Race to Kindergarten Readiness

Not too long ago, before I was a parent, I was a teacher in the California Public Schools in an affluent area. I opened an email from a parent in the neighborhood that shaped my perspective in life–as a teacher and as a parent.

This mother emailed every single kindergarten teacher in the district. She wanted to know:“How can I best prepare my son for Kindergarten? What skills can I teach him at home so he is well-prepared to advance in Kindergarten?” By the time I had finished reading her email, my mouth was open so wide that her “nearly three year old” son could have climbed right in to take a much-deserved nap.

We have all been there. We think we are the best parents in the world…until we sit down with other parents. We watch their kids, we listen to them discuss how wonderful their kids are, how smart, how advanced, how well-rounded, how precocious, how athletic… Sound familiar??

Now ask yourself: how many of those parents mentioned how HAPPY, social, and independent their children are? My guess: zero. Maybe one.

It is easy to realize how happiness is paramount when you look at your own child within the confines of your own family, your own day. But step out of that bubble and you are immersed in parents who want their kids to be the best, the busiest, smartest, most athletic, and most artistic.

We have ALL been there. I am the least competitive person I know—as a person, a mom, and a teacher. I play tennis or scrabble and I don’t care about the score. I have never played to win.  My uber competitive 6 year old can’t understand me, but it works to her advantage.

As a teacher, I never cared if my students scored the highest on their standardized tests. I taught them according to my own teaching style, got them involved and excited. They excelled because they learned passionately and at will.

The same—I imagined—would ALWAYS be true for me as a mom. But even I have been caught up in the competition that our generation of parents has inadvertently begun and is perpetuating.

This competition—and stress–is evident as we watch high schoolers prepare for college, pack on the extracurriculars, and AP classes. They have little time to sleep or have fun. What we as parents of young children need to realize is that, these days, we are treating our preschoolers like high school students.

Ask yourself this: do you think there is anyway YOU can prepare your preschooler for Kindergarten and beyond by stepping back and enjoying your child? Can you just let your kids be kids? Can you give your child the academic skills she needs with just moments of quality time a day?

I am here to tell you what I believe to be true: YES, YOU CAN. You don’t have to be a stay-at-home parent and you don’t have to pay a tutor. I will give you tips you can do with your child that will take less time than it takes you to read a blog entry. I promise: it is tried and true. Your child will be ready for kindergarten and the rest of her life.