The Joyful, Illiterate Kindergartners of Finland

 October 2, 2015
 By Tim Walker

“The changes to kindergarten make me sick,” a veteran teacher in Arkansas recently admitted to me. “Think about
what you did in first grade—that’s what my 5-year-old babies are expected to do.”

The difference between first grade and kindergarten may not seem like much, but what I remember about my first-
grade experience in the mid-90s doesn’t match the kindergarten she described in her email: three and a half hours
of daily literacy instruction, an hour and a half of daily math instruction, 20 minutes of daily “physical activity time”
(officially banned from being called “recess”) and two 56-question standardized tests in literacy and math—on the
fourth week of school.

That American friend—who teaches 20 students without an aide—has fought to integrate 30 minutes of “station
time” into the literacy block, which includes “blocks, science, magnetic letters, play dough with letter stamps to
practice words, books, and storytelling.” But the most controversial area of her classroom isn’t the blocks nor the
stamps: Rather, it’s the “house station with dolls and toy food”—items her district tried to remove last year. The
implication was clear: There’s no time for play in kindergarten anymore.

A working paper, “Is Kindergarten the New First Grade?,” confirms what many experts have suspected for years:
The American kindergarten experience has become much more academic—and at the expense of play. The late
psychologist, Bruno Bettelheim, even raised the concern in an article for The Atlantic in 1987.

Researchers at the University of Virginia, led by the education-policy researcher Daphna Bassok, analyzed survey
responses from American kindergarten teachers between 1998 and 2010. “Almost every dimension that we
examined,” noted Bassok, “had major shifts over this period towards a heightened focus on academics, and
particularly a heightened focus on literacy, and within literacy, a focus on more advanced skills than what had been
taught before.”

In the study, the percentage of kindergarten teachers who reported that they agreed (or strongly agreed) that
children should learn to read in kindergarten greatly increased from 30 percent in 1998 to 80 percent in 2010.

Bassok and her colleagues found that while time spent on literacy in American kindergarten classrooms went up,
time spent on arts, music, and child-selected activities (like station time) significantly dropped. Teacher-directed
instruction also increased, revealing what Bassok described as “striking increases in the use of textbooks and
worksheets… and very large increases in the use of assessments.”

But Finland—a Nordic nation of 5.5 million people, where I’ve lived and taught fifth and sixth graders over the last
two years—appears to be on the other end of the kindergarten spectrum. Before moving to Helsinki, I had heard
that most Finnish children start compulsory, government-paid kindergarten—or what Finns call “preschool”—at
age 6. And not only that, but I learned through my Finnish mother-in-law—a preschool teacher—that Finland’s
kindergartners spend a sizable chunk of each day playing, not filling out worksheets.

Finnish schools have received substantial media attention for years now—largely because of the consistently
strong performance of its 15-year-olds on international tests like the PISA. But I haven’t seen much coverage on
Finland’s youngest students.

So, a month ago, I scheduled a visit to a Finnish public kindergarten—where a typical school day is just four hours
long.

***

Approaching the school’s playground that morning, I watched as an army of 5- and 6-year-old boys patrolled a
zigzagging stream behind Niirala Preschool in the city of Kuopio, unfazed by the warm August drizzle. When I
clumsily unhinged the steel gate to the school’s playground, the young children didn’t even lift their eyes from the
ground; they just kept dragging and pushing their tiny shovels through the mud.

At 9:30 a.m., the boys were called to line up for a daily activity called Morning Circle. (The girls were already
inside—having chosen to play boardgames indoors.) They trudged across the yard in their rubber boots, pleading
with their teachers to play longer—even though they had already been outside for an hour. As they stood in file, I
asked them to describe what they’d been doing on the playground.

“Making dams,” sang a chorus of three boys.

“Nothing else?” one of their teachers prodded.

“Nothing else,” they confirmed.

“[Children] learn so well through play,” Anni-Kaisa Osei Ntiamoah, one of the preschool’s “kindergarten” teachers,
who’s in her seventh year in the classroom, told me. “They don’t even realize that they are learning because they’re
so interested [in what they’re doing].”

When children play, Osei Ntiamoah continued, they’re developing their language, math, and social-interaction
skills. A recent research summary “The Power of Play” supports her findings: “In the short and long term, play
benefits cognitive, social, emotional, and physical development…When play is fun and child-directed, children are
motivated to engage in opportunities to learn,” the researcher concluded.

Osei Ntiamoah’s colleagues all seemed to share her enthusiasm for play-based learning, as did the school’s director,
Maarit Reinikka: “It’s not a natural way for a child to learn when the teacher says, ‘Take this pencil and sit still.’”
The school’s kindergarten educators have their students engage in desk work—like handwriting—just one day a
week. Reinikka, who directs several preschools in Kuopio, assured me that kindergartners throughout Finland—
like the ones at Niirala Preschool—are rarely sitting down to complete traditional paper-and-pencil exercises.

And there’s no such thing as a typical day of kindergarten at the preschool, the teachers said. Instead of a daily
itinerary, two of them showed me a weekly schedule with no more than several major activities per day: Mondays,
for example, are dedicated to field trips, ballgames, and running, while Fridays—the day I visited—are for songs
and stations.

Once Morning Circle—a communal time of songs and chants—wrapped up, the children disbanded and flocked to
the station of their choice: There was one involving fort-making with bed sheets, one for arts and crafts, and one
where kids could run a pretend ice-cream shop. “I’ll take two scoops of pear and two scoops of strawberry—in a
waffle cone,” I told the two kindergarten girls who had positioned themselves at the ice-cream table; I had a (fake)
10€ bill to spend, courtesy of one of the teachers. As one of the girls served me—using blue tack to stick laminated
cutouts of scoops together—I handed the money to her classmate.
With a determined expression reminiscent of the boys in the mud with their shovels, the young cashier stared at
the price list. After a long pause, one of her teachers—perhaps sensing a good opportunity to step in—helped her
calculate the difference between the price of my order and the 10€. Once I received my change (a few plastic
coins), the girls giggled as I pretended to lick my ice cream.

Throughout the morning I noticed that the kindergartners played in two different ways: One was spontaneous and
free form (like the boys building dams), while the other was more guided and pedagogical (like the girls selling ice
cream).

In fact, Finland requires its kindergarten teachers to offer playful learning opportunities—including both kinds of
play—to every kindergartner on a regular basis, according to Arja-Sisko Holappa, a counselor for the Finnish
National Board of Education. What’s more, Holappa, who also leads the development of the country’s pre-primary
core curriculum, said that play is being emphasized more than ever in latest version of that curriculum, which goes
into effect in kindergartens next fall.

