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Should Kindergarten Be More About Play or Literacy?
Kindergarten is a pivotal point in a child's future, and whether or not it should focus more on play or literacy is a topic that should be brought up in more discussions. Jill Anderson from Southwest Minnesota State University thinks that it is vital for Kindergarteners to experience play in the classroom. She says that "Pretend play involving storytelling and story-acting helps children make the connection between spoken and written language"(Anderson 16). I agree with Anderson's claim that play is important, but it mustn't completely erase literacy and learning from the curriculum. Education is just as important. If children do not learn and only play in Kindergarten, they will struggle in their futures.
I think that school districts should incorporate preschools in their schools for play. That way Kindergarteners would develop creativity and growth from play in preschool, and focus on literacy and early education in Kindergarten. By focusing more on education in Kindergarten, a child's education could be much more advanced moving forward, as they would have already begun the foundation of their learning. A child wouldn't have to learn basic addition and subtraction in first grade, and they could advance with broader topics such as multiplication and division early on.
I went to Markham Elementary School in Portland, Oregon. Markham included preschool and kindergarten. In preschool, we had a lot of play, with minimal literacy. This curriculum allowed us to focus on literacy in Kindergarten, which I feel was beneficial to us. I learned basic addition in preschool, along with play, and I was able to learn basic multiplication skills in 1st grade. My younger sister goes to an elementary school that does not incorporate preschool, and she learned multiplication in 2nd and 3rd grade. The data explicitly shows that more literacy in Kindergarten and a focus on play in preschool is beneficial to a child's curriculum.
The US Department of Education states in a report on Kindergarten that "Many states are moving toward universal preschool," and that "[they] strongly support these efforts." The US Department of Education, a number of states, and numerous concerned civilians endorsing the Department of Education's statement, agree that focusing on literacy in Kindergarten would be extremely beneficial. It is important for Kindergarteners to begin learning more advanced topics early on. Play is just as important, so young children can focus on play in preschool.
I agree that kindergarten should be more about literacy than play. I think learning concepts at an earlier age makes them easier to remember and build on in the future. I went to a preschool that was basically all play, while my kindergarten was more focused on literacy. I think that benefited me a lot, so seeing that more states are pushing universal preschool is great news!
ReplyDeleteI totally agree with what you are saying, when I went to kindergarten it was a lot more literacy but we still had nap time. So, I had some fun but it was mainly literacy. But when I was in preschool I had a lot more fun.
ReplyDeleteGreat job on the blog post! I like that in your argument you offer a replacement of sorts (instead of having mainly play in Kindergarten, young kids can have an experience more centered on fun in pre-school, then allowing Kindergarten to focus more on learning). Why do you think Kindergarten is a good time to center school on learning? Is it, as Max stated, because kids tend to be more impressionable when they're younger? You say it's beneficial for children, but in what ways?
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