It’s only fair if I share 3 things that won’t prepare kids for kindergarten that I have a companion piece to counter it with 3 things that WILL prepare kids for kindergarten:
#1 Movement
Kids learn with their bodies before they learn with their brains and preschoolers need to be on the move! When they are moving their bodies, numerous physical and cognitive skills are being developed. We sometimes thing that sitting still will help children focus, but movement actually regulates their nervous systems and improves their ability to focus. When sitting is necessary, give children the freedom to wiggle and adjust as needed–when you change your own expectations, you’ll be surprised how much a wiggly bunch of kids is able to learn!
#2 Hands-on Activities
Unlike worksheets, hands-on activities engage the senses and allow kids to learn by doing. The more senses that are used during an activity, the more likely the learning is to stick. We can give kids a coloring sheet of a volcano and let them use a variety of colors to make it come to life….or we can offer them some baking soda, food dye, and vinegar to make their own volcano. The feel of the baking soda, the action of mixing in food dye, the smell of the vinegar, and the sight of the eruption are all things that will make an impact on their long-term memory and the next time they smell vinegar, the science they learned during this hands-on activity may come flooding back.
#3 Play
We all know that play is the gold standard and that’s because play tackles it all–social, emotional, physical, and cognitive. Kids who aren’t given the opportunity for lots of play every day are certainly missing out on its many benefits. In the preschool classroom, play should make up the bulk of the day. I prefer most of that time to be child-led, but don’t forget the importance of guided play as a way to offer support where you see it is needed. Be intentional in the types of materials that you choose for your classroom to ensure that they offer enough open-ended exploration for kids to get the full benefits of play, and then step back and let the magic happen!