“Play is a very efficient way of learning for children,” she told me. “And we can use it in a way that children will
learn with joy.”

The word “joy” caught me off guard—I’m certainly not used to hearing the word in conversations about education
in America, where I received my training and taught for several years. But Holappa, detecting my surprise,
reiterated that the country’s early-childhood education program indeed places a heavy emphasis on “joy,” which
along with play is explicitly written into the curriculum as a learning concept. “There’s an old Finnish saying,”
Holappa said. “Those things you learn without joy you will forget easily.”

***

After two hours of visiting a Finnish kindergarten, I still hadn’t seen children reading. I was, however, hearing a lot
of pre-literacy instruction sprinkled throughout the morning—clapping out syllables and rhyming in Morning
Circle, for example. I recalled learning in my master’s degree courses in education that building phonemic
awareness—an ability to recognize sounds without involving written language—was viewed as the groundwork of
literacy development.

Just before lunch, a kindergarten teacher took out a basket brimming with children’s books. But for these 5- and 6-
year-olds, “reading” looked just like how my two toddlers approach their books: The kindergartners, sitting in
different corners of the room, flipped through pages, savoring the pictures but, for the most part, not actually
deciphering the words. Osei Ntiamoah told me that just one of the 15 students in her class can currently read
syllable by syllable. Many of them, she added, will read by the end of the year. “We don’t push them but they learn
just because they are ready for it. If the child is willing and interested, we will help the child.”

There was a time in Finland—in the not so distant past—when kindergarten teachers weren’t even allowed to
teach reading. This was viewed as the job of the first-grade teacher. But, as with America, things have changed:
Nowadays, Finnish teachers are free to teach reading if they determine a child is—just as Osei Ntiamoah put it—
“willing and interested” to learn.

Throughout Finland, kindergarten teachers and parents meet during the fall to make an individualized learning
plan, shaped by each child’s interests and levels of readiness, which could include the goal of learning how to read.
For Finnish kindergartners who seem primed for reading instruction, Holappa told me it’s still possible to teach
them in a playful manner. She recommended the work of the Norwegian researcher Arne Trageton—a pioneer in
the area of play-based literacy instruction.

Meanwhile across the Atlantic, kindergarten students like that of the Arkansas teacher are generally expected—by
the end of the year—to master literacy skills that are far more complex, like reading books with two to three
sentences of unpredictable text per page. “These are 5- to 6-year-olds!” the Arkansas teacher wrote in disbelief.
More than 40 states—including Arkansas—have adopted the Common Core State Standards, which contain dozens
of reading expectations for kindergartners. In the United States—where 22 percent of the nation’s children live in
poverty (more than 16 million in total)—the Common Core’s emphasis on rigorous language-learning in
kindergarten could be viewed as a strategy for closing the alarming “Thirty Million Word Gap” between America’s
rich and poor—holding schools accountable for having high expectations for their youngest students.

Furthermore, unlike the reality of teaching kindergarten in Finland where the poverty rate is 10 percent and the
student-teacher ratio is typically 14:1 (based on national guidelines), most American kindergarten teachers don’t
have a choice whether or not they teach reading. Under the Common Core, children should be able to “read
emergent-texts with purpose and understanding” by the end of kindergarten. Ultimately, they’re expected to, at the
very least, be able to decode basic texts without the support of a teacher.

“But there isn’t any solid evidence that shows that children who are taught to read in kindergarten have any long-
term benefit from it,” Nancy Carlsson-Paige, a professor emeritus of early childhood education at Lesley University,
explained in a video published by the advocacy group Defending the Early Years.

Research by Sebastian Suggate, a former Ph.D. candidate at New Zealand’s University of Otago studying educational
psychology, confirms Carlsson-Paige’s findings. One of Suggate’s studies compared children from Rudolf Steiner
schools—who typically begin to read at the age of seven—with children at state-run schools in New Zealand, who
start reading at the age of five. By age 11, students from the former group caught up with their peers in the latter,
demonstrating equivalent reading skills.

“This research then raises the question,” he said in an interview published by the University of Otago. “If there
aren’t advantages to learning to read from the age of five, could there be disadvantages to starting teaching
children to read earlier?”

***

At the end of my visit to the Finnish kindergarten, I joined the 22 children and their two teachers for a Friday event
that only happens on weeks when children are celebrating their birthdays. The birthday child that week sat at the
front of the classroom in a chair facing his peers and teachers, all of whom sat in a semicircle, and a table with a
candleholder to his left.

I expected the celebration to end after the lighting of candles and “Happy Birthday” song, but it didn’t. One of the
boy’s classmates, donning a hat that looked like a beret and wearing a mail carrier’s sling over his shoulder, took
him by the hand, and the two proceeded to dance as we sang the Finnish children’s song, “Little Boy Postman.”

Once the song was complete, the little postman took out a card and handed it to his classmate. “Would you like me
to help you read this?” one of the birthday boy’s teachers asked. “You help,” he responded, a hint that hadn’t quite
mastered the skill yet. I watched his face carefully, searching for any hint of shame. I found none—but then again,
why should he have felt embarrassed?

The flickering six candles reminded me he’s only a little kid.

***

Timothy D. Walker is an American teacher living in Finland and the author of the new book Teach Like Finland: 33
Simple Strategies for Joyful Classrooms. He is a contributing writer on education issues for The Atlantic.

Follow Taught by Finland on Facebook—and get updates on Tim’s newest stories.

©, 2015, Timothy D. Walker, as first published in The Atlantic. Thanks for reading and sharing!
COMMENTS

Tytti October 19, 2015 at 6:13 pm

While I love it that my son has another year to play before 1st grade, it is very frustrating to see he is not being
challenged at all. He has been reading in two languages since he was 4; is working on a 500-piece puzzle; and masters
2nd grade math. His kindergarten teacher’s response to my concerns of him getting frustrated was that it’s good for
him to re-learn the alphabet and do simple math so he’ll have a “solid foundation” once he starts 1st grade.

The Finnish school system doesn’t give enough room for personal development. It wants everyone to advance
together – even if that means some children don’t get to advance at all.

Reply

Tim Walker October 19, 2015 at 6:26 pm

It sounds like you have a legitimate reason for concern. I’m surprised to hear that there was a lack of
willingness (on behalf of the teacher) to give your child more difficult, engaging learning tasks. When I visited
the public kindergarten (esikoulu) in Kuopio, I was told that teachers and parents often work together to
personalize a child’s learning, but your story tells a different tale. I wonder if other Finnish parents have
experienced something similar.

