Myth 1 – Counting to 50 before first grade is crucial.
Learning to count, whether it be to 10, 20, 50, or 100 is pure memorization. What’s more important to a child’s success in school is recognizing numbers (knowing that 1 means one, and 5 means five), recognizing that each number they count has a corresponding object, and being able to understand quantity.
Myth 2 – The more “teacher-directed” activities there are the better.
While there is a time and place for teacher-directed activities, children learn better through doing and playing through open-ended play. They are more capable of grasping concepts when they are doing, rather that being told.
Myth 3 – Children need to know the alphabet before going to school.
Just like counting, knowing their ABCs is pure memorization. This is important later and will help children grasp alphabetical order later, it’s more important for them to be able to recognize and name letters and their corresponding sounds.
Myth 4 – The more “traditional” a classroom looks the more children learn.
For adults, it’s easy to assume that the more traditional a classroom looks (with desks, chairs, etc.), the more children are taught and the more they learn. The truth is that children learn more in an open-ended environment that promotes decision making and exploration. It helps them gain valuable independence by allowing them to make decisions, choose materials, and more.
Myth 5 – I’m not ready for them to go, so they must not be ready either.
There is no denying that for parents and guardians, seeing our little ones grow up is tough. It’s natural for us to just want to hang on to our little ones and keep them babies forever. The hard truth is that, despite our own personal reserves, children are itching to grow up. As they grow, they strive to gain more independence, knowledge, and ability. They want to learn. They want to grow. We need to encourage that by letting them, even though it’s not easy.
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