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Classroom Practice/Program

loss of unstructured play for children, a time when children explore, discover,
interact with others in mixed age groups, problem solve, and self-regulate—
developing the very skills so valuable to future learning (Turner, 2018).

Conclusion

High-stakes testing, teacher evaluation tied to student test scores and
performance levels, and pushing children beyond where they are developmentally
have turned a magical time of wonder and discovery in the life of a child
into a race to acquire skills. Are some children ready to read at age 4 and 5?
Yes! Encourage and celebrate this. Are others ready at age six or seven? Yes!
Accept their learning timeline as well. Sooner isn’t necessarily better, and
later is not always a need for “remediation.” Let’s take the competition out
of childhood, embrace each child as an individual, and support each on his or
her own unique journey! Let’s put the “child” back in “early childhood”!

Wendy Crawford retired in 2018 after 43 years in education and is a member of Gamma Upsilon
Chapter in Florida State Organization. Most recently, she was principal of Grenloch Terrace Early
Childhood Center in Washington Township, New Jersey. She also taught literacy and education
courses at Rowan University and Camden County College. Other articles by Crawford include “Say
it with Sign Language” (Principal Magazine, May 2001); “Looking for a Sign” (Rowan Magazine,
Spring 2001); “A Call for a Kinder Kindergarten” (Principal Magazine, March/April 2015); “Mistaking
Change for Progress” (Principal Magazine, January/February 2016); and “Ties That Bind: Crafting
a Conference for Kindred Spirits” (DKG Collegial Exchange, Volume 82-4, 2016). PrincipalWendy@
gmail.com

Suggested Further Reading

Bassok, D., Latham, S., & Rorem, A. (2016, January). Is kindergarten the new first grade? AERA
Open. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/2332858415616358
Camarata, S. (2017). The intuitive parent. Why the best thing for your child is you. Penguin Random
House.
Camarata, S. (2017, August 17). Why pushing kids to learn too much too soon is counterproductive.
The Washington Post. https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/answer-sheet/wp/2015/08/17
/why-pushing-kids-to-learn-too-much-too-soon-is-counterproductive/

Harper, A. (2018). Finding balance. Literacy Today, 36(2), 30–32.
Mayes, A. (2019, August). Teachers call to scrap school tests for children under eight in push for
play-based learning. ABC News. https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-08-12/teachers-union
-calls-for-ban-on-tests -for-children-under-eight/11405900

Morgan, A. (2021, Aug. 18). Your child’s social skills in kindergarten are more important than their
academics. Motherly. https://www.mother.ly/parenting/child/kindergarten-social-skills/
Schwartz, K. (2019, Oct. 22). Why deeply diving into content could be the key to reading
comprehension. Mindshift. www.kqed.org/mindshift/54452/why-deeply-diving-into
-content-could-be-the-key-to-reading-comprehension
Stixrud, W., & and Johnson, N. (2018, Feb. 13). The self-driven child: The science and sense of
giving your child more control over their lives. Viking.
Stixrud, W., & Johnson, N. (2018, Feb. 15). Teach kids when they’re ready to learn. Edutopia.
https://www.edutopia.org/article/teach-kids-when-theyre-ready

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