The 3-R's & KinderHouse by Jaimmie Stugard

  The 3-R’s & KinderHouse  

By Miss Jaimmie

            You may have heard of the the 3-R’s of schooling– reading, (w)riting and (a)rithmatic.  At LifeWays, we honor the the 3-R’s of early childhood- rhythm, repetition and reverence.  In KinderHouse, the mornings are framed with songs, rituals and verses that bring form and reverence to our daily routines. Over the course of the school year, the children in KinderHouse are gradually introduced to higher expectations for manners, self care, listening and participation.  At mealtimes, the children learn to say, “May I please…” rather than “More food!” They peel their own clementines and spread their own cream cheese on bagel days. At outdoor time, the children learn to bundle up in their outdoor gear indepentantly, to stay where they can see me and to answer promptly when they are called. 

        In September, circle and story tend to be a bit shorter and simple as the children build their capacity for listening and following along with group activities.  We repeat the same songs and verses for weeks, sometimes months based on the needs of the group.  I always keep a few old favorites in rotation as new songs are introduced.  At story time, I tell the same seasonal tale, word for word over the course of several weeks. This repetiiton creates a foundation for pre-literacy skills and continued speech development. By May, our puppet plays have become more elaborate and our circle songs and games are more intricate and lengthly.  And, yet, the children remember every word and I am told that they often bring these stories and songs home to share with their families.