Kindergarten Essay

Kindergartens were started in the early 19th century in the belief in children’s inherent goodness. The founder emphasized on the importance of stories, nature study, music and play in addition to symbols. He advocated for the use of occupations and gifts among young children. In America, they started in the late 19th century and were mostly found in private institutions. They took half day and were mostly free. The educational goal then was not to impart children with reading and writing skills but it aimed to educate the children as a whole. This goal involved a wide range of activities inclusive of cleaning the children, feeding and clothing them (Saracho & Spodek, 2002). Changes in the curriculum goals and objectives The curriculum goals and objectives of kindergarten have changed significantly over time. Initially, kindergarten was characterised by fun, art, playtime, music, recess, story time, circle time and naptime. However, the current goals of kindergarten are learning and children are always assigned work to do. It is concentrating on learning more than having fun. In today’s curriculum, children are expected to learn science, social studies, writing, reading, math and even a second language. A whole school day is focused on instruction and the child is helped to learn in preparation for first grade. Children are also required to learn faster and cover more contents. By the time the kids are going to first grade, they are expected to have started acquiring reading skills (Saracho & Spodek, 2002). Current academic escalation in Kindergarten as a necessary evolutionary change School stakeholders have mixed feelings regarding the current academic escalation in kindergarten. Some feel that the children have not developed fully to understand all the contents they are made to cover. On the other hand, some are opinionated that the current world has many demands and therefore it is important to impart the necessary skills in children early enough. However, I feel that children should be let to grow and learn skills when their cognitive development can allow them to. This means that the changes are not very necessary since they are more academic oriented rather than fun directed and children are not ready for this. Reference: Saracho, Olivia N. & Spodek, Bernard, (2002), Contemporary perspectives on early childhood curriculum, ISBN 1930608276, 9781930608276, IAP.