Reply

lee December 24, 2016 at 3:31 am

Finnish is a very easy language to learn to read. English is more difficult. No the Finnish do not
differentiate in their their curriculum, your son would be stuck doing sounds, I’m afraid.

Reply

Terri St.Clair October 22, 2015 at 6:07 pm

My son lives in Lathi Finland and loves it there. I have a little 2 1/2 year old granddaughter that will be able to
take advantage of this wonderful program.

She already loves books and reads regularity to her baby dolls. Of course she reads pictures but can relate the
story perfectly.

I loved the insight into the program. I can see our little Ester thriving in this environment.

Thank you so much

Terri St.Clair

Reply

Tim Walker October 22, 2015 at 6:17 pm

You’re very welcome, Terri! Nice to hear about your granddaughter. Lahti is a beautiful place, by the
way.

Reply

Rauni April 19, 2016 at 3:51 pm

 There is also a kindergarten (all kindergartens in Finland are public) which spend their days in a
forest, with a lean-to as their head quarters. They spend only one day a week indoors. It doesn’t
matter if it rains or snows, the kindergarten class spends their time in the forest. The children prefer
to be outdoors rather than in the lean-to, this of course requires that they are dressed for the
occasion. The children learn what the other kids in the normal kindergarten will, and perhaps with
even more ‘joy’!

Reply

Ronda Hawkins September 11, 2016 at 12:57 pm

How would I go about getting a list of Finnish Forest Preschools? I’ve visited several in
Sweden and would love to visit some in Finland the next time I visit. I teach at a community
college in North Carolina and am so excited to have a student that plans to open an outdoor
preschool next fall!
Ronda

Reply

Sonja Karttunen November 5, 2016 at 9:44 am

Hi, Ronda. Send me an email and I will get you a list of Finnish forest preschools. Almost
every city has atleast one. peuhula@lastenliikunnantuki.fi

Reply

COLLEEN O October 23, 2015 at 4:37 am

I don’t believe you read the entire article. It stated that any child who showed interest was given opportunity
to enhance a skill. Children need to play more. The United States begins the “dimming down” of children by
introducing them to tablets, computers, television and video games. You rarely see uninhibited joy on the face
of a child in our country any longer. I find it sad…

Reply

Dana October 23, 2015 at 4:20 pm

Tytti is talking about personal experience, not talking about what’s in the article. Your criticism is not
helpful. By the way, the phrase is “dumbing down”.

Reply

Tim Walker October 23, 2015 at 4:41 pm

Just to clarify to everyone, Tytti is speaking from the perspective of a Finnish parent.

Reply

Maria June 28, 2016 at 5:34 pm

I think I prefer the term “dimming down”. I always felt once my daughter’s started school the
joy of learning was diminished by the need to have higher test scores. The class moves on
whether you understand the concepts or not. I’m a believer in child led learning. I tried very
hard to give my children opportunities to follow and expand their education through their
own curiosity.

Reply
 Christine Brenner November 8, 2016 at 7:32 pm

But the phrase “dimming down” is uniquely descriptive of the process; a very creative
alteration. Bravo for creativity!

Reply

Dana October 23, 2015 at 4:18 pm

Can you not challenge him at home? Clearly you already have to some extent, given where he is educationally
now. He’s still getting some benefit from going to kindergarten–he’s able to develop his social skills with
strangers.

If I had to guess I would say his first-grade teachers will likely be more amenable to giving him more difficult
work next school year.

Reply

Daver October 23, 2015 at 7:17 pm

I would suggest to Tytti to skip putting her son in kindergarten and just start him at grade 1.

Reply

Eileen Sharp October 27, 2015 at 1:20 am

Why is this so important to you? Perhaps your child is frustrated because he has picked up on how special
you think he is and how special you want him to be. In the end, there will be no huge difference between your
child and other children his age, except that he may lack social skills which are just as important (or more
important) than academic skills. Why don’t you just consider allowing him to be a child? He will have many
years ahead of him to impress everyone with his academic prowess but he will only have this small window
of opportunity to learn through play and natural experimentation and to value and get along with children his
own age.

Reply

Louise. April 27, 2016 at 9:29 pm

That was actually a very unkind and judgemental reply . Children who are intellectually
“gifted” , (and I hesitate to use that word because it makes people react, ) are indeed
different and have different needs as do children with learning challenges. Here in Australia
40% of those children drop out of school early because their needs are not met and their
frustration at having to “relearn” things they already know is a regular part of their
educational experience. It is a shame this child’s teacher did not recognise the needs of an
enquiring mind that is hungry for a different learning experience. Sadly, parents who
advocate for their more complex learning child are more often than not judged and criticised
and accused of either elitism or trying to impress people with their child’s abilities. I would
suggest that any parent who understands their child is bored, struggling and frustrated
would find it ‘important’ to them to advocate for their child. If you have not had a child like
this it is easy to judge and criticise.

Reply

Kristin November 6, 2016 at 11:43 am

Louise, yes! I was about to write this before I scrolled down to see what you had
posted.
There will eventually be “no difference” between this child and peers if the child is
 not challenged and guided – except that this child will be alienated and bitter. What
a waste of talent.

Monica G June 3, 2016 at 4:24 pm

I have a friend (we’re in the US) who has an incredibly bright kindergartner. Because he is ahead in
math and reading, but not interested in writing, he gets frustrated. He has severe anxiety, which,
instead of working with his strong points and giving him time to “catch up” on his writing at his own
pace, the school is trying to get him diagnosed with autism. He does not have autism, but she is at her
wit’s end, and that is her last hope to get help through the school.

I was in the gifted program as a child, but my mom pulled me out due to scheduling issues. I got so
bored repeating things I already knew, and not getting a chance to challenge myself in elementary
school, that I started doing worse and worse. Now I’m left with a poor college track record and severe
social anxiety. I say, if a kid is gifted, let them learn what THEY want, with joy.

Reply

Laurie Briggs August 31, 2016 at 6:32 am

As an autism specialist I would suspect that this child might well have Asperger’s Syndrome,
which is on the Autism spectrum. It takes a team to determine autism and a child must show
traits that are discrepant in four main areas. If you aren’t trained to do this, you shouldn’t
decide he is not on this spectrum. There is a difference in how one would work with a
Talented and Gifted child and one with ASD. This evaluation could make his learning
environment less frustrating for him.

I agree with you that it’s ridiculous to have students work repeatedly on rote learning when
they’ve already shown mastery. I’ve noticed that in Finland there is a lower ratio of students
to instructors. When a teacher has 15-20 students they can provide more individual learning
than when there are 26-30 students in the classroom. As an educator for 38 years, and
having taught both special education and general education, I recognize how very difficult it
is to provide for all students of all levels with a large class. However, that’s no excuse for not
trying. And learning for ALL students should be with joy. Unfortunately, I feel that high
stakes testing gets in the way of this and love the system in Finland.

