As a young professional, I taught kindergarten during the time when the phrase "school readiness" came into being. Educators enthusiastically jumped on the bandwagon of giving kids a good school start.
While I appreciate the thinking behind such a concept, I have to admit that it always makes me somewhat uncomfortable. It implies that the purpose of the years prior to kindergarten is simply to enable children to succeed in our educational system. It feels somehow egocentric, limited in scope, and even wrong.
Because what I know about the years birth to 5 is that these are truly wonder years. This is the time that children establish their sense of self. They come to understand relationships and how to manage them. They gain a basic understanding of how the world works, and what role they play in it.
During these years, kids develop a sense of humor and learn who they can trust. They come to delight in walking, running, and pedaling a tricycle. They learn to understand language, and then produce it to communicate with others. They learn to be masters of their own fate, managing their behavior and their responses to others.
These years prepare children for life--a much grander scheme than kindergarten success. Parents who provide children with an early childhood rich in experiences and relationships are launching them for a whole lifetime of joy. Kindergarten is a brief stop on a road that will take them much farther.
But here's the truth: Children who enjoy those abundant opportunities in the earliest years do arrive at kindergarten ready for success. Sand boxes and picture books build confidence and curiosity. Competence is a direct result of positive experience.
So when parents ask me how to get their children ready for kindergarten, I give them two answers. The first one deals with teaching kids to listen and follow directions, keep their hands to themselves, count, write their names, and tie their shoes. This is the party line for us educators.
But the observer of human beings in me can't resist a second response: To help a child be ready for kindergarten, have a blast with him all the years before.
