Wonder and Academics

A friend recently shared with post with me. What a Four-Year Old Should Know
I love the ideas presented here. Early childhood is a time when wonder and magic and investigation are the daily currency of learning. And I love that as educators, we get to draw on children's natural curiosity to learn about language and writing, scientific investigation and mathematical processes, and difference and negotiation.
I often get questions from families about how we are teaching traditional academic topics like reading, handwriting, and mathematics. There is an underlying anxiety, "Will my child be ready for pre-k or kindergarten?" And I smile, assure them that yes, we are rigorous in our teaching, assessment, and documentation of traditional academics, and then launch into one of my favorite topics: how young children learn.

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