Kindergarten Readiness: Part 2

Ah, that famous phrase. There are a lot of skills that just can’t be tested. All of the flashcards and workbooks can’t even begin to address them.  They are skills that need to be learned, and the only way to learn them is by trial and error, and lots of experience. What skills are those? Cooperation,  negotiation, planning, analyzing, communicating, and creativity to name a few. When children start preschool (usually around the age of three,) most have very little practice with larger groups of children and the fact that the toys are for EVERYONE, not just them.  Socialization is a learned skill, one that takes time and patience (on the adult’s part!)  to develop.

 

This structure was built by three three-year-old boys. Together they planned and constructed their building.  Can you see the rainbows on the floor? There was a lot of quiet talking, negotiating and compromise going on.

For this age, it was so exciting to see!

 

They topped off the structure with triangles all around the top.

But what about the little guy in the back?  He’s working alone!  Ah, but look!

It’s difficult to see, but there are different levels inside, similar to steps. He was so excited to create the triangle on the tower!

 

Look at the trapezoids surrounding the bottom of his building. He’s experimenting with fit and design.

 

 

If you look very closely, there are small triangles on many of the squares, creating a design. Planning, implementing, creating, thinking.  THESE are skills preschoolers need to learn. It’s not “just”  play!