Reply

Ilkka Hyppönen November 3, 2015 at 3:28 pm

Well, yes, why don’t you provide for that yourself? I know and I’m sure you know, that its is impossible to
provide personal tutorage to thousands of kids. If it were done, the cost would be born by the kids who have
no special talents or advanced capabilities.

Reply

Michele Hemenway November 9, 2015 at 2:10 pm

As a teacher, on the surface I can see your concern. However, I can’t help but wonder what the teachers
reasoning is behind this decision. It doesn’t really make sense to me.

Reply

I V January 9, 2016 at 12:24 pm

Tytti, I have been there, although for me that happened on 1st grade (no preschool existed back then, at least
what I can remember).
I don’t think the problem is with daycare or the for fun -attitude in itself. As far as I know and remember I was
never frustrated in daycare. So I don’t think the problem is that your child should be “challenged”. It’s more
that he’s forced to spend time “learning” something he already masters. In general I think it’s a really good
thing that children are allowed to play and have fun, they have plenty of time to do all the “serious learning”
later.

However, we’ve really got this everyone advances together -thing and it can be really frustrating. I
recommend skipping 1st grade, that’s what I did and that’s basically what I plan for my son… But beware, this
can also lead to problems, because then you will be someone who thinks their child is really special. I was
severely bullied after skipping 1st grade and not least by teachers. I was seven years old, and I still hate some
of them even though I have forgotten most of their names… Hopefully attitudes have changed after the 1980s.

Reply

Kitty Adkins December 31, 2016 at 12:44 am

I’m a retired pre-k, kingergarten , 1st and 2nd grade teacher with 34 yrs. experience so I can relate to
the woes of the professionals about the curriculum. Also, as the parent of a daughter with a Dec. 29
birthday I can speak to those who have questions concerning the placement of their children, too. We
chose to keep our child at home an extra year even though she was very bright and more than ready
to start school. The reason being that on the other end we did not want her graduating from high
school at an early age and considering moving on to college. She was in the gifted program from
kindergarten on and in working with those teachers I was told that often children reach a point
where the material they are able to read/master is beyond their ability or interest to comprehend. I
have found this to be true with my oldest grandchild, who is also very advanced, especially in
reading. My daughter is homeschooling her girls which is an option that wasn’t available when she
was their age. It works well for them!

Reply

Medglory January 17, 2016 at 7:05 am

Why are you relying on the teachers and the school. Learning should continue at home, don’t blame the
system!

Reply

REmerson April 24, 2016 at 7:00 pm

My son is now 7 and living in the US and he also was reading at age 4 and is very academically advanced for
his age. Even here where academics are pushed very early the teachers were still not able to give him
challenges and keep him interested because they had to focus on the majority of other children whose need
were different and who learned at a different pace.

Here in the US we had the option to home school him in order to meet his needs more adequately. I know that
is probably not the case in Finland, but at least the school day is only 4 hours! School days are about 8 hours
here so there is no time for play or learning once the come home exhausted.

Reply

h April 25, 2016 at 6:37 pm

I home schooled my son from age 12-13 , which would have been 6th grade. I genuinely feel this
saved his life from going in a bad direction. I recall when he was in 1st grade the teacher telling me
she thought he had hyperactivity disorder because she asked him to put the broom in the cupboard
and he rode it like a horse around the room for two laps before putting it away! spirit crushing is the
only way to describe the enforced education system here…and we were living in south san Francisco
then! which is supposed to be liberal and forward thinking!
 Reply

Pia Saramo November 6, 2016 at 4:42 pm

I absolutely your concern. Nobody should be encouraged according to the Finnish educational system. I know
hat I am talking about. Our daughter was considered abnormal at the age of nine, because her vocabulary was
that of an adult petson’s . We parents were told to prohibit her interest in literature, since the child’s
vocabulary was too advanced. I am now talking about the child’s mother tongue. She had lived abroad all her
childhood and we parents were concerned about her mother tongue. One reason to move back to Finland.
After one year we were fed up. We chose a private school where the child felt challenged to learn many more
languages and appreciated for who she was. She had us parents promise her that her two younger brothers
also will have the opportunity to be enrolled to this school and so we did. Todsy all three of them have a
master’s degree from a university and they are happy to have school friends from the first grade still as
adults. They have had long maths wuth some difficulties, but compulsory and so on. They have stufied 8
lsngusges at school and speak four of them at the mother tongue level. The kindergartens in Finland are or at
least used to be, storage places for the children. We are still far behind in international comparison as far as
pre school education is concerned.

Reply

day care worker October 19, 2015 at 6:45 pm

In some day cares teachers do make an effort to give the child/children more of a challenge depending on the level of
their individual needs. That however depends completely on the teachers’ enthusiasm, motivation, resources and the
group’s demands ( whether there are a lot of different developmental issues within the group and how well the
teachers can address them individually..if the group is more “challenging” (could be various ways), the teachers have
less opportunities to focus on individual’s need. unfortunately)

Reply

Noelle April 27, 2016 at 6:10 pm

I teach PreK with 4 and 5 year olds in America. The way I handle individualized instruction is through centers.
They come to my table in a small group of 2-5 kids. I have a list in front of me of skills each child needs to
practice. I go around the circle giving each child individual instruction and practice time. If they are advanced,
I challenge them to read sentences, add numbers, etc. We start our morning with centers. Then circle time is
filled with books, calendar skills, letters, sight words, songs, phonics and phonemic awareness activities, show
and shares, music and dancing, games, etc. Snack and craft are next. Then we have free play either inside or
outside.

Reply

Mother and a city board of education member October 21, 2015 at 6:11 am

It is a difficult task to individualize the challenge levels for all kids, because predominantly every year seems to bring
in more little kids with developmental issues. They sometimes require an aide in preschool, too, but the issue is more
about the lack of individual teaching at school. If a kid comes to the first grade with skills matching a 2nd or 3rd-
grader, what are the choices? In a public school, not that many. If you advance that child to higher grades, will it
hamper her social abilities with senior classmates? Will it be too demanding after a while? It’s not that simple a
question.

Reply

Erin Schmiedl October 21, 2015 at 12:55 pm

Interesting from an American high school teacher’s point of view. We are pushed to teach them at a very high level but
many times they are not ready for it. We blame the teachers in grades below us for not preparing them. They say the
kids came to them unprepared to work at a higher level and I’m sure the blame goes all the way down. At the very
bottom of the buck-passing, I’m sure preschool teachers in the U.S. feel pressured to teach at a more rigorous
academic level not to mention prepare them for the all-important standardized test.

