Episode 83: Kindergarten Readiness
How do you know if your child is ready to start kindergarten? With helpful tips, ideas, and out-of-the-box analysis, we dive into the various ways to determine if your child is ready for this next milestone. We also answer the question, "How do I sign my child up for kindergarten?"
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Scoop on the Coop
Mandi and Jessica attended the Great Homeschool Convention in June! We had an amazing time sitting in sessions, hearing about new products and ideas, hearing from experts, and exploring the vendor hall. We highly recommend attending a homeschool convention as some point in your homeschool career - it is fun and inspiring! Check out some of our fun here.
Topic
This topic is one that stresses out many parents, recognizing readiness and when to push. For those that homeschool in a more child-led manor, it feels like being an athlete on the bench ready to go in. I’ve trained, I’m eager, but I’m waiting for just the right moment.
I thought it would be interesting to hone in on a single definition of kindergarten to guide our conversation.
Wikipedia defines it as: kindergarten is a preschool education approach based on playing, singing, practical activities such as drawing, and social interaction as part of the transition from home to school
That was the original definition of kindergarten - institution originally created in Bavaria in the 18th century.
The definition most used now would be: the elementary school class that prepares children for 1st grade - typically for 5-6 year olds.
This definition, though loose, more closely represents what I picture when I think of kindergarten. I would like to further add that kindergarten in the state of California has it’s own set of standards that public schools aim to meet:
CDE.CA.GOV - LA
CDE.CA.GOV - Math
What Does Readiness Look Like?
There are many readiness checklists out there to determine readiness for public school kindergarten that aim to meet state standards. Most checklists include:
LA
Math
Social skills
Most of these are developmental and require very little formal instruction. Some, August has been doing since 2 years old and there are a few he isn’t yet doing.
I don’t want to spend a long time discussing our thoughts on public kindergarten and the expectations on children, but I will say that we’ve come a long way from the original idea of kindergarten being a playful introduction to school.
So, if you are homeschooling, how do you know when your child is ready for formal learning?
I still want to insert my throw away answer and balk at “formal” learning for young children, but that wouldn’t be entirely honest of me. So instead, let me clarify “formal” as: intentional instruction
WHEN THEY SHOW INTEREST AND UNDERSTANDING!
Again, we do a lot things on a child-led schedule, but because I spend so much time with my child, I also know when he has gained new understanding or new skills. I have a natural sense on when to challenge his learning and can move forward in baby steps rather than uncalculated leaps.
There doesn’t need to be a big change when kids become kindergarten age - learning is progressive and ongoing, we should always be building upon the knowledge and skill. There’s no magic age/grade where you have to make things more rigid and programmed unless you want to.
Cons to Starting Before Ready
The Elementary School Journal from the University of Chicago
Escalating Academic Demand in Kindergarten: Counterproductive Policies:
“Narrow emphasis on isolated reading and numeracy skills is detrimental even to the children who succeed and is especially harmful to children labeled as failures…academic demands in kindergarten and first grade are considerably higher today than 20 years ago and continue to escalate.”
There are virtually no studies that show proof that reading actually helps kids succeed long-term. It only helps them keep up with standards.
Peter Gray, research professor at Boston College, recently shared a study that demonstrates the dangers and limits of readying children through excessive academia: “In the 1970s, the German government sponsored a large-scale comparison in which the graduates of 50 play-based kindergartens were compared, over time, with the graduates of 50 academic direct-instruction-based kindergartens. Despite the initial academic gains of direct instruction, by grade four the children from the direct-instruction kindergartens performed significantly worse than those from the play-based kindergartens on every measure that was used. In particular, they were less advanced in reading and mathematics and less well adjusted socially and emotionally.”
Resources
Teachingwithchildrensbooks.com - Living Math Books
Mentor Texts for Language Arts
Coop Q & A
Question: How do I sign my child up to homeschool kindergarten?
Answer: There is no magical homeschool sign-up. Each state has their own schooling laws. In California, kindergarten is not mandatory. We don’t have to notify the state that we are homeschooling until our child is in 1st grade - or the school year that your child is 6 by September 1st. Some states have homeschool charter schools (public schools) that you can register your child for to receive educational funding or curriculum assistance. There are many co-ops, umbrella schools or other organizations that can provide educations assistance as well. It is important to see what is available to you.
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