay the foundation for understanding the world around them.
Young students need the opportunity to experiment with their surroundings, communicate their observations and share results through representation. They also need the time to do this, and a typical school schedule often militates against this.
Children learn through experience and with guidance from their teachers. The teacher’s role is critical for science learning and requires a broad knowledge base that includes knowledge of children, the teaching and learning process and pedagogical science knowledge. She guides students in exploring scientific phenomena such as water flow, the properties of matter and how plants and animals grow.
Character Development
In kindergarten, students begin to interact with others outside their immediate family circle and become more aware of the world around them. They learn about the importance of being respectful and responsible members of their school community.
Teachers can encourage character development through class discussions about positive traits, using literature and storytelling to elicit empathy, and providing opportunities for service learning. A classroom that regularly contributes to local food banks, for example, helps kids develop a sense of caring for those less fortunate than themselves.
Kindergarten (also known as kinder or pre-primary in Western Australia, South Australia and Tasmania) is the first year of primary school education. In Queensland and Victoria, it’s called prep and is followed by year 1. Children learn about the six pillars of character — trustworthiness, respect, responsibility, fairness, citizenship, and caring — through class activities, bulletin boards, and school-wide initiatives.