Reply

Tim Walker October 21, 2015 at 1:04 pm

Erin, I think this is a really intriguing point: “At the very bottom of the buck-passing, I’m sure preschool
teachers in the U.S. feel pressured to teach at a more rigorous academic level…” Thanks!

Reply

Judy October 22, 2015 at 12:05 am

Preschool & kindergarten teachers are under tremendous pressure to teach the academics. Most kids that
young are not ready. They don’t get the chance to learn the other skills needed to think and learn at a higher
level. I taught preschool and kindergarten and I don’t know if I could go back because of what is asked of
teachers. And in a 1/2 day kindergarten? Crazy!

Reply

Terri St.Clair October 22, 2015 at 6:18 pm

I think what i see Tim is by the time these children are at the age to start more pencil paper task they
excel in their work. They are not behind at all. What you are saying and I think got missed is they are
learning all the things that the American kids are learning but in a different way.

Like I said before my little Ester 2 1/2 can read a whole book just by reading pictures. But at the
same time she notices the words and I think the association will come quickly. She is learning to sing
the English alphabet now at home. She speaks Finnish fluently but also speaks English because we
talk to her almost every day by skype. I think we may observe the children aren’t learning when they
are learning quite a wide variety of things including math facts in the ice cream store.

I think little ones get pushed more and more when they really need to grow up some. Play learning is
perfect at this age.

Thanks
Tim

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Wendy Casperson November 15, 2015 at 11:46 pm

I so agree, as an elementary teacher myself. I find that my students come from homes where their parents
cannot help them with their homework because the common core standards have made it so difficult for
them to understand it. When we are required to teach it in so many ways the students confuse the multiple
ways of doing a problem and the pacing doesn’t allow them to master the first before going on to the next
creates a difficult learning environment. There also isn’t a hard copy book for each student to take home, just
an ebook. Many parents do not have a computer to look up how to do the work either. We need to go back to a
regular book and mastering one way of doing a problem before going on to the next. Do not pass on a student
if they cannot do the work of the previous grade – let the repeat the grade – like we did when we were kids –
to master the skills. Some students need to mature to understand the concepts and that retention can be the
best thing for that child. We also need to give the children back their “recess” time so they can have that play
time they need. Socialization with their peers is an important part of growing up and if it is not part of school
where is it going to happen.

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 Mark Hansen September 5, 2016 at 1:04 pm

Have you heard of the research done by John Hattie on what makes a difference to student learning?
Repeating grades is very detrimental to a students development.

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FACM November 12, 2016 at 1:05 am

Socaiization , face-to-face, I feel is even more important these days, because kids, teens, even parents,
people in general are glued to their phones and/or computers and are not talking/socializing with
each other as much anymore.

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Shay April 18, 2016 at 9:01 pm

As a preschool teacher in America (3 and 4 year olds), I can attest to the fact that we feel the pressure of the
all mighty common core. We are tired of the terms ‘rigor’ and ‘standardized’. Children are not allowed to be
children. We feel the pressure from our colleagues as well as the parents of our students who know what
their children will be facing in Kindergarten and beyond. Just as the old English saying in the article stated
“Those things you learn without joy you will forget easily”- Those things we are forced to teach without joy
we will walk away from more easily! I know of many joyful, playful, successful preschool as well as
kindergarten teachers in America that are walking away from the profession because forcing the children we
serve to grow up and learn too soon is just too heart braking. No one wants to see the joy and light leave a
child’s eyes, especially if they’re being forced to contribute.

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Ruth October 23, 2015 at 5:57 am

Interesting that there are no studies to show a corollary between early pencil pushing and future academic success.
Studies HAVE shown, however, that preschoolers’ brains have different needs than older students. 90 % of brain
growth (building the connections that will later be filled with knowledge) happens by age 5, (with the other 10 %
developing in the early to mid teens) and the absolute best way to build a child’s brain for maximum capacity and
learning is through sensory experiences, and discovery based learning. Building with blocks, sticking fingers in gooey
things, imaginative play, connecting with nature, all these things grow those synapses and help to develop brain
capacity while that window of opportunity is open. Later on it will be appropriate to try to fill and train those well
developed brains with knowledge and skills. Social skills are also a significant indicator of future academic success,
and a play-based learning environment with proactive teaching is an excellent place for this to happen. The sad thing
is that the people making the decisions about how to best help our children succeed are not paying attention to these
studies.

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FJG74 October 24, 2015 at 5:36 am

I remember growing up in Sweden having the same type of system, obviously not in details but the gist of it.
Each year had it’s level give or take depending on the group size and how developed kids were, we got to play both
outside and indoors without the interruption of adults (although they were always around), as you wrote we learned
a lot in a playful manner.

Now here in the states I got relly chocked when I realized how it works here.
In my opinion the system here robs children of their childhood.
They “whip the kids in submission”, force them to mature to fast and stress them out both physically and mentally
with all the green/yellow /red behavior, they make them feel shameful if there not at three same level as the top one.
I’m not a teacher but work very closely with them in an elementary school, an A school.
For the last 3-4 years I have console parents because they think their baby is ‘stupid’, I have had to dry tears from
these little angels telling them that it’s alright and that they will get it and that it’s hard but they’ll make it, I have
spoken to stressed out teachers about the end of year goals etc.

Thing is that from what I see a big group of these kids will be dropping out of highschool or just start working directly
after that.
The high schoolers I have know are all stressed out, they show unhealthy levels of stress and some even looks like
they will crash.
All of them have confirmed my observation, that the intensity of school work is giving them a hard time since they
were kids.

The question is do we want kids to develop to be successful adults or do we want them to have a nervous
breakdown…..
Obviously this is not all and everyone react differently but it is scary that a country said to be wealthy have such a
great number of high school dropped outs, especially if one compares with other wealthy countries or worse with the
poor ones.

I have asked my self why this happens and I can naturally only speak of what I have experience here.
Many parents are pushing their child to learn earlier so they can be a head of the class, so they can be labeled as a
‘smart/intelligent kid’, so they will have a standing chance with the competition, some to fulfill the parents
dreams/inadequacy/fears etc.
All of this in the name of good intention.

I actually understand all of the standing points except the one of the politicians/school ministry. What I see from them
is that they are trying to run schools like it would be a factory with consenting adults.

In the end the ones who will lose are as always the children.
I think that the last generation who actually were free and able to played as a child were the ones born before 1985/-
90.
After that parents who lack time give them a phone/tablet/computer, if they have the green and if they have buckets
of it they hire a full-time nanny.

