Though some think of kindergarten as a year of play, kindergartners work hard and learn a lot in a short amount of time. Teachers can no longer expect healthy five to six-year-old children, with all their energy and enthusiasm, to sit at their desks or to be quiet all day. Kindergarten gives children the opportunity to grow and develop through play — the way children learn best. It is a time for children to expand their love of learning, build knowledge, develop their ability to get along with others, and explore ways of reaching out to the world.
What should you see, hear, and feel upon entering a room where all these good things are happening? When you enter the doors of a great kindergarten classroom, you should immediately see children playing and working with materials such as magnifying glasses, puzzles, magnets, and more. It may look as if students are just having fun, but they are actively learning valuable lessons. How does this look specifically?
- Various centers should be set up around the classroom for students to explore.
- The classroom should be enriched by an abundance of books, words, letters, numbers, and other instructional aids.
- At times you would see the teacher meeting with small groups of students, addressing their individual needs.
- Differentiated instruction should be evident. All students do not learn in the same way. Activities should be designed to meet the needs of all students in the classroom.
- Student work should be neatly displayed throughout the room. Students love seeing their work posted. It makes the classroom feel more like their own.
You should hear the sounds of learning. Children saying their ABC’s to their friends sitting next to them. They could be humming while they color a picture to hang on the art wall. You might walk into the class while the teacher is sharing a colorful book with the class during reading time.
If everything is going well in the class you enter, you should feel the warm hum of activity. Children sharing with their classmates. Cooperation of building a tower with friends. Mainly children enjoying the art and job of learning something new.
Not every classroom is going to run as smooth as clockwork every day, but if you have all the pieces in place, it will be close.