|
|
Maturity
Home » Early Learning » Kindergarten Readiness » MaturityPosted by Your Guide on March 3, 2006 10:30 PM
Kindergarten readiness is an elusive label that we pray our children will earn before the school year begins after their 5th or 6th birthday. Many children achieve the skills necessary for a happy and successful kindergarten year by the time they are five, but some do not. This does not mean these children have a learning disability or that they are delayed in any way. Many children have not acquired the skills necessary for kindergarten by their fifth birthday but are still placed in a formal schooling setting so that their parents will feel good about their child’s progress.
If it were possible to forget about ages and focus only on the developmental skills necessary to enter an organized learning environment, many children would be able to enjoy their kindergarten experiences to the fullest, without unnecessary expectations on their performance. The most important thing that parents forget when determining if their child is ready for kindergarten is whether or not their child can feel confident in a group setting, handle their own toilet needs (be completely potty trained), and be able to communicate effectively with the teacher and the other children. After all, isn’t kindergarten about learning?
Our children are hardwired to look for and need affirmation from us as their parents. Pushing a child to do and be more than they are ready to be can lead to feelings of failure and disappointment in our children. Our expectations for our kindergarten-aged children should be that they are learning….progressing from where they were, to a new level on the developmental scales…not just in academics, but also in maturity, communication, and social skills such as sharing.
Related Articles