It’s National Kindergarten Day today. This is a great opportunity to thank kindergarten teachers and celebrate the wonderful things they have done for us and our children.
What are some ways you might celebrate? Here are five ways to celebrate.
- Write a story together about kindergarten. You could use your child’s perspective as well as your own. Perhaps you can even compare today’s kindergarten to your childhood. Stories can help children understand their reality and offer a way for you to both revisit it over time.
- You can host a virtual party for your child with his classmates. Social interactions are a way for children to make sense of the world around them. While you are celebrating kindergarten, spend time talking about the past week. This can help them deal with all the events.
- You’re probably homeschooling your kindergartener, so take some time to appreciate and savor all that you do to educate your child.
- Play. Play. Play. Hop-scotch and hide-and-seek are some of the traditional games you can play. You can spend some time learning a new skill, practicing puzzles, taking a walk, or simply learning it. Playfulness is key to any interaction with children or friends. Sing silly songs, talk silly, and act out play situations. John Dewey called our learning impulses "our impulses to play". We all have a drive to explore the world and create meaning. This drives us to communicate our feelings with others while we also ask questions.
- You should be thankful to kindergarten teachers. Kindergarten teachers use a variety of complex pedagogical techniques on a moment to moment basis to support and care for each student. They helped your classmates and you to see yourself as problem-solvers and learners. This taught you that adults outside your family are available to support you in school and life. They helped you to develop the skills you needed to help others and collaborate with them so you could reach your goals.
Why are we celebrating today?
April 21 marks Wilhelm August Frobel’s birth (1782-1852), which is also the date of the founding of kindergarten. Frobel founded Germany’s first kindergarten in 1837. He believed that kindergarten allowed children to learn and grow in a loving environment.
Frobel’s ideas first came to America in 1856 by Margarethe Schurz, a Watertown, Wisconsin resident. In 1873, Susan Blow opened St. Louis’ first public kindergarten.
The National Kindergarten Day has changed little over the years. The majority of kindergarteners are now meeting online with their teachers, which presents new challenges and opportunities in this digital age.
We must celebrate kindergarten because it is special. This is a time when children should feel happy about schooling and self. It also brings back memories of some of their best friends.
Kindergarten is also a place where many people first enter school. It’s where teachers work alongside families to help children and you discover your natural ability to see the world. Kindergarten is where children learn about the importance of being part of a larger community. It’s a place where they can support each other and help them to succeed in school. Kindergarten is also where your worldview will be challenged.
Share national kindergarten day celebrations with your families, friends, children, and loved ones. Reach out and thank kindergarten teachers that you know.
