Kindergartners learn that it is wrong to hurt others physical and emotionally, helping them grow into better friends and classmates. They learn to be self-aware and to be sensitive to the feelings of others. Kindergarten allows children to meet other children of the same age and learn how to interact appropriately with both peers and non-familial adults. It teaches students how to deal with negative emotions, such as frustration or stress, and how to differentiate between acceptable and unacceptable behavior in varying situations.
Attending kindergarten daily helps students become accustomed to a routine and to following the directions of a teacher. Some kindergartners learn to read and most learn to count. Students who attend kindergarten typically find the transition to first grade much easier than those who do not. They also learn to experience joy from learning, which translates into better school attendance throughout grade school and better overall academic achievement.
Kindergarten offers daily exposure to new and different words and ways of speaking, helping students' vocabularies grow quickly. Students who attend a full-day kindergarten program have been shown to demonstrate better reading and language skills than half-day program participants, as late as seventh grade. Kindergartners are more likely than non-kindergartners to recognize and be able to form letters and words, and may experience less difficulty when learning to read.
Because their fellow students often come from various socioeconomic and cultural backgrounds, kindergartners have the opportunity to learn a lot about people outside their own families. They may be exposed to computer-based learning, field trips to places they might not otherwise go and alternative conflict resolution strategies. Kindergartners learn that the world extends beyond home and their immediate family, helping them to become more comfortable and open-minded when encountering new things.