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The end of a long, grueling presidential election has many Americans thankful it is over. Leave it to 4-year-olds to bring levity to a vicious campaign…
“Does anyone know what an election is?” I questioned. Jeremy piped up, “It’s when there are signs all over the street with names on them.” Yes, Jeremy, you could say that. To a 4-year-old whose world is literal, this accurately describes “an election.”
We were talking about how great it is to live in America where we get to choose our leaders. When asked what our leader is called, most of the children stared blankly back at me while one lone student correctly stated, “President.”
And who is our president now? “George Washington?” guessed another.
When I held up photos of the two candidates, several of the kids nodded in recognition, saying they saw them on a “television show.” Gary took this further when he remarked, “Donald Trump LIVES ON THE NEWS.” Uh huh, yes he does, Gary.
And speaking of “living arrangements”… We were describing the White House when one little girl told about her family’s visit to Washington D.C. “We went there!” She said excitedly. “We went to Washington to see where America lives! We saw the White House. Jesus lives there!”
Finally, one day many years ago I was informed by a 4-year-old, “Miss Theresa, YOU are the president of our school.”   Well, okay, I humbly accept!

My 4-year-old students an act so worldly that sometimes I forget just how young they really are and that for them school can be a new, mysterious place full of odd rituals never done before.
Why are we making a line? Why do we put up our hand when we want to say something? Why does the teacher sing that song when she wants us to clean up the toys?
Those lines and squiggles make the letters in my name, and oh, I need to learn how to do that?
That bell is ringing on the playground; oh, it means I have to stop digging in the sandbox and line up at the door?
It’s all new, and it can seem completely strange for a new student. Through it all, 4-year-olds will tell you what they think- literally.
As he struggled with scissors during a cutting exercise, Tommy* lamented, “The only problem is that the lines aren’t going where I want to cut them!”
And after a particularly rousing sing-along at circle time, Angie reacted, “We sang so much my lungs hurt!”
To sum up the many challenges of being 4 years old at school… “How was I supposed to remember when I forgot?”
Indeed, sometimes nursery school can be so HARD!

*In my blog all students names and sometimes even genders have been changed to protect families.

About the author: Theresa Young owns Lenape Kiddue Kollege in Medford, NJ. She has taught in the Pre-K class since 1994. She is a married mom of 4 and a Grammy of 2.
Check out www.lenapekidduekollege.com and Facebook.com/LenapeKiddieKollege.

Everyday in my classroom, my preschool students show me the literal world of 4-year olds. But some of the most amusing stories originate from my own children.
Although my daughters are now grown, I have many fond memories- this one nearly 20 years ago- of how they saw the world so literally.
As a mom of 4 young girls, my days were engrossed in the business of raising them, rewarding, but sometimes hectic, even chaotic. For the sake of this story it is prudent to note that at that time we also had a pet. Buddy was our beloved tabby cat.
With all of this on my plate, I was blessed to have help with housecleaning. June, our housecleaner, would dependably arrive once a month to scrub bathrooms, vacuum, mop the kitchen floor. Ahhh…it was such a luxury to have an all-at-one-time-top-to-bottom clean house, for a day or two at least.
On this particular day, June arrived to clean. My kids knew to stay out of her way as she worked. My 2 youngest daughters, Jaclyn and Elizabeth, would poke their heads around the corner and giggle at June.
As the housecleaner moved from room to room, the girls kept saying, “Hi June,” then giggling and running off. At one point I heard June stop and have a conversation with them.
“How are you today?”
“Good!” (giggles)
“You are having fun today, aren’t you?”
“Yes.” (more giggles)
“You two sure are little buddies.”
More giggles. But this time a hesitation. I peeked down the hallway in time to see Jaclyn put her hands on her hips and declare, “We are NOT buddies…we don’t have tails!”
Ha! This time it was me giggling, and so was June as she realized their literal interpretation of her comment. The literal mind of a preschooler…it will crack me up everytime!

About the blogger:

Theresa Young owns Lenape Kiddie Kollege, a nursery school in Medford, NJ.  She has taught in the Pre-K class since 1995.  She is married, a mom of 4 grown daughters and a Grammy of 2.

Check out www.lenapekiddiekollege.com and Facebook.com/LenapeKiddieKollege. Theresa can be reached at Theresalkk@msn.com or 609-654-5355.

