Last month, we told the story of our five-year old son when he transitioned from a play-based preschool to conventional Kindergarten. Despite our best efforts to find a local public or private school that fit, none valued play and exploration the way we hoped. That’s why we started Acton Academy Madison West.
Play, and the discovery it fosters, has a vital role in children’s learning that doesn’t end when children turn four or five. Yet many 4K and Kindergarten programs become needlessly - even harmfully - academic. Peter Gray, a developmental psychologist, recently published The Cruelty of U.S. Kindergarten Practices, taken directly from the letters and comments of kindergarten teachers across the country.
Here are five questions you can use to assess a 4K or Kindergarten program:
- What do you see when you enter the classroom? Do you see rows of desks where children are expected to sit most of the day? Or do you see large open spaces, nooks, and collaboration zones that allow children to move about freely?
- How much time is spent outdoors and engaged in unstructured free play?
- What is considered “hands-on” learning? Worksheets, paper-based 2D activities, and science videos on an iPad? Or 3D hands-on learning materials that appeal to children’s senses, science experiments, nature exploration, cooking, cultural activities, and makerspaces?
- How frequently are children expected to transition? Is there time for children to experience deep concentration? Or is children’s attention divided into 20-minute increments in order to hit testing standards across subjects?
- How is character development nurtured? Is social-emotional learning taught in once-weekly specials? Or lived daily through peer-to-peer interactions? Do children interact mainly with children their own age? Or can they find mentors and serve as mentors in a multi-age classroom?
Finding a school that values movement, play, and hands-on discovery can make all the difference in your child’s early education. Look for programs that nurture curiosity and foster joy in learning. A play-based environment supports academic growth while helping children develop social, emotional, and problem-solving skills that benefit them for life.
Acton Academy Madison West is an innovative, learner-driven 4K - 6th elementary school. We believe that learning to learn, learning to do, and learning to be are more powerful than memorization. See what parents are saying about our self-paced and project-based learning design.
