The first day of spring is sort of like New Year’s. It’s the beginning of something new with early shoots peeking above the ground. Many animal babies are born in the spring too. In a way did you know that early learning is like the seasons?
Whenever we learn something, there is new growth. For all of us, learning something new starts like baby plants and animals, with a few tentative guesses and a bit of early green. That’s the spring season. The ideas blossom and burst forth. Just like plants and animals fill out during the summer, so does the new knowledge. Autumn has a wonderful display of colors, and both kids and adults glow with pride as we master those new learnings. Over the winter, there may not seem to be much happening, as animals and plants sleep. After anyone learns something challenging, there is a need to take a break, to let thoughts ‘gel’. And then the cycle starts again as we tackle the spring learning season again.
Often, as kids learn, we forget that learning is something that needs to grow. It’s not like a switch that is off and then gets turned on. Instead, it’s a process. The fertilizer that is needed, is opportunities to explore, find, discover, make connections, and figure out. We shouldn’t feel discouraged when kids need to see, hear, and do the same things over and over. Some things will be learned quickly–such as ‘bad words’ that kids seem to hear only once–and some things will take longer–like figuring out that when counting, for each number there needs to be 1 and only 1 object.
In some ways, kindergarten is the first season, and readiness is like the preparation for spring. For a play-of-the-day on this first day of spring, perhaps you and your child can go for a neighborhood walk to see if there is some new growth. Do you notice any new learning too?