Photo credit: phaewilk from morguefile.com
You've been preparing yourself for this day since you found out you were expecting a little bundle of joy. You bought all the books, taught your child their colors, numbers, and shapes, but do you still ask yourself "Will my child be ready for their first day of kindergarten? It has been my experience as a kindergarten teacher that most children are physically as well as academically ready to enter kindergarten when the first day of school arrives.
However, it has also been my experience that many children are not emotionally ready and have a difficult time transitioning from a home or preschool setting to a more structured kindergarten classroom. In these situations a child can benefit greatly from a private or government funded program such as the Pre-k program we have here in Georgia. In these settings the child will be able to experience some of the same qualities as a preschool while learning the workings of a proper, more structured kindergarten classroom.
There are numerous reasons as to why a child may not be ready to enter into a structured kindergarten program. In many circumstances a child's experience at home may slow their physical as well as emotional development. Unfortunately, there are many families that believe that a child's education does not need to begin in the home setting and rely on the school system for every aspect of their child's early childhood education.
The truth is both teachers and parents play an important role in a child's educational development. The main goal of a kindergarten teacher is to provide the students in his/her classroom with developmentally appropriate lessons and learning material.
The curriculum in the kindergarten classroom tends to focus on gross and fine motor skills, language skills and cognitive skills. The majority of kindergarten teachers take these skills along with any additional state mandated skills into account when creating their curriculum and lesson plans.
Unfortunately, this can be a difficult goal to obtain when many children arrive on the first day of school unable to stay in their chairs for more than five minutes and lacking the ability to properly hold a pencil or crayon.
If, after speaking to your child's teacher you find that your child is not yet ready for kindergarten it is important to realize that neither you as a parent, the child's teacher or the school system is necessarily at fault. There could be many underlying reasons as to why your child is struggling in a classroom setting.
It is your job as a parent to take an active role in your child's education by consulting with your child's school, physician, etc. to determine what is holding your child back. By doing this it will not be long before your child will be ready to take their first step as a kindergarten student.
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