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Back in the early 50s we just went the first day and didn't make a big production out of it.
The majority of us in kindergarten were already able to print our name and read at a first grade level. Moms usually spent time teaching us from the time we were three or four.
my mother made sure I could read and write before I started school at 5. this was mid 50s.
these days kids cant even talk properly and don't know how to eat with a knife and fork, how things have changed.
I started kindergarten in 1966 in a nice industrial city in northern Ohio, and Kindergarten was completely designed to prepare children to become students. Period. We didn't learn reading until first grade. Lots of art, learning to write your name, learning the letters, social graces, etc.
We read books about going to school with our kids, but they went to preschool, so kindergarten was not that much of a difference except that the 1/2 days were actually 1/2 hour shorter. When my youngest went it was to start full days.
For the first experience of school, we liked The Kissing Hand by Audrey Penn.
If they will be taking the school bus (my kids walked), then this one is cute:
Off to Kindergarten
by Tony Johnston Illustrated by Melissa Sweet
"I'm off to kindergarten now.
I'd better take my bear.
He likes to sit beside me so
I'll take a little chair. . . ."
So begins the long list of things Bill absolutely needs for his first day of school. Along with his pillow and some cookies, he also plans on bringing his sandbox, some digging moles, and a moving truck!
A touching story of first-day jitters and hopes, Tony Johnston's rhyming text is paired with Melissa Sweet's delightful illustrations!
They just dropped me off and went home. However, my older brother was a bit different. My Mother dropped him off and went to the post office to pick up our mail and when she got home, my brother was already there and said " I don't think I'm going to go to school". He ended up having perfect attendance.
I don't think there was much preparation for me. I had a brother 6 years older and a sister 5 years older, and I just wanted to be a "big boy" and attend school like they did -- to a country 1-room school. I started first grade at age 4 (a month shy of 5), and was the only student in my grade for the first few years. I don't think there were any questions about if I was old enough. I wanted to start, so I did. I have no idea how much I knew then. I'm sure I couldn't read, as I recall the Dick and Jane reading books and was thrilled to discover it was so easy to finally learn to read. "Dick ran. Jane ran. Spot ran."
I had gone to what they called "nursery school" back then, so it I adjusted pretty well to kindergarden. I do remember that about half way through the first day, I was hungry. Kinder was separated from the rest of the school by a wire fence and I saw my older sister over there. I called her over and said I was hungry and he pulled a jelly bean out of her pocket and gave it to me.
I think my parents talked it up really big because I was excited to go. Our school was building the new kindergarten the year I was supposed to go so I didn't get to go. I started in first grade. The year I should have been in kindergarten, the school brought us in for one day and let us sit with the first grade class. I loved that.
I sent my two youngest to pre-K to get them used to being away from me. The middle one hated it and wanted me to homeschool him. I think I made being at home too fun. The youngest had an awesome enthusiastic teacher and had a great year. My oldest didn't go to pre-K, but I went in and sat in on some kindergarten teachers and hand selected the one he got. She was/is awesome and really encouraged the kids in their interests. I wish the second two had her. My son got to meet her twice before he started school. I think that made it easier on him.
I started kindergarten in 1950. I believe my mother bought me a pencil box. She, I, and my younger sis had a sort of orientation morning together, I believe. I may have a dim memory of picking out the pencil box beforehand at the dime store.
I talked to my own kids before they started school. My oldest knew something about it, because of preschool experience. The next two understood school because of their older sibs. All of my kids had been to preschool.
The worst experience was leaving my youngest that first day in Kindergarten. I cried like a baby!
Well, my children's K teachers called a week or so prior to school start and introduced themselves saying how excited they were to have my children in their class. We had an orientation day a few days prior to school start when we dropped off supplies and got to see the classroom, the school and where to drop off/pick up. The first day of Kindergarten parents were allowed to walk their children to the classroom, and I certainly did. The first day was very relaxed, pleasant and just easy on everybody. It always was a Thursday, so Friday didn't seem like a big deal and then there was weekend and time to get used to the fact that they would now go every day of the week. I absolutely loved Kindergarten experience with my children. I miss those days.
As far as being prepared academically, yes, we learned at home. Reading level 1 books was already mastered before they started K, and numbers/basic counting/writing letters/words too. My children went to a half day pre-K (12-3 pm) at a public school where they mostly sang, learned rhymes, played and listened to reading. They loved pre-K too. It had a separate side entrance and kids didn't really interact with the rest of the school other than learning to go to the cafeteria as a group and opening their lunch boxes. I would say that pre-K prepared them for Kindergarten.
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