| It's pretty common when you are starting to | | | | first year, kindergarten children come to |
| prepare your preschool child for that first | | | | school happily, know how to work with a |
| day of kindergarten for her to ask you, | | | | schedule, sit at desks, listen to speakers, |
| probably with tears in her eyes, "But Daddy, | | | | write things down and take them home and then |
| why do I have to go?" And while you have | | | | bring them back again the next day and walk |
| your parent answers to give her and you will | | | | through the structured schedule of a normal |
| obviously refocus her attention on how fun it | | | | school day, that is a huge step forward in |
| will be and how it will be her next step | | | | preparing your child for school life that |
| toward "being a big girl", you might ask | | | | will begin in first grade. |
| yourself that question as well. It's | | | | |
| important that dad and mom have a firm idea | | | | Yes there is a curriculum in kindergarten and |
| of what kindergarten is all about as well so | | | | simple lessons are taught. Very often grades |
| you can do a good job of preparing your | | | | are not even kept or a child is given a good |
| little one for this big step in life. | | | | or passing grade just for being in class, |
| | | | participating in the group activity and |
| It is a mistake to see kindergarten as a huge | | | | trying to work with the program. The |
| academic leap into the future. When parents | | | | learning objectives that any kindergarten |
| pour so much energy into preparing their | | | | teacher will have for this year of life with |
| children to excel academically before heading | | | | these first year students is heavily slanted |
| off to kindergarten, they miss the point of | | | | toward behavioral and social goals and not as |
| this important year of school. Moreover, by | | | | heavy on academics. |
| "prepping" the child for school as though | | | | |
| this first year was going to be their | | | | The kindergarten teacher is a much different |
| freshman year at MIT, you create even more | | | | kind of teacher than any others your child |
| stress and anxiety because the child begins | | | | will meet in his or her academic career. You |
| to think they are going to walk into a | | | | will find your child's kindergarten teacher |
| situation of high stress. The result is the | | | | to be very interested in each child as an |
| child goes off to kindergarten already | | | | individual and in helping your child make |
| stressed and far more anxious than is | | | | that transition away from living at home |
| justified for this first step out of the | | | | every hour of the day and toward using a |
| home. | | | | significant part of their day at school. |
| | | | Commonly kindergarten teachers have special |
| Now this does not mean that preschool is not | | | | training in child psychology and are as much |
| a good idea. Not only does preschool give | | | | counselors and guides as they are teachers of |
| the child an early love of learning, it is | | | | lessons from books. |
| also an excellent way to help your child | | | | |
| begin to acclimate to the idea of going to | | | | Get to know the teacher of your child's |
| school out of the home. And learning to go | | | | kindergarten class. You will find she is |
| somewhere else and become part of an | | | | eager to know all she can about your child to |
| organized curriculum is a big purpose of | | | | achieve her goal of preparing each |
| kindergarten. So preschool gently starts | | | | kindergartner for the more academic years |
| that transition both academically and | | | | ahead. And if you are in sync with those |
| emotionally. | | | | goals, you can reinforce the experience your |
| | | | child is having with encouragement and |
| To a very large extent, the purpose of | | | | interest at home. And working as a team, you |
| kindergarten is to help young children begin | | | | and the teacher will help your child have a |
| that transition to a structured environment | | | | wonderful and successful first year in |
| of school. If by the end of this important | | | | school. |