Millions of kids will take lunchboxes, backpacks , and rolling bags for their kindergarten first day this year. Some will be going for a half-day, and others for an entire day. Certain students will attend private schools, while others will enroll in public schools. For all the day they start kindergarten will be the day they begin their journey in a system that will be spending a decade getting an education of a fundamental level.
This raises questions. What are the characteristics of a classroom that is high-quality? What are the expectations of parents to find in the program? What can parents do to continue to educate their children at home? In short, what are the things children do in the 英文國際幼稚園 classroom?
Kindergarten offers the essential building blocks 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 an education in a traditional classroomwhere students have to interact with their teacher as well as a set rules, and one another to be able to learn.
“I believe that kindergarten is an excellent 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 organization working to improve education quality in early childhood. “It can be a good way to meet some of the goals in emotional and social development that children have to achieve to succeed in the future academic endeavors.”
Kindergarten Learning
In a guideline issued 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 as well as fine motor skills that involve the use of fingers and hands. Physical activities and playing outside exercises as a class focus on the earlier. Drawing, puzzles and other classes activities focus on the latter.
Social development. This is the way an individual child interacts with others by working together with others, making friends, settling 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. This assists children in understanding 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. It helps develop communication through writing, reading, and listening. Literacy is one of the most important topics during the early years of learning especially in kindergarten, since these skills are essential. Children learn to read so they are able to read and master later in their grades.
Skills for thinking and cognition. This helps students investigate and make observations as well as ask questions and resolve problems. “Teachers aid children in planning what they’re planning to do as well as encourage children to discuss and consider more deeply ideas, and to involve children in the process of making the decisions,” the association wrote.
The subjects of math writing, reading sciences, arts and social studies are all offered in top-quality kindergartens. Mwenelupembe who is in charge of accrediting kindergartens, says that the things she’s looking for in a well-run kindergarten is enthusiasm and activeness, with children engaged in learning materials as well as one another to aid in the development of all aspects.
“What is vital in the kindergarten years, that it isn’t often apparent the fact that learning through play occurs,” she says. “When children are at their desks for hours and working on things like homework, it’s hard to make sense of our knowledge of brains and the way that children’s brains learn.”
How parents can help
There’s a lot parents can do to assist kindergarten children grow in all of these areas, according to experts in education. “Parent involvement is essential,” Clare Anderson, an education consultant from Maryland on her email.
“Skills like persistence and stamina are essential for children to be able to complete the foundational tasks related to the oral and written language as well as vocabulary and numbers,” she says. “Parents are able to play a huge influence in encouraging young children to think at, inquire, and discover.”
Here are some suggestions for adults can try to do in order to assist kindergarteners succeed:
Encourage exploration. Experts in education say that every day activities are a great opportunity 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 fruits and vegetables, discussing about the amount of something you’ll need aiding them in understanding how much something costs every one of those routine every day moments are essential elements of learning that will carry into the school of their choice,” Mwenelupembe says.
Engage in conversations. Spending time having lengthy conversations with your children and talk about the activities going on around them at home can prove useful, whether it’s making a meal, or watering your garden. “Being capable of speaking and explain everything you’re doing with your child will provide them with a lot of vocabulary and knowledge,” Lindenfeld says.
Read. Few things are more effective in helping increase literacy levels than reading and with your child. A wide and appealing collection of books in the home , and then reading them with your child is a time well spent.
Reading with your child can be helpful,” Lindenfeld says. “No what age, or the length of time 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 will be extremely important for children.”
Develop everyday abilities. Anything that requires thought and cognitive abilities can aid children to learn. “To enhance learning in kindergarten I’d consider (about) everything that aids in the development of executive functions of the brain,” Lindenfeld says. “So as with anything that develops the capacity to be able to critically think, problem-solve multitask, organise and plan or evaluate.”
Encourage physical exercise. Opportunities to develop motor skills are numerous however, experts say physical activity can be integrated 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.”