What Do Children Actually Learn in Kindergarten?

Your child will practice fundamental math, reading, writing, form, and time concepts in kindergarten. As you wonder, “What do children actually learn in kindergarten?” learn more about the kindergarten curriculum and how you may help your child achieve crucial learning milestones at home.

It is your child’s first year of formal schooling! If you’re wondering what kindergarten education looks like nowadays, it continues to emphasize letter and sound recognition and word recognition. You will be delighted to see your child take their first steps toward reading, increase their vocabulary, and write the alphabet.

Your youngster will also learn essential math foundations. By the end of the year, kids should be able to count to 30, recognize common shapes, and perform addition with a single digit.

It is essential to recognize that educational standards differ between states, districts, and schools and that no two children learn at the same rate. You may help children excel in kindergarten by developing self-confidence and creating a lifelong love of learning.

Here are the key kindergarten learning milestones that children will attain this year, along with suggestions for keeping your child on track with the kindergarten curriculum at home.

1. Letters and Sounds in Kindergarten

The first up? Letters and sounds are fundamentals of learning to read, write and talk correctly. These will be approached in a playful and approachable manner, utilizing a variety of learning styles to accommodate the requirements of all students. (Consider visual, aural, and extensive hands-on labor!)

What will they learn?

Your child will know, name, and write all 26 letters of the alphabet before the end of kindergarten (both uppercase and lowercase). They will know the exact sound each letter produces and can read approximately 30 high-frequency words such as and, the, and in.

How to assist at home:

Susan Quinn, an elementary school teacher at Saint Brendan School in the Bronx, New York, explains, “Reading to your children at home not only makes them appreciate reading, but it also helps them in school.” Reading together fosters camaraderie and enjoyment while enhancing concentration, concentration, and vocabulary. Look for books about your child’s specific interests and ask the librarian for recommendations, but make sure the books are not too difficult.

“It’s usually best to start children off with easier novels because then they feel successful, which encourages them to read more,” explains Quinn. She says that Dr. Seuss books are ideal at this age due to their rhymes and simple vocabulary. (Some Dr. Seuss books can be troublesome; therefore, choosing novels with abundant repetition is vital.) Children learn through repetition, so repeatedly read their favorite books, pose questions, and encourage your youngster to utter simple words aloud. Encourage children to read street signs, billboards, and computer screens throughout the day, or have them seek high-frequency terms in a magazine.

2. Writing in Kindergarten

What will they learn?

Kindergarteners will be taught to write simple CVC (consonant, vowel, consonant) words in the classroom, such as hat, red, and dog. They will also compose brief, straightforward sentences such as “The cat ran home.”

How to assist at home:

Keep a dedicated box of writing supplies (crayons, pencils, markers, paper, and notepads) so that your child may practice writing short phrases about their day. Ask them about their writing and have them read it out loud. Display their writings on the refrigerator to inspire them.

3. Counting and Numbers in Kindergarten

What will they learn?

Kindergarteners will learn to recognize, write, arrange, and count up to thirty things. In addition, they will add and subtract small amounts. This emphasis on addition and subtraction will persist throughout the second grade.

How to assist at home:

Help your kindergartener search publications and newspapers for numbers one through thirty. They can cut them out and arrange them in numerical order on paper. Play a game of “What comes next?” while driving or waiting in line. Give your child a number and have them identify the number that comes next; this may help them achieve kindergarten goals.

Have them tally the number of stuffed animals they own at bedtime and ask, “How many dog-related books do you own? How quickly can you count?” Remove two of these books and inquire, “How many remain?”

4. Objects and Shapes in Kindergarten

What will they learn?

Children will learn to identify and describe common form types (circle, square, triangle, rectangle). They will be able to identify, sort, and classify things by color, size, and shape by the end of the year.

How to assist at home:

Discuss the characteristics of typical shapes: What would you say about a rectangle? What distinguishes it from a triangle? In addition, you can introduce the “Draw a Shape” game and take turns drawing rectangles, circles, and squares with your youngster.

Finally, encourage your student to separate toys by type; for example, they can stack blocks of the same size or sort Legos by color. You can also give your toddler an old box of buttons to sort by size and number of holes.

5. Seasons and Time in Kindergarten

What will they learn?

What should kindergarten students understand about time and seasons? At this age, children comprehend fundamental ideas. They are able to recognize the time of daily activities to the nearest hour, such as leaving for school at 7:00 a.m. and eating dinner at 6:00 p.m. The fact that they are concrete thinkers and time is abstract will make it difficult for them to grasp the concept of time properly.

How to assist at home:

To reinforce the sense of time, read the clock frequently during normal activities. Utilize and explain terms such as morning, afternoon, evening, yesterday, today, and tomorrow. Create a timeline depicting a typical day, complete with drawings of daily occurrences and the corresponding times.

In addition to learning about time, 5- and 6-year-olds can identify the four seasons; thus, use a calendar to track the weather throughout the year with them. Find images depicting the seasons (for example, colorful leaves, snow, and blooming flowers) and talk with your child about what he or she sees in them. Discuss the clothing appropriate for each season.

Don’t forget that at this age, play is still a vital component of the kindergarten curriculum, therefore, a good program should provide ample opportunity for growth through play and enjoyable activities. In addition, your new kindergartener will likely require plenty of downtime and recreation at home, so you can help them adjust to school life by offering plenty of rest and early bedtimes.

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