Another thing is that all this stress will still NOT guarantee that your child will be winning the Nobel Prize, it will NOT
guarantee that your child will belong to the rich&powerful or the rich&famous.
Nothing of this.

My question then will be: Do you want your child to be happy in what ever course of life they choose or do you want
them to join in the ‘Ratchase’?

This is my take of this fascinating subject. Feel free to dissect…

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Linda McIntosh January 9, 2016 at 3:28 pm

Often times play-based learning centers are not encouraged nor allowed. Why don’t we pay attention to the
research regarding developmentally appropriate practices? Aren’t educators with experience the real
experts?

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Jenny March 22, 2016 at 5:00 am

I agree with your observations. Kids here in the US start school (kindergarten) so proudly. By 2nd grade
they’re getting it that it’s not going to be so fun after all. By the time you see them waiting at bus stops as
young teens, their heads are down, the smiles are gone, and many of them are over- or underweight. I am
 about to go from teaching elementary school grades to preschool, and I am on this site to see what seem to be
best practices around the world. Thanks to all for your perspectives.

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Bung September 6, 2016 at 9:16 pm

FJG74, So true, and well said. Others as well. Public schools are similar to factories; especially schools under
standardized systems by the province or national ministries. And those teachers have little say as to the
curriculum and pacing.

I know for a fact that some countries even hire systems engineers (the engineers who design factory process
systems) to design their educational system to produce batches of citizens ready to fill the economic niches
that nation requires. It’s really tough for the kids/families who don’t fit their molds.

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lee December 24, 2016 at 3:43 am

Sweden is not heaven honey, they too have a rigorous system with high standards. Stay in the US, the UK’S
early childhood standards are even higher!

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Kristin October 24, 2015 at 11:34 am

Our 2 year old boy is going to kindergarten in Norway where he can climb in trees, play in the sand box or play fight or
flight with his peers. He loves it. He’s growing up with three languages (German, English and Norwegian) and has no
problem of understanding and communicating in each of them.

We’re happy that there aren’t any lessons at kindergarten. Instead the teachers are supporting free play which is very
important for their social and cognitive skills. They are outdoors every day except when it’s really pooring down or
colder than -15C. They even take their naps outside (as they do it in Finland too).

They try to focus on every single child and adapt to the needs of evey child.

It’s strange to see that the American system pushes so hard for early education but then falls so short when most kids
drop out of school or “just do sports” in highschool.

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Lea October 24, 2015 at 8:09 pm

The whole premise of the article is misguided, as it assumes that joy and literacy are mutually exclusive. *That*’s the
problem in our education system, not how early kids learn to read. If you ask me, I think even kindergarten is too late
for that. Learning to read is incredibly important, because it means that your child now has a near-infinite source of
knowledge, whereas before reading, it can only learn from you and other adults that have the time to teach it. Reading
is a prerequisite for discovering so many other talents (including coding) that I think it’s almost a crime to not teach a
child to read as early as possible. The older we grow, the harder it is to learn. It’s a huge waste to spend the years
where our brains are basically a sponge when it comes to absorbing knowledge, being illiterate. And I don’t see how it
hinders joy in any way. My parents started trying to teach me to read as early as 1 year old. By age 2 I was already
reading decently and by age 3 I was reading well. I never saw it as anything other than fun. Not to mention that all the
people being impressed that a 2-3 year old could read was the earliest positive reinforcement of knowledge I ever got.

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Eileen Sharp October 27, 2015 at 1:30 am

The eye movements that are necessary for reading are not usually fully developed until the age of seven.
Learning how to read before the age of seven is therefore very difficult for many children and they do not see
reading as something that is exciting and wonderful. If you wait until children are seven until they learn to
read, almost all children will learn to read with ease and it will be a skill that they love instead of a skill that
they dread. There is no long term advantage at all to learning to read at age five.

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Ericka November 6, 2015 at 10:41 pm

The joy in being exposed to books and things with words is important in the younger years. The desire t read
will follow. It is important to read to babies and to engage in imaginative stories with children while holding
them in the loving embrace…feeding them positive feelings while engaging in life…. That’s what makes kids
want to know what the words are saying…the words themselves are meaningless.

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Deb December 28, 2015 at 6:32 pm

While it’s great that learning to read so young was a positive experience for you, in my experience that is the
exception. I home taught 9 children with a lot of play activities and many different techniques for learning to
read based on personalities. While one of my daughters was reading text and music well by age 5, her sister
who directly followed her had a GREAT deal of trouble with eye tracking and some dyslexia, and was in no
way ready to read at that age. I found that my sons did not have the attention span at that age, and one did not
read fluently until he became interested in Marine Biology at age 9.

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Eva R. January 7, 2016 at 5:34 am

Most young children are not developmentally “ready” to read at the age of 3, or even 5. Are there some who
are? Most definitely, as your own experience clearly shows. However, your situation is the exception, not the
rule. There is no one here saying that if a child has the readiness and the interest that they should not be
taught to read. In fact, the exact opposite. But forcing the masses of early childhood learners to master a skill
that they are for the most part not developmentally prepared for does not foster a love for reading or learning
in general. For most children, it is actually very frustrating. A simple study of child psychology proves all of
this to be true. The point is, children of such a young age learn best through play. It helps them to process,
make sense of, and integrate the world around them and set the proper foundation for the concepts needed
for more academically focused learning experiences. Not to mention, it allows for more development of the
social and emotional skills that are so much more important at that age, and arguably at any age. Who cares
how much book knowledge one has if they are socially and emotionally inept? But that’s an entirely different
issue altogether. The most important thing is for children to learn about things they are interested in, in a way
that is interesting to them. That is when real learning experiences can take place, and that is the philosophy
we should be adopting in early childhood education.

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Helen June 23, 2016 at 1:03 pm

Literacy isn’t the only essential life skill our kids need! Through play kids learn about the world around them,
they learn to cooperate, share, socialise, gross motor skills, fine motor skills and they learn their early
numeracy and literacy skills too. Knowledge isn’t always gained directly from another person or from the
pages of a book or the Internet, in the very young it is best gained from real life and concrete objects.

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Suz July 20, 2016 at 2:14 am

I agree with you about the reading. My nephew learned to read longer stories by 3 years old, he was always
interested in it. My niece followed suit and now at 6 she reads long chapter books every day for her own
enjoyment. My daughter at 5 can read pretty good now, it took her a little longer to show interest, but when
she goes to Kinder I guess she will be “ahead” by their standards. I think it’s great! She loves book and
entertains herself with them often, gives mommy and daddy’s voices a break now and then She still wants us
to read to her every day. Reading is a wonderful skill, never too early to learn. She reads signs all over town
and gets excited that she can actually understand without us explaining everything to her.

