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.  Read about #1, “What does Kindergarten look like?”, #2 “When do Children Start Reading?”, and #3 “When are Parents Comfortable Making the Change?”

The Big Take-Away:

What we’ve decided is that we might need to allow an option for parents to move their Kindergartners into a new area at the time that they feel it’s time.  I have to trust that parents know what their kids can handle, yet at the same time also seek the opinion of my Early Childhood leaders to determine which children may benefit from a different more mature environment of learning God’s truth.

Now that we’ve identified the milestones unique to each age child, and each family; it’s time to work on communicating it to our church family.  Letting them know that they are a valuable part of this decision, and that their input is highly desired.  It is all of our best intentions together that will make the most delicate of learners lovers of God’s truth!

OK, here is where I need our #kidmin community to spring into action. What are you doing to transition kids through these milestones?

If you’re not a Children’s Ministry leader, and find yourself to be a concerned parent then speak up.  We’d all love to hear how you think these things are best done. Do you like the optional format, or do you prefer being told where to go and when to go there?

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.  Read about #1, “What does Kindergarten look like?”, and #2 “When do Children Start Reading?”

#3 When are parents comfortable making the change?

If the family at my church is a regular attendar, then they are very aware of the change from a classroom format in Early Childhood areas, to a large group/small group format of the Elementary areas.  For some families it’s seen as a big “My baby is growing up” moment and met with trepidation.  For other families, it’s seen as a “Finally my kid will get to be where the fun is happening” moment and met with excitement.

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.  Read about #1, “What does Kindergarten look like?”

#2 When do Children start Reading?

This is a huge thing to give thought towards.  The ability of a kid to read varies from kid to kid, obviously; but at what grade can you start to rely on kids reading things on screens, following instructions that they read themselves, etc…?  Usually it isn’t until 2nd grade that I can count on kids being able to read things in front of the others.  This isn’t a hard-fast rule, but more or less and observation over the years.  Let me be clear, that being able to read doesn’t make someone more eligible for learning God’s Word.  It only makes the teaching different.  Small group activities take on a different flavor, and repeat-after-me activities are more important with non-readers.  But knowing this truth, will allow your small group leaders to teach more accurately and will help alleviate frustration with small group leaders trying to get kids to do things they intellectually aren’t prepared for.

What does this mean for me? It means that I have to program differently for kids that aren’t yet reading.  And that may mean that I tweak our content for  kids up through 2nd grade in their small group activities.  I’ve heard people say that Kindergartners aren’t ready for Elementary environments because they can’t read, however my experience has shown me that the non-reading window is so broad that I can’t narrow it down to just one grade or one classroom.  I have to be sensitive to this throughout the ages of 5-8.

For you it means getting to know your kids.  Talk to your small group leaders, and see what they have to say about this topic.  Ask them how many of their kids can read instructions, how many of their kids can read at all!  Every city and every church will have a different struggle in this area.  In more inner city areas, you’ll see that this age range of non-reading is much broader (I know, been there and done that!)  In more suburban areas, you’ll find that the range is more narrow; but you still need to be sensitive to those kids that struggle.

What is your experience in this arena? I’d love to hear how your situation may be different.

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!

It’s that time of year in our Children’s Ministry when I start to deliberately look at moving our restless Kindergartners to a more mature Elementary environment.  We’ve worked for a few years to make the environments similar in style and substance, but different only in how we teach the content.  In our Early Childhood areas there is a much higher teacher to child ratio (not as high as I’d like!), and we know that kids learn better in a smaller environment.  However, as a kid matures they fit better in large group environments due to better behavior.  That isn’t to say that large group environments are always best for the kid, because we do a small group ministry to these older kids as well.  I’ll save that discussion for another blog post!

Back to the matter at hand: there has been discussion over the years about moving Kindergartners to the Elementary environment earlier, or maybe delaying their graduation to the Elementary areas until 2nd grade and creating a special K & 1st grade learning space.  I personally love this idea, but facility limits as well as a lack of volunteers currently leave this as just an idea at the moment.  Theories abound on what may or not be best, but what we really need to look into are the natural milestones that happen in the life of the Kindergartner learners at our church.  For this transition there are 3 milestone questions to consider.  Over the next few posts, I will lay out the three questions I’ve had to tackle as I look for what will be best for these delicate 5 and 6 year old learners of God’s Word.