In recent years, an emphasis on reading has been incorporated into the kindergarten curriculum in schools across the country. The United States Department of Education has implemented the Early Reading First program, designed to give children an earlier start in learning to read. Learning material in kindergarten is geared toward teaching children to identify all letters, capital and lower case, write them out and provide the sounds associated with them. They also are taught how to recognize sight words and phonetically sound out other basic words. Children will also learn how to read and write their name and recall events in a story they hear.
In mathematics, the focus is on identifying, counting and writing numbers 1 through 30. Children also learn basic addition and subtraction through the use of objects such as pennies or popcorn. They learn to recognize patterns and determine which item will be next in a sequence. The kindergartner also learns the identification and classification of shapes and coins used in the counting of money. Children also begin to learn how to tell time and understand terms such as above, below, longer and shorter. Science goals include learning about the use of a graph and learning basic science topics, including weather, animals and space. These topics are a basic introduction and children are not expected to master them at this age.
Children in kindergarten are just learning how to function in a structured learning environment. An emphasis is placed on listening to the teacher, staying on task and following directions and rules. Children are also taught to respect adults and fellow students as well as school property. They learn the basics of a classroom setting, such as raising their hand when they want to speak and working with other children on simple projects. Friendships start to develop as they learn to interact with one another.
Due to the young age of kindergartners, there is still a lot of development occurring in the gross and fine motor skill areas. Curriculum involves physical movement such as hopping on one foot and moving arms in large circles. Teachers may also instruct the students to march or skip to music. The continuation of fine motor skills occurs through use of scissors to cut out shapes and cut along lines. Children also practice by holding a pencil properly and writing with it.