Milestone: What does Kindergarten Look Like?

Earlier I wrote the Introduction about the issue at hand in our Children’s Ministry about what to do with our Kindergarten age children as they transition between learning styles.  I said that I thought there were 3 milestone questions to consider.

#1  What does Kindergarten at their school look like?

When I was a kindergartner there was a separate Kindergarten building in our city that only housed the 5-6 year old crowd.  But, in Lubbock, TX the Kindergartners attend school with Elementary students up to 5th grade.  So the trauma and shock that I felt in 1st grade, isn’t the same for 1st graders in Lubbock.  It’s more of a Kindergarten experience.  Kindergartners in Lubbock are use to being on a bus, being dropped off into long hallways, and attending PE classes twice a week.  If I’m not careful, then I plan around an educational model used 30 years ago, and not what my kids in my city are accustomed to.

What does this mean for me? It means that maybe moving Kindergartners to the Elementary environments at our church, might not be as eventful as I think it is.  The kids that I think may NOT be ready for a change, are actually overdue for a change.

In your city it might look different.  You might work mostly with homeschool children, or maybe the kids at your church attend a Kindergarten center, or maybe your parents just don’t want the status quo of these transitions and milestones tampered with.  Whatever the situation, it’s worth evaluating what is unique about your location when it come to Kindergarten learning.

I’d love to hear about the different Kindergarten formats you have.  Do share!