Transition to Kindergarten Parent Guides: What Will My Child Do in Kindergarten?

If your child has gone to a preschool or child care center, kindergarten could be a “big change.”

• The kindergarten program will be more formal than preschool. Schools today have more teaching time to meet certain goals.
• Local schools are allowed to choose programs that meet those goals for learning. Schools also choose the daily routine in kindergarten.
• There are demands for English and math that state what children should have learned by the end of the kindergarten year.

Ask your child’s teacher to share the kindergarten daily routine with you. Then you can talk with your child about parts of the day, such as:

• Large and small group time.
• Time for children to work alone on projects or in “centers” around the room.
• Snack time.
• Lunch in the cafeteria.
• Active and quiet activities.
• Extra classes such as gym, music, art, library and computers.

No matter what the kindergarten routine looks like, the most important thing is the variety and types of learning opportunities.

• Good teachers know that kindergarteners need lots of learning opportunities. Activities in typical subject areas are blended with social/emotional and physical development experiences.
• By talking with the teacher, you can learn about what your child is doing. This is important during changes as you work together to help your child adjust.
• When this works, your child looks forward to school each day!

Differences your child may experience in the classroom:

• More structured time and more teacher-directed activities.
• More group projects and less free play.
• More inside activities, less outside time.
• More writing letters and numbers.
• More school-wide rules.
• More children in the class