From Bing to Kindergarten: How Bing Prepares Children for the Next Steps

By Andrea Alexander Gorgazzi and Rylee Jackson, Teachers

As families settle into the new year, parents already have kindergarten on their minds, wondering how to get their children ready for kindergarten, and often asking what readiness even means in this context. These concerns and many others were addressed at the annual Bing Kindergarten Information Night on January 18. Bing staff Nandini Bhattacharjya, Lindsay Damiano, Todd Erickson, Adrienne Lomangino, and Emma Vallarino presented “Perspectives on Kindergarten: The Transition to Elementary School” to an audience of approximately 50 Bing parents.

Todd began the talk by reassuring parents that their children are already off to a great start at Bing. He explained how Bing encourages children to be present in the here and now, something that is often difficult for adults. The importance of Bing as a nursery school as opposed to a preschool was also noted. The purpose of traditional preschools is to prepare children for the start of formal schooling, whereas our foundational work is based in the inherent nature of the child, promoting exploration, discovery, and learning through play. Through play, children are learning the basic skills they will carry to kindergarten and through the rest of school. Block-building engages cooperation, collaboration, scientific theory, and critical thinking. A game of hide-and-seek with peers connects friendship with teamwork and physical activity. Through games and collaboration, children learn to be a member of a group and community. Children learn they have gifts to contribute while accepting the contributions of others.

Confidence and self-esteem came up repeatedly throughout the night. These terms were clarified when Adrienne presented the results of a kindergarten transition survey completed by former Bing parents whose children had transitioned to kindergarten the previous year. The survey concluded that children, for the most part, are excited about kindergarten before, during, and after the transition; that the transition tends to be easy or somewhat easy; and that children’s experiences at Bing positively influence their transition to kindergarten in numerous ways. Bing engages children in play that allows confidence and self-esteem to blossom.

As part of Adrienne’s presentation, she shared advice from parents whose children have made the transition to kindergarten. These bits of wisdom included the importance of being positive about the transition—advice that was also emphasized by our Bing teachers—and the encouragement to visit the new school, if possible. Parents suggested preparing the children for what would be different at their new school, such as having a different schedule than Bing’s and fewer teachers. Parents stressed that starting kindergarten is a transition, not a one-day event, and to expect possible fatigue and big emotions from the children during the transition time. Both parents and teachers highlighted the importance of ensuring that the children get lots of rest and a healthy diet and not talking about the upcoming transition too much, so as to not create anxiety for the child.

Much of the evening focused on expanding upon the pyramid of building blocks of kindergarten readiness included in a study on the topic called “Are Children Ready for School?: Assessment of Kindergarten Readiness in San Mateo and Santa Clara Counties: Comprehensive Report 2005.” The presenters outlined each aspect of the pyramid, underscoring how both Bing and parents can support kindergarten readiness competencies in the pyramid.

Taking inspiration from the pyramid of building blocks, the presenters took turns focusing on the five major areas of readiness: self-care and motor development; social-emotional skills; self-regulation skills; language, communication, and literacy; and mathematical thinking. Self-care and motor development are the foundational skills at the base of the pyramid. The middle section includes self-regulation and social-emotional skills. Academic skills are at the top of the pyramid. Emma emphasized that although kindergarten readiness is holistic, involving all of these competencies working together, the self-care and motor skills form an important base that warrants particular attention. She shared that teachers in the study report that when children come to kindergarten without the academic skills but have the rest of the foundational skills, the teachers can easily teach them the basic academic skills—but it’s more challenging when children show up with academic skills but lacking the other foundational skills.

Emma highlighted the wide range of opportunities children have at Bing to work on the foundational skills of self-care and motor development. From running, jumping, and climbing through Bing’s intentionally designed outdoor classrooms, to molding clay, painting, and writing, children are actively advancing their gross- and fine-motor skills. Children also develop self-care skills by washing their hands independently and managing their backpacks and belongings.

The middle section of the pyramid includes social-emotional and self-regulation skills. Bing teachers foster opportunities for social-emotional growth by encouraging children to play cooperatively, to recognize and label emotions, and to persevere. Ultimately, social-emotional skills are learned through meaningful experiences, which Bing provides. The self-regulation skills are built through following the daily routines, waiting for turns, and participating appropriately in group activities, all of which are practiced every day at Bing.

Looking at the top tier of the pyramid, academic skills are woven into the play-based curriculum throughout the children’s session at the nursery school. Children at Bing develop a love for language and literacy both by listening to and telling stories. They have meaningful opportunities during everyday play activities to practice identifying and writing letters and numbers, and are exposed to songs that promote both literacy and math skills. They organically engage with numbers, counting, and patterns through games, art projects, and block building.

The night concluded with advice on how to best prepare during the final few weeks before the transition to kindergarten. Lindsay recommended being home for a few weeks before kindergarten starts and to begin adjusting the child’s sleep and eating schedules to their new school schedule. She also suggested practicing morning routines and minimizing changes in the child’s activity before and during the transition.

Ultimately, the takeaway from the night was that kindergarten is a transition, not an event to be treated in isolation. While the first few weeks and months are dynamic and sometimes stressful, it is important to stay positive because the children who leave Bing are both excited for the next step and prepared with the foundational skills necessary for a successful transition to kindergarten.