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All I Didn't Know I Learned from My Kindergartner
By Gwen Kopetzky
When I became a mother six years ago, I knew one day I'd have to hit the books right alongside my daughter. Although I used to bring home straight A's, I had heard enough anecdotes from parents of teenagers who found themselves flunking their homework helper duties to know my outdated education wouldn't get me far these days.
I just didn't know I would start falling behind when my daughter was only in kindergarten.
Only a few months into her formal education, my daughter began asking me questions in her tiny little girl's voice that I had no hope of answering.
I soon found out that what stuck with me from those good old-fashioned school days was more fond memories of friends, the fun and the hallway folklore than the actual facts I was supposed to absorb. Sure, I could help my daughter with her phonics, reading and counting to 100. But science? Geography? Social studies? Forget it.
I found myself grabbing her homework assignments from her and trying to read up at night so I could reinforce her lessons and help in her learning.
If you find yourself in the same situation, learn from my mistakes:
- Get the lesson plan from the kindergarten teacher at the beginning of each week or month. Read ahead so you can be prepared to help your child in the classroom as she progresses.
- Get involved in the classroom activities. This is the best possible way to stay up on what your child is learning. Volunteer to put together activities, grade papers or even feed the frogs. Do whatever it takes to get yourself into the classroom and learning alongside your kindergartner.
- Find your own resources. I spent some time scoping out books and Web sites to help me help my daughter. A few gems out there to help supplement learning beyond basic math and reading skills: the Magic School Bus series for science, Encyclopedia.com for great lookup features on all kinds of facts, and the Schoolhouse Rock CD ROM series for lessons on sound waves, electrical currents and more.