It’s mid-December and we’re all in full swing of holiday joy and busyness! However, academically, it’s mid-term season. It’s time to assess your preschooler’s knowledge.
Or is it?
At this time of year, in different parts of the world, preschoolers are assessed, tested, or given examinations to determine their academic progress. Is this too much for little ones? Should we be more focused on developmental needs and leave the academics for later? Or should we push our little ones as hard and far as their little brains will allow? The answer, I believe is somewhere in the middle.
A good measure of where one’s philosophy should fall on this issue might be to compare one’s conclusion about pushing a little one to their physical limits vs one’s conclusions about pushing little ones to their mental and intellectual limits.
- How many hours a day or week of sports practice do you think your little one should endure before you decide it’s enough?
- How much physical labor and chores around or outside of the house is too hard on a child?
- How many hours of piano, violin, or voice lessons do you fit into a preschooler’s schedule before exhausting them?
Our bodies our designed to endure much, but what about the soul? I’m getting a bit too philosophical, but here’s the point: There are many things to consider when making the decision about how “hard” to “push” preschoolers. Putting a preschooler in an academically rigorous environment where testing and examinations are required must be properly contextualized in order for it to truly benefit the child. It is certainly not for every child. Most early education environments include regular ‘soft” assessments of your child’s progress. Teachers are constantly checking in with the children while working in groups and one on one to ensure that children are getting the attention they need in order to make the necessary progress. So, in the meantime, whether your preschooler is enduring mid-term examinations right now or not, this is a perfect time for YOU to examine the following:
- What is your childcare provider’s plan for your child’s kindergarten readiness? Does it line up with your expectations? If not, how will you find the best solution for meeting your child’s needs and your expectations?
- Does your childcare provider’s plan for child’s kindergarten readiness line up with your district or state’s expectations for kindergarten readiness? Do you know what your child is expected to know for kindergarten?
- Is your child on track for learning what he or she needs to know to begin kindergarten? What time/effort are you willing to put in at home to ensure their readiness and continued support once kindergarten begins?
- Have you taken the necessary steps to evaluate and assess your preschooler’s options for kindergarten? For example: homeschool, private school, public school, large school, small school, magnet school, uniforms/no uniforms, and so forth?
- Do you know the proper process for the educational option of your choice? For example: What is are the processes and deadlines for: school registration, enrollment, lottery entry, homeschool registration, school fee due dates, and so forth?
Think of this as your preschooler’s “senior year of babyhood”. There is a lot to do to prepare him or her for their next milestone: ELEMENTARY SCHOOL! If you are still not sure where to start, leave a comment below or send a request to info@victoriashouseacademy.com to request a free Elementary School Readiness checklist.
Until next time, make the most of this season!