I’m not saying kids should be sitting in desks all day just learning, play is definitely important too. It’s all
about balance. She had lots of balance in Preschool and learned things they weren’t even teaching yet (like
reading which is not one of the planned lessons for Preschool).

If your kid is going to a school you feel all they do is sit and learn, you’ve chosen the wrong school.

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Sydney Jones September 10, 2016 at 5:33 pm

Your opinion on this matter is not backed by the research. Most teachers (which I am one) are taught about
Piaget’s research on brain development. Most children’s brains are not properly developed at such a young
age to read and fulfill the Common Core Standards that kindergarten teachers are supposed to teach.

Having said that, every kid is different, so there are kids that are ready to read at a younger age. Kids don’t fit
in a box. There is not one right age to teach or learn reading; it depends on the child. However, 7 is not too
late to learn. Many, many, many kids do not learn until a later age, and still flourish in reading comprehension
as they advance through school.

Your thoughts concern me because, though there is nothing wrong with teaching a young child who is truly
ready to read, it is very detrimental to push reading on young children whose brains are just not reading. It is
likely to foster a hate of reading in those children because it will be so frustrating trying to learn something
they are not ready for, and they will forever associate reading and books with frustration. It can also really
damage self-esteem.

I urge you to seek out the research based evidence on this topic before you push the idea that we should be
teaching all kids to read before kindergarten.

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Bine November 5, 2016 at 7:52 am

So sorry, Lea, but you premise of knowledge is misguided. If children were cups that just needed to be filled, it
would be a whole other story. But children are not cups, and knowledge is something we develope step by
step in a process with many invisible factors – imagination could be one, understanding what you read is
another, emotionally readyness is a third aso.

Learning is a process that is not about how you kan skip elements in the process or get there faster. It’s like
building a house. You don’t build the top floor first.

I can understand why some people may think that ‘product’ is the goal for the process, but in learning the
process is of high impotance – because you learn a lot of other skills during that.

There is absolutely no reason to teach children how to read at the age of 1,2,3,4 … years. It doesn’t give them
an advantage in gaining knowledge as you claime. Learning is not a strichtly logic-based, linear proces, and
children crack the code in different steps and time.

The more focused we get on developing ‘narrow skills’ the less children learn.

This is based on my professionel oppinion.

 As a parent I would be very conserned about how to talk to a todler about newspaper headlines like “little girl
killed in a car accident” as an example.

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Geri October 27, 2015 at 9:22 pm

As a reading teacher, education professor, and early childhood advocate, I see many sides to this issue. What has not
been brought up, and is the reason why I wish we would quit comparing ourselves here in the US to Finnish schools, is
that Finnish is one of the easiest languages to learn to read and write. It takes only 2 1/2 months while learning to
read and write English takes 2 1/2 years! That alone should make it more important in English-speaking systems to
begin early. However, I know from experience that teaching the difficult language of English can be done through play
and physical activities. I used play with my own children who were advanced in reading for their ages but preschool
was so important for both of my boys’ social-emotional development. One of the biggest problems in the US is that
preschool teachers often do not have adequate preparation to do a good job of presenting literacy activities to young
children. It takes a lot of knowledge and experience to understand how to teach reading in English and to know where
each child is at any given time so as to provide appropriate learning that starts with where the child is and needs to
go. The Finnish language is almost completely a 1:1 correspondence between sounds and letters. English is so far from
that ratio–in fact, I have found that there are 370 things to learn about reading/writing English with 44 sounds being
spelled many, many different ways.

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Tim Walker October 28, 2015 at 1:03 am

Hi, Geri. I think you’ve brought up a good point and with more room in the article, I definitely would have
examined this counter-argument. (I certainly considered including this angle!) Now that you’ve mentioned it
here, I’d like to respond with two counter-arguments of my own to the point that “Finnish is one of the easiest
languages to learn to read and write.”

Firstly, Suggate’s research (which includes the study I referenced and his other studies) examines the long-
term benefits of reading in English and according to him, there isn’t conclusive evidence that there are long-
term benefits of learning how to read at an early age. (In other words, the difference between English and
Finnish appears to be largely irrelevant when learning how to read in the long run.)

Secondly, let’s be clear: Finnish children don’t learn how to read books like Harry Potter in 2 1/2 months.
They’re able to decode basic texts after a short period of time, but one could argue that the same is true for
beginning readers in the U.S (through learning short vowels and a large number of consonant sounds, for
example.) In the English speaking world, because of the complexity of the language, it’s certainly more
sophisticated work for young readers and writers (when taken as a whole) — but there are ways that
teachers make the learning easier for kids, so they can achieve short-term successes just like they do in
Finland. Additionally, decoding is only one aspect of learning how to read (albeit a very important one!):
fluency, comprehension and vocabulary development need to be considered in the process, too. In other
words, Finnish kids may learn how to decode quickly but it still takes them several years to develop into well-
rounded readers, just like it takes several years for their peers across the Atlantic Ocean to become well-
rounded readers.

Thanks for raising the counter-argument, Geri!

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Rinatchkah October 31, 2015 at 8:57 am

True, in the US preschool and kindergarten teachers, especially in the Bay Area of CA (Sillicon Valley) have been
pressured towards delivering academic results. Pressure comes both from administrative staff and parents (who want
to see progress in academics. Parents pay hard and want RESULTS! When the math/science and reading success is not
there (as expected), the teacher’s competence is questioned, and in many centers you are at risk of losing your job.
Several tests (sometimes 3 or even 4 times/year) are applied to very young kids sometimes up to 3 y.o. It is a lot of
stress for all. Many centers base their marketing upon academic” results”, selling the idea that the earlier you start
serious and diligent training, the greater will be the chances for your kid to tackle the SATs and get a place at a top
notch university. Globalization has reached extreme levels of competition, and the earliers kids know about it the
better “will be” for them. Some preschoolers whose parents work full times (and beyond), have their weekends “to
relax” by going to foreign language classes, gymnastic and piano on Saturday and on Sunday school (at the temple)
and soccer. “Very” relaxing.

