Preparing children for kindergarten”

Research Paper

Eng 10- Sec 1840
5/2/11



“Preparing Children for Kindergarten”

The years before a child reaches kindergarten are the most critical in his or her life because they determine or influence future learning. Based on my personal experience working with children, children two to five years old grow and learn faster than in any other stage. This is the stage ofexploration and discovery, the stage where they get curious and interested about everything that surrounds them. They are getting into a new world, a world full of surprises, discoveries, and new facts. During the age two to five years old children become more independent, they learn to share with other children, they start asking questions about everything, and they start to develop new abilities andknowledge (e.g. reading or writing.)
Most children from a very young age are enrolled in a day care center or just stay home with one of the parents or someone in the family. The transition from early childhood centers or homes to kindergarten is very hard for a child and for his/her parents too. It is stressful for parents because they want to be sure that their child is going to be Ok and thathe/she is prepared for this big step. For a child, it is going to be difficult because they now will have to adapt to a new world, they will be enrolled in new activities and develop new skills. Being involved in new things like adjusting to new people and a new surrounding might be kind of fun for some children but a bother for others. But, do children need to be prepared for kindergarten? Whatareas do children have to develop before going to kindergarten? Is your child ready for kindergarten?

Child Development children are very different from one another. Although they share some similarities, they grow, develop, and reach stages at different times. They learn by playing, touching, hearing, imitating others, and discoveries so they learn by experiencing new things. Childdevelopment involves five stages: social, emotional, physical, creative, and intellectual stages.

Socially children at this age enjoy playing with others. They like to cooperate and help other people. They improve their relationships with other children and with adults. Some of them do not like to share, but as a caregiver you supposed to teach him/ her to share. They become more independent, they feelable to do anything without mommy or daddy’s help.
Emotionally, children at this the stage they start to know they are not the center of the universe and that they cannot depend on others for everything. Children begin to share more with other kids. They learn to be proud of themselves, and they like adults to show they are proud every time they do something good. They learn to cope withfeelings and show self-confidence.
Physically, they develop their small and large motor skills. Children develop strength from head to toe. This is the stage where they jump, hop, run, and move everywhere; they use their hands, fingers, legs, and arms. These skills may change from child to child, as children with disabilities may develop them slower than other children may.

At this stage, childrenare developing their creative/ hand and finger skills: Children like music, art, and coloring. As they begin to use a pencil, they enjoy writing even if they do not know how to do it, they like reading and singing. They enjoy playing with crayons doing whatever type of image or coloring they want to. They like doing a mess while painting.
Intellectually and cognitively: at this stage,children start to make sense of the world around them. They start to listen and understand short stories, to name objects by their names. They like to play fantasy games; they know the colors and numbers. They become more talkative and curious than ever, they can be involve in conversations with adults and they like to express their feelings and opinions. (Shelovand and Hannemann pg)
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