Kindergarten children have a growing sense of independence. Yet they also may be somewhat anxious as they branch out to new horizons. Five- and six-year-olds can be very enthusiastic about their endeavors. They love new places, new ideas, and new bits of information. Remember that as five-year-old children become six-year-olds, changes will occur rapidly in their growth and development.

Physical Characteristics

• Vary greatly in height and weight
• Increased motor activity, may appear restless even when seated
• Short attention span, may easily be distracted by things in the environment around them
• Coordination is not yet fully developed
• Large muscles are usually developed
• Good at adding movements such as clapping, skipping, and hopping while they are talking or singing
• Fine motor skills continue to develop; cutting is a skill that needs practice

Cognitive/Learning Skills

• Learns best through touch, exploration, movement, and through the presentation of concepts one at a time.
• Displays increased ability to sequence things in time, enjoys hearing about the past.
• Reading skills are emerging.
• Enjoys boisterous play.
• Enjoys dress-up, fantasy stories, and puppet plays.
• Interests expanding beyond themselves and their immediate families.
• Show-and-tell often a favorite activity.

Relationships

• Typically gets along well with all classmates.
• Begins to understand rules, the concepts of winning/losing and working together.
• Has difficulty losing, often will walk away from a team game and pout when losing.
• Often views the teacher as always right.
• Affirmation of his or her abilities is vital to their development.
• Often play best with friends in pairs rather than in larger groups.

Religious Growth

• Natural sense of wonder and awe fosters a sensitivity to the sacred.
• Forms an image of God from parents, guardians, and other significant people in their lives.
• Experiences God’s love through parents or guardians and other family members.
• Prayer comes naturally, enjoys ceremony and ritual.
• Comfortable with formal and spontaneous prayer.
• Interprets Bible stories and other stories literally, cannot derive the symbolic meaning of stories.

Growing as Disciples

The kindergarten year is a wonderful time for teachers and catechists to support families in developing a Catholic identity of their children. It is a time to celebrate simple rituals and the traditions of the Church. Kindergarten is a time to introduce the children to a beginning faith vocabulary and provide a readiness for future catechesis in the faith of the Catholic Church.

We asked a group of kindergarten children what they would like a parent to know about them. Here’s what they said:

I Wish You Would…

• let me go first.
• let us act out the stories we hear.
• let me move around the room.
• read more stories to us.
• know that I do not like to lose a game.
• do a lot of different things.
• smile every day.