Research shows that when children do not transition successfully to kindergarten, their academic and social-emotional progress can be hindered, whereas children who transition successfully actively engage in learning and adapt to the new setting (Harbin et al. 2007). It is important for early childhood educators to consider the stress for children…

First conceptualized by Friedrich Froebel as a "children's garden," kindergarten classrooms in Canada today emphasize play and exploration as the primary methods of learning and development. This garden provides multiple opportunities for children to become lost in spontaneous play and creative interactions with peers. Kindergarten has…

In today's busy early childhood settings, it can be easy for teachers to become overwhelmed trying to fulfill curriculum, instruction, and assessment requirements. The school day may be spent rushing through activities and gathering documentation. Sometimes educators may feel as though today's kindergarten programs exist solely as preparation for…

Offers suggestions for creating a physical environment in the kindergarten classroom that is functional, attractive, appropriate, flexible and conducive to learning. (ED)

Working with the South Carolina Department of Education, the authors surveyed prekindergarten and kindergarten teachers whose schools participated in a quality rating system to see what they did to get ready for the observation and what they thought of the evaluation process. The authors also asked them what they thought about the quality of their…

One kindergarten teacher engaged children in conversations about environmental print and thus made literacy learning more meaningful and personally connected to the children's outside school experiences. Activities included an environmental print show-and-tell, and small-group and whole-class word-logo matching activities. It was concluded that…

Contrasts experiences of two children during the first week of kindergarten to illustrate the importance of the classroom environment for inviting children to become full participants in the learning process. (KB)

In this article, the author examines the effectiveness of reflective teaching in Kindergarten which promotes children's learning. Reflective teaching encourages kindergartners to extend their thinking by asking questions and by modeling their own use of reflection. Further, he emphasizes that it is possible for teachers to nurture reflective…

Suggests methods and materials for improving the perception abilities of young children. (NH)

Do the learning benefits of full-day (versus half-day) kindergarten outweigh the expense of hiring more teachers and adding classroom space? The authors describe planning and implementing a pilot program. The positive outcomes for children-including earlier emergent literacy skills, a more relaxed pace, and easier transition to first grade-lead…

Recounts activities from a kindergarten classroom to illustrate how a multicultural approach cultivates a school environment embracing diversity and educating students about responsibilities associated with freedom. Stories include those related to students viewing each other in terms of individual characteristics rather than their ethnic group,…

The authors present a checklist designed to help preschool and kindergarten administrators and teachers build confidence in their ability to be inclusive and to increase their awareness of the needs of children with disabilities. Teachers can use the checklist to prepare for the inclusion of a child with a disability. "Identifying potential…

Article analyzes the needs of children regarding their education, the setting for that education, and the psychological theories that best satisfy those needs. (RK)

Explains concerns about the use of timeout in early childhood settings and the importance of replacing timeouts with guidance to build an encouraging classroom. Offers suggestions for becoming a guidance professional, teaching democratic life skills, and building an encouraging classroom. Suggestions for building an encouraging classroom relate to…

Describes a kindergarten teacher's successful efforts to create more heterogeneous groupings and less animosity among students in her class. Discusses efforts to encourage after-school visiting among peers, classroom agreements about put-downs and exclusion during play, turn-taking, teacher-assigned grouping, conflict management, efforts to…