is We have been in that time of year where everything is shifting. I am filling out kindergarten recommendations for children who are graduating and heading off, welcoming families who will join us in August, and figuring out what I want to bring into our play space for next year. How can I meet the needs of these children and also create space for parents to meet and mingle and build their own community within Appleseeds?
As I delve into this space of the year, I think about the children's play. Some of the forms for other schools where children will be going have asked questions such as, "What are this child's academic strengths?" Even for play based private schools I have seen this question. I hear the question as well from parents. How does Appleseeds prepare the child academically for Kindergarten?
The question used to be absurd. No child would be expected to have academic skills before entering Kindergarten! Kindergarten was where you would go to get ready for first grade, and THEN you would begin the academic skills. And I find too, particularly with the attitude of Americans, is that play is a nice, secret way to get academic skills into your child. "Oh wow, Bobby! Look at all those sticks you've gathered for your fort! Let's count how many! One, two..." and in the process, take the child out of their sacred moment of play in order to learn to count.
As I delve into this space of the year, I think about the children's play. Some of the forms for other schools where children will be going have asked questions such as, "What are this child's academic strengths?" Even for play based private schools I have seen this question. I hear the question as well from parents. How does Appleseeds prepare the child academically for Kindergarten?
The question used to be absurd. No child would be expected to have academic skills before entering Kindergarten! Kindergarten was where you would go to get ready for first grade, and THEN you would begin the academic skills. And I find too, particularly with the attitude of Americans, is that play is a nice, secret way to get academic skills into your child. "Oh wow, Bobby! Look at all those sticks you've gathered for your fort! Let's count how many! One, two..." and in the process, take the child out of their sacred moment of play in order to learn to count.
The adjustment to kindergarten is rarely smooth sailing, even among parents who send their children to a place more resembling a kindergarten. It is a longer day, and there are more children in a new space. There is always a transition period. But the skills learned here require the time spent on them and not a moment less. It is much harder to allow children to engage in all the ups and downs of socialization: turn taking, idea making and sharing, give and take. These are nuanced skills that must be upheld. In addition, to allow a child to engage deeply in imaginative play is to build what neuroscientists like to call "a playful mind" or flexibility in thought. This helps creates pathways for later abstract, problem solving and mathematical thinking. We know this, science knows this, and yet we as adults, often try to rush this process by injecting our own knowledge into the child's play. It's so difficult sometimes to just sit back and let play be play.
By the time most children leave Appleseeds, I want them to have played and played and begin to yearn for something more challenging. Then we know it's time to move on to Kindergarten. They've been fully fed with rich play experiences and they are ready for what is next. Of course they will still build on their experiences here, but the play is what prepared them for the next step.
By the time most children leave Appleseeds, I want them to have played and played and begin to yearn for something more challenging. Then we know it's time to move on to Kindergarten. They've been fully fed with rich play experiences and they are ready for what is next. Of course they will still build on their experiences here, but the play is what prepared them for the next step.
RSS Feed