 

I speak four-year-old. And thank goodness I do because otherwise a conversation could very well go astray…
Donny was coloring. Some of the lines on the paper were blurry since my copier had been acting up. Pointing at the fuzzy lines, Donny asked me “Why does this look like this?” I casually replied, “I had trouble with the copies.”
Eyes wide with wonder, Donny mulled over my statement for a moment. “You had trouble with the copies?”
“Yes I did.”
He continued, “Were they at your house?” WHAT? “Were they at your house?” He repeated. “No, my copier is here at school, not at my house.”
Donny pressed on. “Were they in the yard?” WHAT? “No, my copier is in the office, not in the yard.”
“Why were the copies in the office?” he asked. Clearly, Donny was confused. I was confused, too. This conversation was going round and round in circles…on its way to nowhere.
My mind started churning. What is he talking about? Think. Think like a four year old. Think literally.
Oh, wait a second… Copies, copies. Ahhhh…could it be? Could Donny possibly be thinking I am talking about COPS?!
“Donny, do you think I am talking about cops? Policemen?”
“Yes!” His face brightened. Translation successful. We were on the same page. We were speaking the same language.
Inwardly, I chuckled at the announcement which might have occurred in Donny’s home that evening… “The cops came to Miss Theresa’s school…”
Whew, thank goodness I speak four-year-old.

To a four year old, Mommy is the center of the universe. When moms drop their children in my school, I have the pleasure of witnessing various sweet rituals…the have-a-great-day hug, the just-one-more-kiss please and sometimes the shy child’s hanging-on-the-leg.
Ask four year olds about their moms, and you never know what they will say. But you know that whatever it is, it will touch your heart and it will be literal. i remember Katie remarking, “When I was a baby I was in Mama’s belly. And it was DARK in there!”
Another day, Nate told me, “When Mommy sits on the couch, I sit on her because she feels like a pillow.” No, his mom wasn’t overweight fluffy. She was just right. Mommies are soft, Mommies’ laps are cozy and comfortable. Just where you want to be. Like a pillow. I couldn’t have said it any better.
Four year olds like to be helpers. When I posed the question “how can you help Mommy on Mother’s Day?” I received the typical and expected responses such as “I will pick up my toys” and “I will help her with the dishes.” Then Jake piped up, “we can shave her legs.” Now that’s an act of love.
While four year olds like to help out, they are equally as cognizant of how much their moms help them. They recognize that mommies will often do what no one else will. And there is no one quite like a four year old to put bluntly into words the sacrifices of a mother. When asked why he loves his mom, David casually stated, “Well, she helped us bury the old dead lizard in the backyard.”
So, to all the mommies out there, keep being the pillow upon which to sit, keep burying the old dead lizard in the backyard and perhaps you will get the ultimate reward of getting your legs shaved. Happy Mother’s Day!

Imagine you are a 4-year old. You have a name…Tyler, Drew, Bethany, Olivia. And people better call you by that name because you are 4 and your world is literal.
In my school, my pre-k class is known as the Dinosaur class. You might hear me say, “Good morning Dinosaurs” or “Dinosaurs, it’s time to clean up.” One day, little Drew asked me, “Miss Theresa, why do you keep calling us dinosaurs? We are NOT dinosaurs.” Well…technically, yes. Of course.
Another day, Olivia was at the table doing the work of a 4-year old- cutting and pasting. Ordinarily, Olivia was a reserved child, not too communicative. But as she worked on this particular morning, Olivia continuously chatted with my assistant, Miss Barbara. Olivia talked about her brother, she talked about her dog, she talked about going to the playground
Miss Barbara listened patiently as Olivia ran her non-stop chatter. Finally, Miss Barbara chimed in, “Wow, you are a Chatty Cathy today.” Olivia stopped talking, thought for a second, looked at Miss Barbara and declared indignantly “Miss Barbara, my name is NOT Cathy… AND YOU SHOULD KNOW THAT BY NOW!”
And in this lovely profession that brings us many smiles, that was our laugh-out-loud moment of the day.

About the blogger: Theresa Young owns Lenape Kiddie Kollege, a nursery school in Medford, NJ. She has taught 4-5 year olds since 1995. She is married, a mom of 4 grown daughters and a Grammy of 2.
Check out www.lenapekiddiekollege.com or Facebook.com/LenapeKiddieKollege.

4-year olds- honestly simple and simply honest. A 4-year old tells it like it is. There is little guesswork. When you converse with a 4-year old, there are no hidden agendas or double-meaning phrases. You get what you get. They say what they mean and mean what they say. They are LITERAL. And it can often be hilarious. Like when a child holds up a crayon without its wrapper and declares, “This one is naked.” I get it. It makes sense.
You see, I speak 4-year old. I have worked with young children in the classroom for 21 years. I love the absolutely literal mind of a 4-year old child. It’s so simple. I get it. Back to crayons… One day when Chrissy was coloring autumn leaves, she announced “I think I will color this one red. And this one yellow. And this one orange.” Chrissy thoughtfully picked up the brown crayon and said, “I think I will color this one crunchy.” Yes, crunchy. Of course. I get it.