71 Things Your Child Needs to Know Before Kindergarten (school, doctors, requirement)
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I think it is a good guide, but what does it mean? If your child can't do some of these, he shouldn't start kindergarten? Or doe is mean you might want to get the child some help if he can't do these things by kindergarten?
Personally, I think that your child shouldn't start kindergarten if they can't complete 85% (at least 60) of these tasks with the exception that they need an IEP. If the child doesn't need an IEP, then I think the parents should spend the next year preparing the child for school. I just don't think it's fair to the teacher.
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Originally Posted by rh71
I see our having twins as a true benefit in many ways. Not only have they always had a playmate, they've had each other to learn from and are very familiar with sharing and accepting that they won't always get their way. I compare that to a lot of friends who have an only child and it's a big difference. Not all are like that, but it's the biggest thing we've noticed. Being competitive is also a plus.
As for this list, we're always concerned because they were slow to start speech at first but they have turned out to be at least on par with others. We try to work with them whenever we can (with reading & math) so they can get ahead of others at some point. Even without that I think their pre-school and resulting experiences have prepped them pretty well. It would be disappointing if not because we're here paying stupidly high school taxes for a reason. Extra-curriculars like sports also help them all-around a great deal. The name of the game is exposure & opportunity right?
Kudos to you for keeping your twins busy! I believe that exposing your kids to the world is necessary. From things like taking them to the local children's museum to having them try an extra-curricular activity.
My parents put me in half-day Montessori school at 2.5 years-old.
They are different tasks--a child might recognize that an a looks like another a but doesn't know that they are the letter a. If they are asked to point out the upper case letters, they should know the difference between them and lower case letters. I think people forget that this is new and has to be learned...just like walking in a line and keeping your hands to yourself. It's easy for you because you have been doing it for years but not for a 5 year old that has never done that.
Maybe not in class but it's a developmental stage to be able to do that and signals that they have developed the coordination and balance to do that. If a child can't figure out how to pedal to propel the trike, there is either a coordination issue or a strength issue that may need to be addressed.
Or your child could be autistic.
My son could not peddle a trike. He tried with a big wheel and a tricycle, but he could not do it. I got him an exercise bike a few years back and he couldn't peddle that either. (It was funny to watch, tho. )
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Originally Posted by Katiana
Always blame the parents.
I think a lot of 5s have trouble following more than one direction at a time. Throw in "backpacks AND lunch boxes" and a lot of them will ask, "now what was it you wanted me to do?"
This is so true of normal 5 year olds.
My son can do only one verbal task at a time. Give him two or more and he always comes back and asks "what was I supposed to do?" Drives me nuts. I actually started writing down everything I wanted him to accomplish in a day.
I know this drove his teachers bonkers because they often mentioned it.
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Originally Posted by stan4
Besides the glue and scissor work, my 20 month old can do most of this stuff.
I bet most kids could well before kindergarten.
I take issue with lists like these.
Kids all learn at different rates, have different exposure to things, and have different natural abilities.
While you are right, kids do learn at different rates, etc., the list is not bad at all. I worked for years with the 4-5 year group and we worked on a lot of those issues - through fun. Sure, mom and dad need to help, especially if the child is not in pre-school.
However, the reality is that some children never do get to experience some of the things on the list. I've known kids who had no paper, no crayons, no pencils, scissors, glue or any kind of art medium. There are children who have no books in their homes. Trikes and bikes are only longed for things.
Personally, I think it is sad that kindergarten has become more academic over the years. I have to blame pre-schools and day care centers for this; not that pre-school is a bad thing, but rather that those who go to centers do learn more than some children who never leave home.
These children arrive in kindergarten having achieved a good majority of the list. They would easily get bored with the activities of yesteryears kindergarten students. So, we increase the work load of these 5 year olds, and frustrate those who have not even reached those heights.
Maybe there are some parents out there who think that kindergarten is where their children will learn their colors, numbers, letters and shapes. After all, isn't that where most of us learned them 50 years ago?
Kindergarten should still be about fun and learning. I certainly hope it is.
Wait, let me re-phrase that... Life should be about fun and learning.
I was surprised myself -- but my daughter was also frustrated with how little they knew and the fact that they would just laugh like it was funny when they didn't know something they should have known. I found it hard to believe but another former teacher here tried to teach 10th grade biology and said the kids didn't even know how to read graphs. She had been educated until college in another country and was horrified with how kids here are completely unprepared for high school level courses.
