What We Learned in Kindergarten

As May comes to a close, so does the end of the school year. Emily had her last day of First Year Preschool yesterday. Allie had one more week of kindergarten, and then she is out for summer. This got me thinking of that poem by Robert Fulghum, All I Really Need To Know, I Learned In Kindergarten.

Chris and I have tried our best, and hopefully she has learned what she needs. Last week we made Nestle Tollhouse cookies, and Allie learned "Have warm cookies? Need cold milk." She knows everything except germs are for sharing. Then, of course there is the basic academic stuff of reading and math. We have tried to instill respect, such as explaining that different houses may have different rules. These are just some of the basics we expected her to learn this year.

In addition, we signed Allie up for Connections Academy. CA is a virtual classroom where I'm the learning coach, and a certified teacher oversees the assignments. This was a wonderful program. Besides academics, Allie also learned how to use the computer. Some may think five is a little young to use the computer, but they are growing up in a digital age. I think she needs to realize the internet is just another "community" which also has its rules. Some places are fun, and some places are for learning, and some places are scary. That's the way the world works.

A recent study by University of California shows that internet surfing can be healthy.

“It might surprise parents to learn that it is not a waste of time for their teens to hang out online,” said Mizuko Ito, University of California, Irvine researcher and the report’s lead author. “There are myths about kids spending time online – that it is dangerous or making them lazy. But we found that spending time online is essential for young people to pick up the social and technical skills they need to be competent citizens in the digital age.”

That being said, we as parents have also learned a few things. (Chris actually got involved on this one so blame him for the wording.)

1. Don't threaten any punishment you don't really mean to do. Its no accident we listed this as rule #1.
2. Be consistent, routines are rocking! Age appropriate chores teach responsibility.
3. Children respond better to calm commands, requests, and reminders than they do those said while yelling. We've found yelling actually increases the chance they will disobey you. Say basically the same thing, just calmly.
4. One of the first things they begin to understand is simple cause & effect relationships. "If you do X (or don't do X), Y will happen." Be fully prepared to make Y happen every time or don't even utter the words. We've found Y needs to happen less often after a while.