Are your children "Kindergarten Ready"?

Tanner's Teachings TpT

I keep seeing the headlines..."Sixty-Percent of Students Not Kindergarten Ready”. Then, against my better judgment, I read the comments: “Where are the parents?”; “Why are people having children that they don’t care for?”; “It’s the preschool teacher’s fault!” I don’t recall ever coming across anything remotely logical, thoughtful, or for that matter, worthwhile at all.

As a kindergarten teacher and a mother, my first thought when I see these statistics is, “What do they mean by ‘Kindergarten Ready’?”  How do we measure a child’s “readiness” to enter kindergarten? Are our expectations too high? Too low? Finally, what can we do to help children become “Kindergarten Ready”? 

There are countless “resources” out there aiming to help parents know what to do to adequately prepare their children for kindergarten. The lists range from suggestions such as, “Bounce a ball” to “Complete several addition and subtraction problems”.  I have heard parents discuss and share with others what they did to prepare their children for school. Countless lists are being tossed around on Pinterest, Facebook, and Twitter.  Honestly…I usually have to decide whether to cringe, cry, or laugh at most of these lists. 

I get it. I really do. Teacher’s are under an incredible amount of pressure to reach benchmarks, and parents want to do all that they can to ensure smooth-sailing for their children. If the students come in already knowing letter sounds, and basic math, those benchmarks aren’t quite so daunting!

As a teacher, it is my job to “take them as they are” and project them forward. Yes, that does mean reaching benchmarks, following Common Core, teaching them to read, and showing them how to interact with others. It also means helping them find their passion, learn how to become critical thinkers, teach them how to communicate effectively, and so on. If my only goal was to hit those benchmarks, I might have more of an appreciation for those lists. Alas, I understand that children are more complicated than these lists imply and I have even higher expectations for my students. Yes, higher!

I guest lecture to classes of future teacher s each semester at The University of Utah. I speak to them about Building a Classroom Community (more on this later). I always say this to them, “How many of you work with someone, or know someone that is incredibly intelligent, but a total jerk?”   Usually, there are giggles, and then every hand goes up. How about we throw away all of these lists that make us as parents feel that we need to drill our children in order for them to be successful? 

Instead, let’s try these 10 things that are based in real life:

1.      1. Read to your children. Yes, we’ve heard it before.  But truly, I can tell in an instant which of my students are read to regularly at home. Those that are read to are able to sit patiently while others are talking, have more to contribute to discussions, are more interested in reading, have letter sound knowledge, etc. All of these items were found on other “lists” but can be taken care of with the simple (and delightful) task of reading to your children.

2.     2. Talk TO your children.  Again, I can tell which children have parents that talk to them. These children are able to ask for help when needed, answer questions, engage in meaningful conversations with peers, express frustration appropriately, and so much more. Talk about where you are driving, your plans for the day, what you loved when you were a child, and whatever else comes up in your daily lives.

3.     3. Go grocery shopping. This is my favorite bit of advice to give in parent-teacher conferences. Parents always want to know what they can do to help their child in literacy and math. Well folks, here it is. Take your child grocery shopping. Make lists, count items, show your child the budget, etc. This goes for young children to adults. These are real life, necessary skills. So much can be learned while grocery shopping. (Parents of older children: unit pricing, division, budgeting, etc.) For more ideas: Grocery Store Math

4.    4. Play outside. Outside play has so many positive implications. It helps children learn how to use their bodies, improves memory, teaches them about calculated risk taking, and improves mood and well-being. I give the assignment of, “Playing outside” as regular “homework” in my class. Check out Richard Louv's The Nature Principle. 

5.     5. Be boring.  That’s right. Be boring. Let your child get bored. Don’t rescue your children by constantly suggesting a slew of exciting activities. Boredom sparks creativity.

6.    6.  Let your child experience failure, hurt feelings, and scrapes and bruises. From these difficult times children learn empathy, how to work hard at something, and that yes, the world will keep turning.  Don’t immediately rescue your child when someone cuts in line for the slide at the park. Give your children tools to solve these problems on their own (remember #2?). Help them gain some Grit. 

7    7.  Listen to music.  All kinds! Remember how so many of those lists want you to teach your children phonemic awareness (hearing sounds in words). Well, music is an incredible way to get your children to learn to hear rhythms, variations in patterns, etc. So, do what I do, and dance like a fool with your children in your kitchen. I guarantee it will be a whole lot more memorable than a bunch of flash cards.

8   8.  Play games (and make sure your child loses sometimes).  Each year in kindergarten, I dedicate a fair amount of time to game playing. By playing games children learn to count, color identification, pre-reading skills, one-to-one correspondence, how to be fair, how to be a good winner, how to take turns, and most of all, how to be a good loser!

J   9. Just say no.  That’s right. Sometimes, your children won’t get what they want. Sometimes, they have to wait. Sometimes, recess gets cancelled due to rain. If they’ve heard no before, they know how to deal with it when I’m trying to teach 25 children with different ideas about what we should be doing.

     10. Be present. This one is the most difficult for me. Smartphones, dishes, laundry, work, etc. make it all really easy for me to say, “I’m too busy”.  Eat dinner together, read together, talk together, play together. Each time I hear the corny, yet classic Cat Steven’s “Cats in the Cradle” it brings me back to what is important. 

So, throw all of your lists away, head outside with your kiddo, talk about what you see, and beat your child in a running race.

If you’ve got a minute left, read this poem by the wonderful Geoffery Canada, founder of Harlem Children’s Zone and Baby College:

 My Children Still Giggle

My children still giggle at such funny things

As hiccups and cartoons and tickles, it seems.

My children still break out in childish big grins,

When they see mommy or daddy coming for them.

I sleep with the thought of the glee in their eyes.

I live with the nightmare their smiles cannot hide.

There’s so much for us to do.

My children play jump rope and tag, and they say

The Pledge of Allegiance on every school day.

They line up for recess, holds hands crossing streets,

Have trouble putting galoshes on small little feet.

And some might be solemn, or sullen, afraid,

If they knew the long odds of them making the grade.

There’s so much for us to do.

My children dwell in broken homes without heat,

Sit at makeshift tables with too little to eat.

They live in buildings and walk up stairs where it’s best

To peer around corners before climbing the next.

And some of them in their sleep cry out,

“Help me! Help me!”

Who’ll answer their shout?

There’s so much for us to do.

My children still giggle when they hear a strange name.

Still jump into puddles, forget hats in the rain.

They still believe that we love them, you know?

That we’ll do all in our power to help them to grow.

We must do better, the price is so little.

To keep our world full of hope,

Where children still giggle.

-Geoffrey Canada