Parents and caregivers often ask what young children need to know before kindergarten; this is the 14th in a series of blog posts on kindergarten readiness and early learning basics. No matter the age of your little one, this will give you a general picture of what to do as your child’s very first teacher.
Eenie, meenie, miney, mo, may be one way to decide, but to help children with kindergarten readiness, we need to give them good strategies for decision making.
When some children arrive at school or daycare, they are hesitant to make any decisions on their own. Making choices such as selecting what toy to play with or where to sit on the rug or what to eat first at snack time are so difficult that some children will wait for a decision to made for them. Other children want to choose everything so only spend a minute or two at any one activity so they can quickly move to the next and the next and the next. Others may not have either of these challenges.
Young children need practice making their own choices and, in a typical day, there are likely many opportunities for them to do just that. They may be able to choose what items they want to wear, or at least select ones from several alternatives. Which foot wants the sock first? There may be two different colors of towels to use for drying hands. What color of block will go at the bottom of the tower? Does snack go on a plate or in a bowl?
Letting children choose is not always easy or appropriate. Of course, it often takes much more time. Sigh. Also, making decisions may not be an issue at home, so parents may be unaware until kids are in a more independent situation. In any case, part of the kindergarten readiness package includes being aware of how children cope with the challenge of making decisions. Are there some ways that your child can practice this today?