This is such a good piece. I was wondering if you had advice about prepping kids for prek/kindergarten "new" skills - I feel so overwhelmed by the fact that kids learn things so much earlier. I was an early reader for example in kindergarten, and I've been told by our prek teachers that the second year of preschool is now common to start reading. But like...my kid can't tie their shoes yet or open up a backpack! It feels like a lot to do both at once. I just want them to be a kid.
I always come back to what is actually developmentally appropriate.
One place you can look is your state’s early learning standards (they usually pop-up with a quick google search). You’ll most likely see that pre-reading skills like phonological & phonemic awareness, letter knowledge, print concepts, etc. are what’s being introduced and developed during these years.
I have lots of opinions about pushing academics earlier and earlier, but my advice is follow your gut and let your kid be a kid.
Keep reading and playing together. You’re a good mom who’s doing the right things.
I would love to invite @Randi Albertsen into this conversation to hear her perspective.
Thanks for inviting me in, @Elevate Toddler Play! I agree with you 100%!! Childhood is such a special time in a child’s life, and it is soooo short! Let them play. Let them explore, get dirty, be bored. Just because a program or teacher says a child should start reading at X age doesn’t make it so.
Learning to read, or any other “academic” skill, is unique to each child. There is a developmental continuum for learning to walk and talk; the same holds true for every academic skill. The only constant in child development is that each child has their own pace, and there is a range of typical development for every skill. For example, most children learn how to walk between 12 and 15 months of age. The typical range of development is 9-18 months.
@Kayla Voigt I used to teach kindergarten. I still work with many preschool and kindergarten teachers. Every single one of them will tell you the same thing I said when I was in the classroom. The most important skills a child needs for kindergarten are social-emotional. Being able to wait for a turn, knowing how to ask a question (like “Can you please tie my shoe?”), knowing how to get their needs met (“I need to go potty”), knowing how to share, knowing how to follow directions (“Hang up your jacket, put your lunch on the cart, and find something to play with.”)
The advice I have always given parents about kindergarten readiness hasn’t changed. The best things you can do are:
*set boundaries and expectations - consistently
*read to your child, every day, and ask questions about what you’re reading
*have them help you around the house - set the table, put away laundry
*let them PLAY- pretend play, outdoor play, games, toys
*schedule play dates if there are no other children nearby
*let them be bored- this is when creativity happens
*let them make choices, but don’t give too many choices - do you want to wear your dino pjs or your puppy pjs?
And Christin’s advice about communication, routines, and play is spot on.
Parents are always the people who know their child best. There’s no need to push your child to “perform” a skill they’re not yet ready for.
This is such a good piece. I was wondering if you had advice about prepping kids for prek/kindergarten "new" skills - I feel so overwhelmed by the fact that kids learn things so much earlier. I was an early reader for example in kindergarten, and I've been told by our prek teachers that the second year of preschool is now common to start reading. But like...my kid can't tie their shoes yet or open up a backpack! It feels like a lot to do both at once. I just want them to be a kid.
I always come back to what is actually developmentally appropriate.
One place you can look is your state’s early learning standards (they usually pop-up with a quick google search). You’ll most likely see that pre-reading skills like phonological & phonemic awareness, letter knowledge, print concepts, etc. are what’s being introduced and developed during these years.
I have lots of opinions about pushing academics earlier and earlier, but my advice is follow your gut and let your kid be a kid.
Keep reading and playing together. You’re a good mom who’s doing the right things.
I would love to invite @Randi Albertsen into this conversation to hear her perspective.
Thanks for inviting me in, @Elevate Toddler Play! I agree with you 100%!! Childhood is such a special time in a child’s life, and it is soooo short! Let them play. Let them explore, get dirty, be bored. Just because a program or teacher says a child should start reading at X age doesn’t make it so.
Learning to read, or any other “academic” skill, is unique to each child. There is a developmental continuum for learning to walk and talk; the same holds true for every academic skill. The only constant in child development is that each child has their own pace, and there is a range of typical development for every skill. For example, most children learn how to walk between 12 and 15 months of age. The typical range of development is 9-18 months.
@Kayla Voigt I used to teach kindergarten. I still work with many preschool and kindergarten teachers. Every single one of them will tell you the same thing I said when I was in the classroom. The most important skills a child needs for kindergarten are social-emotional. Being able to wait for a turn, knowing how to ask a question (like “Can you please tie my shoe?”), knowing how to get their needs met (“I need to go potty”), knowing how to share, knowing how to follow directions (“Hang up your jacket, put your lunch on the cart, and find something to play with.”)
The advice I have always given parents about kindergarten readiness hasn’t changed. The best things you can do are:
*set boundaries and expectations - consistently
*read to your child, every day, and ask questions about what you’re reading
*have them help you around the house - set the table, put away laundry
*let them PLAY- pretend play, outdoor play, games, toys
*schedule play dates if there are no other children nearby
*let them be bored- this is when creativity happens
*let them make choices, but don’t give too many choices - do you want to wear your dino pjs or your puppy pjs?
And Christin’s advice about communication, routines, and play is spot on.
Parents are always the people who know their child best. There’s no need to push your child to “perform” a skill they’re not yet ready for.
Appreciate this take so much, thank you 💕