A huge number of kids will pick up lunchboxes, backpacks , and rolling bags to head off for their kindergarten first day this year. Some will attend for a half-day, while others will attend all day. There are private schools, while others will be enrolled in public schools. For all the first day of kindergarten will be the day they begin their journey in a system that will spend the next 12 years getting a basic education.
It raises a few questions. What are the characteristics of a top-quality kindergarten classroom? What are the expectations of parents to learn from the program? What can parents do to continue to educate their children at home? What, in short, do children do in the kindergarten classroom?
Kindergarten is where the foundations of social, physical and emotional development, as being the foundations of literacy, language, thinking and cognitive abilities. In addition, it offers an opportunity for children to move from their education at the home or in preschool to a more traditional school environment, where children are required to interact with a teacher and a set of rules and with each other to develop their skills.
“I believe that kindergarten is a great starting point for our education program,” says Alissa Mwenelupembe the senior director of early learning accreditation of programs of the National Association for the Education of Young Children the professional association that works to improve standards for early education. “It can be a good way to meet certain goals in social and emotional development that children have to achieve in order to succeed in future academic endeavors.”
Kindergarten learning
According to a manual published by the National Association for the Education of Young Children According to a guideline issued by the National Association for the Education of Young Children, good quality kindergarten should focus on the following areas of learning:
Physical development. This refers to the development of large motor skills. This includes the movement of legs and arms and fine motor abilities that involve the use of fingers and hands. Physical activities and playing outside exercises in class addresses the earlier. Drawing, puzzles and other activities in class address the latter.
Social development. This is the way children interact with other children such as working cooperatively and making friends, as well as resolving conflicts and many other aspects. A variety of activities in the classroom are designed to build these skills, and help children become more comfortable with each other.
Emotional development. Children learn to understand and manage their own emotions. “Teachers aid children to recognize how they feel, speak about their emotions and feelings while also showing concern other people,” the association wrote. “They also support children’s development of self-regulation–being able to manage their feelings and behavior.”
Literacy and language. This helps to develop communication by writing, reading, and listening. Literacy is an important topic in the beginning of school especially in 英文國際幼稚園, since these skills are essential. Students learn to read in order that they can read in order to be able to be able to learn later in the grades.
Skills for thinking and cognition. This helps students investigate and make observations as well as ask questions and resolve problems. “Teachers assist children in planning the actions they’ll take as well as encourage children to discuss and reflect on concepts, and involve children in the process of making the decisions,” the association wrote.
Math writing, reading sciences, arts and social studies are all taught in high-quality kindergartens. Mwenelupembe who oversees the accreditation of schools, says that the things she’s looking for in a well-run kindergarten is enthusiasm and activeness, with children engaging with learning materials and one another to aid in the development of all aspects.
“What is crucial in the kindergarten years, that you may not always notice the fact that learning through play is taking place,” she says. “When kids are seated at their desks for hours and working on homework, it’s hard to relate to our knowledge of brains and the way that children’s brains learn.”
How parents can help
Parents have a lot they can do to assist kindergarten children grow in all of these areas, as per experts in education. “Parent involvement is essential,” Clare Anderson, an education consultant from Maryland and Maryland, wrote via email.
“Skills such as perseverance and stamina are essential in helping children tackle the fundamental tasks related to spoken language, vocabulary and the ability to count,” she says. “Parents are able to play a huge influence in encouraging young children to think about, ask questions, and investigate.”
Here are some ideas that adults can try to do in order to support kindergarteners succeed:
Encourage exploration. Experts in education say that every day activities can provide a lot of opportunities for children who are in kindergarten to develop everything from cognitive abilities to reading. An example of this is a simple visit to the supermarket.
Discussion about the difference between vegetables, discussing about the different colors of the vegetables, talking about how much of an item you require and helping them understand the cost of things every one of those routine every day moments are crucial pieces of knowledge that will carry into the school of their choice,” Mwenelupembe says.
Engage in conversations. Making time for long conversations with children and discuss the events going on around them at home is useful, whether it’s making a meal, or watering your garden. “Being capable of speaking and clearly explain what it is you’re doing to your child can provide them with an enormous vocabulary and a lot of comprehension,” Lindenfeld says.
Read. There are few things that can improve literacy than reading and with children. The large and exciting collection of books in the your home and reading the books with your child is a time well spent.
Reading with your child can be helpful,” Lindenfeld says. “No what age, or what length your time spent reading. If you’re only able to read for 15 minutes in a day and you only have 15 minutes, that five minutes reading are very beneficial for children.”
Build daily abilities. Anything that requires thought and cognitive abilities can aid children to learn. “To enhance learning in kindergarten I’d consider (about) any activity that encourages the development of executive functions of the brain,” Lindenfeld says. “So as with anything that develops the capacity of thinking critically solve problems multitask, organise and evaluate.”
Encourage physical exercise. Opportunities to improve motor skills are numerous however, experts say physical exercise can be paired with reading or other topics to make learning more enjoyable and productive. For instance when an adult read an article, kids can draw an image or play the text. As Mwenelupembe says, “Children learn with their entire body.”
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