What we’re doing for Kindy (ages 3 and 1)

Dear friend,

This “school” year Leta is 3 years old and Ellie is 1 (turning 2 in November). We’re in the early years and don’t need to “do school” at all, but in my mind this year we are starting kindy. Why? Because I thought it would be fun for us! (Really, that is the only reason.)

So what does Kindy look like at our house this fall with a 3- and 1-year old?

We’re starting with a few simple things and leaving a lot of room for our kindy to grow over the next several years. The most likely picture at this point is starting our first grade main lessons when Leta (June birthday) is 7, which would mean fall of 2027. That is a lot of years of kindergarten ahead of us! I want to enjoy them all, which means starting small and adding bit by bit over time.

Last week we had our first Circle and Story time and it was so much fun. It’s been years and years since I did this and it felt oddly familiar and new at the same time.

We’re using (surprise!) the Lavender’s Blue Kindergarten circle and stories. I actually thought about holding off on these for future years but when I was leafing through realized we would enjoy them now (which, remember, is the point). We’re following the circle as written but doing stories completely out of order. My plan is to tell stories for at least a couple weeks at a time and to stick with the traditional nursery tales. Those tend to be ones with lots of rhythm and repetition in the story, like Goldilocks, Little Red Hen, Gingerbread Boy, and Enormous Turnip.

Other than an occasional nature craft that feels “right for right now” we aren’t doing any of the other activities this year. No beeswax modeling yet, no official watercoloring/color stories, no handwork. This is our room to grow for future years!

At this stage, I’m more focused on daily than weekly rhythm. Daily rhythm feels supportive for all of us. We have solid anchor routines for meals/snacks, going outside, reading together, nap time, and evening/dinner/bedtime. There’s plenty to do, and plenty of time to play.

A typical week usually includes three Mama Days (and that’s our mornings for circle and story) and two K&K Days (when our babysitter comes with her 4-year-old daughter and I work full days). A strong daily rhythm means there’s a comfortable consistency to Ellie and Leta’s days, whether it’s mama or K taking care of them. Then we have weekends, which are kinda nuts (daddy has a variable work schedule on the weekend and we have two teenagers in different schools and activities…) but we still manage to keep those daily anchors going for the little ones most of the time.

If I were running a program in my home (like I did eons ago when Aiya and Sierra were tiny), I would want to have a Painting Day, Baking Day, and so on. It’s really nice to have that kind of a structure for a group of young children coming together. And as we get further towards the 5-6 year age range, we probably will add more of a weekly rhythm. Right now, there are things I enjoy doing together on a fairly regular basis (coloring, playdough, baking, going to the playground, nature walks) that fit in well with our daily rhythm without needing a set routine.

So that’s it! Building on the daily rhythm that we’ve nurtured over the past couple years. Circle time and story a couple mornings a week. Going outside every day. Protecting plenty of time for creative open-ended play.

I hope you're in the midst of a beautiful September!

xo

Kelly