I would have thought understanding graphs would be intuitive, but maybe not, maybe in other years, they taught it so early that you really can't remember actually be taught them.
Something is truly lacking today.
I remember being taught graphs in primary school. Seems weird that they wouldn't have learnt about graphs by 10th grade - surely thats something that would have come up in several different subjects before then?
Quote:
Wait, let me re-phrase that... Life should be about fun and learning.
I was surprised myself -- but my daughter was also frustrated with how little they knew and the fact that they would just laugh like it was funny when they didn't know something they should have known. I found it hard to believe but another former teacher here tried to teach 10th grade biology and said the kids didn't even know how to read graphs. She had been educated until college in another country and was horrified with how kids here are completely unprepared for high school level courses.
I would have thought understanding graphs would be intuitive, but maybe not, maybe in other years, they taught it so early that you really can't remember actually be taught them.
Something is truly lacking today.
My daughter learned about maps last year in 1st grade, including basic directions. She is learning about graphs right now in 2nd grade. Sometimes kids just don't learn it, even though it is taught. I remember being shocked that my sister, in high school did not know the order of the seasons (spring, summer, fall, winter), nor could she name any presidents of the US besides George Washington and the current president. But it's not because these things weren't taught - my sister just wasn't paying attention.
Personally, I think that your child shouldn't start kindergarten if they can't complete 85% (at least 60) of these tasks with the exception that they need an IEP. If the child doesn't need an IEP, then I think the parents should spend the next year preparing the child for school. I just don't think it's fair to the teacher.
Kudos to you for keeping your twins busy! I believe that exposing your kids to the world is necessary. From things like taking them to the local children's museum to having them try an extra-curricular activity.
My parents put me in half-day Montessori school at 2.5 years-old.
Why? The woman who made this list isn't an education exert; she's a former first-grade teacher and a parent. It sounds like she never did much teaching. I'm a present-day pediatric nurse and a parent; I could make up a similar list. I'd guess with the dot-com name that she's doing this to make money. About - I Can Teach My Child!
My daughter learned about maps last year in 1st grade, including basic directions. She is learning about graphs right now in 2nd grade. Sometimes kids just don't learn it, even though it is taught. I remember being shocked that my sister, in high school did not know the order of the seasons (spring, summer, fall, winter), nor could she name any presidents of the US besides George Washington and the current president. But it's not because these things weren't taught - my sister just wasn't paying attention.
Yes, that's also very possible. I think it can be that kids who get stimulation and exposure to many things at home are going to pay more attention in school. I think school can really only reinforce and enhance education, the main education will always be from the home.
The problem is though -- kids not getting it from any source are being socially promoted, no kid should be in the 9th grade if they don't have certain basics conquered.
Keep in mind that these are still age appropriate expectations. No one expects a 5 year old to have perfect handwriting but they should be able to write their name so someone other than their parents can read it. Following rules, same thing, they don't expect that to happen 100% of the time but if they are told it's time to work on their math worksheet, they should be doing that most of the time. Most kids I know were riding a two wheel bike without training wheels before kindergarten. It's really not an unrealistic expectation, but it is something you have to teach your children and like all of these, if you don't, no, they can't do them.
The problem is -- the schools will accept those kids who are completely unready for kindergarten -- so this list is good but it's not practical. The only real question the school will need answered is the birthdate of the child.
There have been schools who have tried to say that kids had to know a few basics in order to be enrolled, but if a 5 year old doesn't know the colors and cannot sit still for 10 minutes, he's still going to be enrolled. And they usually drop any other requirements because those parents who failed to expose their child to much of anything won't be doing much with a whole extra year, then it's a 6 year old that doesn't know colors and has never seen a crayon.
Why? The woman who made this list isn't an education exert; she's a former first-grade teacher and a parent. It sounds like she never did much teaching. I'm a present-day pediatric nurse and a parent; I could make up a similar list. I'd guess with the dot-com name that she's doing this to make money. About - I Can Teach My Child!
As to why, because I don't think kindergarten teachers should be spending time teaching children certain things. I feel as if parents don't know what their child is capable of. Children are capable of doing much more than we give them credit for. They may not do it perfectly, but they try.
Yes, to me it sounds like she never did much teaching (b/c she's a SAHM now).
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