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Why in the heck does a child need to be able to retell these stories with few errors in order to succeed in kindergarten?
I don't get this either. My kids have completed K in the last 3 years and I don't think either one of them know most of those stories. They are doing good in school.
I don't get this either. My kids have completed K in the last 3 years and I don't think either one of them know most of those stories. They are doing good in school.
I've raised 2 kids to late elem school and was a classroom volunteer in k- 3 grade. I read to them nightly from about 1 year (maybe earlier) to about 3rd grade. I have been aware of what reading was assigned at school from k- 6th grade. I have never seen or heard these particular stories mentioned at school, let alone memorization or comprehension of them.
Kinder reading is about letter sounds and sight words, and maybe comprehension of very simple stories.
Fostering a love of reading is a good thing to do but making a 5 year old memorize nursery rhymes isn't necessary kinder prep.
Last edited by Kibbiekat; 03-28-2016 at 12:41 PM..
They are good for the brain. Not only does the repetition of rhymes and stories teach children how language works, it also builds memory capabilities that can be applied to all sorts of activities.
Nursery rhymes preserve a culture that spans generations, providing something in common among parents, grandparents and kids—and also between people who do not know each other.
Singing nursery rhymes allows all kids—even shy ones—to feel confident about singing, dancing and performing because they are so easy to grasp and fun
The kids do not have to understand them to have fun with the language.
In fact any *life lessons* they contain are probably not what the children get out of them.
I've raised 2 kids to late elem school and was a classroom volunteer in k- 3 grade. I read to them nightly from about 1 year (maybe earlier) to about 3rd grade. I have been aware of what reading was assigned at school from k- 6th grade. I have never seen or heard these particular stories mentioned at school, let alone memorization or comprehension of them.
Kinder reading is about letter sounds and sight words, and maybe comprehension of very simple stories.
Fostering a love of reading is a good thing to do but making a 5 year old memorize nursery rhymes isn't necessary kinder prep.
While nursery rhymes have in general been downplayed in these times, they are actually a good resource for language development. Many, many preschools do units on nursery rhymes. Rhyming is a pre-reading skill.
While nursery rhymes have in general been downplayed in these times, they are actually a good resource for language development. Many, many preschools do units on nursery rhymes. Rhyming is a pre-reading skill.
No doubt it could be beneficial to read these along with other books during the preschool years. Re-telling with few mistakes is overkill, and not at all necessary for success in kindergarten.
If people have an issue with homework in kindergarten, I would think they'd have an issue with drilling a 4 year old on nursery rhyme memorization, too.
No doubt it could be beneficial to read these along with other books during the preschool years. Re-telling with few mistakes is overkill, and not at all necessary for success in kindergarten.
If people have an issue with homework in kindergarten, I would think they'd have an issue with drilling a 4 year old on nursery rhyme memorization, too.
I agree that drilling kids on them is overkill and silly. OTOH, most kids memorize them because they sing them. 3, 4 and 5 year olds love to sing and they know the lyrics to many songs.
Btw, I recommend things like Down By the Bay and having kids make up their own verses after you sing a few of them. They may not be able to rhyme them but it is fun to be creative with the verses.
I think that most people are panicking over the work "homework". In the schools where I was a teacher the home work for kindergarteners was something like five minutes most nights.
If you can't spare FIVE minutes for your child, than it is pretty sad.
"Find five things in your house shaped like a rectangle"
and the next night
"Draw pictures of four objects in your house that start with the same sound as Dog"
and the next night
"Practice writing your name three times with someone in your house"
and the next night
"Listen to someone read you a story for ten minutes".
Later in the year, it may end up being ten or fifteen minutes a night, like reviewing flashcards with sight words.
Some schools send home four sheets of paper on Monday night (one for each school night that week). There is one math problem or math activity, one language activity, one alphabet activity and one drawing. It is designed to take about five minutes each night. The goal is start the children having good habits of sitting down and doing the homework at night, bringing it back to school and turning it in in the morning to the teacher.
Last edited by germaine2626; 03-28-2016 at 02:34 PM..
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