Getting Learning Started

       Many schools, when admitting children for their first year, ask questions about the child's background in order to have a better understanding of him. This is not done so that the teacher may restrict the child to his preschool learning, but rather to help her provide materials which meet the needs of the child at his particular stage of growth. For some children, large and small picture books may be the first books which they will have a chance to handle. For others, books with simple stories printed in large type may be more satisfying. Some youngsters will scribble with crayons, fascinated by the idea of using a variety of colors. Others who have passed this phase will settle down and write, even announcing, “I am going to write my name." Each child within this wide range of growth should be an acceptable entrant to school if he is in good health and of the designated age for admission. 

       The responsibility primary teachers have is a large one. It is up to them to guide large groups of children in such a manner that those who are normal retain their eager attitude toward exploring new fields of learning. For those who have already been pushed too hard, or who are overly shy, or fearful of doing the wrong thing, the task is a more difficult one. They will have to be carefully helped in order to recapture the fun of again trying their wings. 

       The classrooms which we see today have toys and games, paints, plenty of pictures, books, posters, and nooks or corners for individuals to work on building, playing, or writing. These classrooms are designed to inspire the children who come to them, to stimulate and to warm them with the sheer delight of living and learning. In them, children will be busy doing worth-while things; they won't be bored by patiently sitting at their desks, with folded hands, waiting for their teacher's next direction.

• The Kindergarten Smorgasboard by Greg Smedley-Warren
• Brittany Olga's Homeschool Curriculum Resources and Ideas
• The Believe Project inspires young students to fall in love with reading!
• Promise Center of Homewood returns to the basics to help students...
• Welcome Parents! by Enterprise Elementary School District for children starting kindergarten

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