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.