Should we really worry about reading in kindergarten and pre-K? I feel so strongly that we need to focus on language at that level…and on social communication skills. The Alliance for Childhood and Defending the Early Years put out a marvelous call for action that we all should read. Please refer to. https://deyproject.files.wordpress.com/2015/01/readinginkindergarten_online-1.pdf
Remember Robert Fulghum’s “all I needed to know I learned in kindergarten”?
1. Share everything.
2. Play fair.
3. Don’t hit people.
4. Put thngs back where you found them.
5. CLEAN UP YOUR OWN MESS…. and so on. If you don’t remember this, you should read the whole list.
― Robert Fulghum, All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten
Should we really worry about reading about farms and animals and plants and trees when many children have not experienced these things first hand or have the vocabulary with which to express these concepts?
Play-based education is support by years of research. The Common Core State Standards (CCSS) were developed with no appreciation of developmental readiness. In fact, I was shocked to learn that there were NO early-childhood professionals or K-3 teachers on the committee that developed the CCSS. In preschool and in kindergarten, we need to focus on developing ORAL language as a pre-cursor for written language. The article also tells us that by the end of third grade, early readers have no advantage over later readers.
In fact, teaching reading too early can result in stress and in dis-engagement from learning. “When children have educational experiences that are not geared to their developmental level or in tune with their learning needs and cultures, it can cause them great harm, including feelings of inadequacy, anxiety and confusion.”
Push back! Advocate for age-appropriate learning experiences. I would love to hear from reading professionals about this. My bias is language development. Please share your opinion and your expertise!