Tag Archives: kindergarten

2,000 Days

I wonder if the forest preservation people realize how much paper the average kindergarten class bleeds through in an academic year? I had the equivalent of at least a few hundred murdered trees stacked in my mock mud room courtesy of my just graduated kindergartener. Miles of worksheets interspersed with dozens of art projects, end of the school year autograph books (translation: scrap pieces of paper stapled to form a book with the names of each of my daughter’s classmates scribbled in kindergarten cursive), and mountains of registration material for everything from summer Bible camp to youth soccer sessions. Post … Continue reading →

Convertible Carseat

Although my only child is an infant, I feel like I have a small window into the world of parents sending their kids off to their first day of school. They dab at their eyes with tissues, give tearful hugs, then burst into tears as they (or the school bus) drive(s) away. They exclaim, “It’s too soon!” What gave me this insight? Today, my daughter will be riding in a convertible car seat for the first time. I can’t believe she already outgrew her infant car seat. It seems like only yesterday that we were putting her in the car … Continue reading →

How Old Is Too Old For Kindergarten?

My five-year-old is the youngest kid in her kindergarten class. The rest of the kids are six (or will be by the end of the month), and if I read the birthday list correctly, one of her classmates will be seven in May. A seven-year-old in kindergarten? Am I the only parent who thinks it strange that a seven-year-old is playing with paint and glue with a bunch of kids he towers over? Never mind how I feel about the situation. I wonder how he feels about being called “the giant” and “Big Buddy?” According to most schools in the … Continue reading →

How Long is Too Long for Kindergarten?

My baby begins kindergarten in the fall. Half-day kindergarten. For roughly four hours or so each day, my loquacious daughter will be chatting the ears off of some woman, who probably looks nothing like me, and a gaggle of kids who probably act just like her. Four hours. I’m not sure what I’ll do with myself. NOT! (Can you say three jobs and a never-ending battle with dirty clothes, the dishwasher and dust bunnies?) Still, when I think of how long kids in one Canadian province might have to spend in kindergarten, I’m liking the sound of four hours more … Continue reading →

Why I Support Tennessee’s Kindergarten Cut Off Date Proposal

My last article discussed the proposal that Tennessee government will be voting on in the next couple of weeks. The proposal suggests moving up the cut off date for the birthdays of children who will be entering kindergarten next year. The current date is the last day of September. The new date would be the first day of September. This means that kindergarten children would be required to be one month older to enter kindergarten. In my last article I began talking about why I hope that the proposal passes. My first reason was a personal reason. As of the … Continue reading →

Tennessee’s Proposal to Change Kindergarten Cut Off Date

As the law stands now, children in Tennessee can enter kindergarten as long as they turn five before the last day of September. It has been a long time pet peeve for many teachers to receive children who had birthdays close to the cut off date. The teachers felt that these children were less ready for kindergarten and lacked the maturity of the children with earlier birth dates. There is no doubt that age (even if it is just a few months) can make a difference in how well a child adapts to the school setting. Tennessee has now been … Continue reading →

Should Toys be in Kindergarten Classrooms?

As many of you know, I have taught kindergarten for the past three years. During the past three years, I have learned that kindergarten is in a world of its own. Many in-services and workshops are not practical for kindergarten students. Many rules and procedures hold exceptions for kindergarten students. Classroom supply needs are also different. I recently received my state and federal funding for supplies. The bulk of kindergarten needs consists of construction paper, markers, crayons, and scissors. However, I found myself venturing down the toy aisle at Wal-Mart searching for dolls and cars. In my room I have … Continue reading →

How Teachers Can Help with The Transition to School

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A child’s first educational experience is very important and crucial to his or her academic career. Early education teachers must be careful to create a positive and uplifting mood for students. As a prekindergarten or kindergarten teacher there are several things that can be done to help enhance the students’ experience. Below, I have outlined some suggestions to help a child get the most out of his or her first year of school. First plan activities carefully. Make sure that you choose lessons that are age appropriate for the children. Teaching over their head can be very frustrating for children. … Continue reading →

Using Transitions

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In a previous parenting article by Kori Rodley Irons, she explained how transitions can be difficult for children. Moving from one place to another or one activity to another can leave way for tempter tantrums or chaos. Kori also suggested that parents be prepared for the transitions and cut-off trouble before it starts. The same is true with teaching students. There are many transitions to make within a school day. Younger students have shorter attention spans. Therefore they have more, shorter lessons within a day. Changing from activity to activity or lesson to lesson creates many transitions throughout the day. … Continue reading →

Nonacademic Skills for Beginning School

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Many parents begin preparing their children for school as early as three or four years old. They feel a need to teach their children skills such as recognizing letters and numbers, counting, recognizing names, and even beginning reading. These are very good skills for children to know when they enter kindergarten. However, there are many skills that a child needs that go unnoticed. Non-academic skills are also important. Each year, I receive children into my kindergarten classroom that have a strong academic background and are no doubt ready to begin school. However, many of these children lack basic kindergarten survival … Continue reading →