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John Riehle November 3, 2015 at 6:28 am

I’m delighted to discover this site, and will come back to it again. As an American and a non-teacher/educator I only
have two observations to make here. It seems to me that educational systems that allow children to learn at the pace
they require, rather than at the pace demanded by bureaucrats, politicians and corporate CEO’s create the best
environment for children to enjoy learning and have fun doing it. No fun = no learning. It also seems obvious to me
that in social systems in which high levels of poverty and violence exist it is futile to expect that even the best and
most well-financed educational system can succeed in overcome the tremendous disadvantages that children bring to
school from the mean streets of their neighborhoods. Americans expect far too much from schools and teachers and
far too little of themselves in terms of their civic responsibility to make their own society a more democratic and
egalitarian one. Thanks once again, Tim, for this wonderful virtual place where we have the opportunity to step
outside the intellectual limitations imposed by the dominant narrative of current US educational ideology.

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Tiana Galloway November 8, 2015 at 2:16 pm

You make a very good point. Can schools overcome failing families?

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Kat November 7, 2015 at 8:41 am

I am from Germany and read You article bring very surprised. We statt Kindergarten at the age of 3 and its up to
parents to decide whether they Want their kid to go. So here, and im pretty Sure it still is like that, kids dont learn how
to read and write More than their own name until First grade. And i dont think its a bad thing. When I spend my high
School year in The Us at 16 I met People my age who could not read properly. That was ten years ago. So Im thinking it
wont help to teach them early and steal their childhood rather than making Sure they learn through play and enjoy
learning so that they can ready properly once they finish elementary School.

Ps: Im glas I found Your blog. Very interesting.

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Maija November 8, 2015 at 7:04 am

My son had just turned 5 when we visited the UK and he went to school there for four months. He learned to read, of
course he did, because he was taught to. But I still think he actually didn’t,he was an ape doing the thing the teacher
wanted him to do. He actually really learned to read 8 months later, because he was interested in it, it was his time.
Now he is doing very well in the bilingual first grade in Finland, being an advanced reader both in Finnish and in
English, and is waiting for his weekly Donald Duck to arrive in the mailbox He also read his first whole book by
himself, donated to every 1st grader by the local library. I think this is the way to do it.

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Tiana Galloway November 8, 2015 at 2:14 pm

So, what does school look like for older kids in Finland?

W/a Smile, Tiana

Reply

David Dougherty November 11, 2015 at 2:31 pm

Interesting article. I am a middle school teacher and this week we discussed what rights the students wanted. Most
wanted the ability to do adult things by age 10 or 12…work, vote, own a house and drive. So I see the dissolving
childhood of America.

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Julie Polvinen November 11, 2015 at 4:43 pm

I’m very proud of my Finnish heritage and how Finland teaches its young. I wish America would follow the
“Olympians” of education and correct our badly broken system, our kids are suffering, as are our teachers. My father
grew up in a Finnish village in West Paris, Maine speaking Finn as his first language. My grandparents emigrated from
Kuhmo and bought a farm in Maine with very little in their pockets. They all worked hard. My Dad visited Finland 5
times and when he was there his Finn was so good they couldn’t believe he had lived in America his whole life. He was
a farmer as a young boy and young man, teaching his family the ways of that life. He also served in the Navy. He
married my Mom, an Italian emigrant, whose first language was Italian; she was also a city girl from Boston. My father
brought her to Maine to raise their kids. I treasure the photographs of their farming life before they moved everyone
to Boston’s suburbs to raise their 6 children. The Reggio-Emilia approach to learning is one that echos the Finn
method of education, in my mind. Allowing children to use symbolic languages (painting, sculpting, drama) in
everyday life to learn and encourage interests. This is how I feel I was raised and at 51, still learn best to this day. My
Dad had a 7th grade education and never hired a maintenance person to work on our home, he knew how to do
everything imaginable. The act of “doing” is a powerful teaching tool. Tests and more tests are a suffocating method to
imagination and an insufficient tool for measuring intelligence. My Mother also had a limited education and still my
immigrant, multi-lingual household was full of interesting sounds and smells. Growing up hearing Finn and Italian
languages has given me my love of sounds; learning cultures and eating foods from the Motherlands gives me such
appreciation for authentic food. Play was an important concept and how I spent my childhood. Screen time was
limited and still is for me to this day. I had the honor of being a Fellow at the Fred Rogers Center creating a tool to
educate others about the importance of outdoor play. Today I work at a children’s hospital and my job is very creative,
I work directly with kids and also innovate new media tools and spread current evidence to educate others about the
importance of balancing screen time use with the authentic experiences, contained in the world around you. Finland
and it’s school system are always in my mind and keep me focused on best practices. I spread the word about their
success every chance I get. My parent passed away many years ago, but I carry their spirit of learning with me. On this
Veteran’s Day, I feel like I just honored my Dad ~ Proud to be Finn

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Linda November 21, 2015 at 8:03 pm

As a language therapist and a teacher, I see as usual the people who deal with curriculum missed the point. There is a
large structure of language skills that children need to learn before they can progress. I am not talking about language
arts. I am talking about language skills built into their brains by experiences so they understand later concepts. This
isn’t done by sitting them down with a piece of paper and a pencil. It is done with activities that not only appeal to the
children, but is on their learning level.But not only does the administrations not understand this, a lot of teachers
don’t have a clear idea of what they need to be doing and what skills need to be taught and how to do it. It is mostly a
case of curriculum leaving them hanging. I have seen very good teachers dig right in and the kids benefit. But others
don’t get it and just put in play stations in the hope the kids learn something. I have also seen teachers that don’t care
and find a pencil and paper easier to do and easier to test. Learning from experiences is the best and most permanent
way to get the kids to learn concepts. Sadly, it is often the concepts that should have been learned at home, but
because of disconnected parenting, they are limited in their experiences and therefore in their learning. Where I
taught they wanted to put in a Pre-K 4 because the kids weren’t ready for Kindergarten. But the kids weren’t ready for
K4 either. But you have to start somewhere and level the playing field with experience based learning.It should be
playing with a point.

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Brit December 23, 2015 at 8:52 pm

Thank you for writing this. I just recently began homeschooling my son, and this is one of many, complicated reasons
why. More awareness needs brought to this issue of education in America. My son was accused of being hyperactive
and unfocused…and now that he’s in home and able to be more active throughout the day, he’s doing fine.

Reply

Sarita April 15, 2016 at 12:36 pm

Children who have some kind of learning problems or children are hyperactive, unfocused and so on that’s for
we have teaching assistant with teacher at school in comprehensive school. She or he can helping every
children in class if they have difficulties to learn or need something extra guiding. It is normal practice almost
every school nowadays.

Sarita

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Lisa April 20, 2016 at 7:25 am

Except those children mostly AREN’T hyperactive, they’re normally active kids who can’t deal with
the ABNORMAL demands the school system places on them. They don’t need special aides, they need
more time to run around and be kids.

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G January 8, 2016 at 6:02 pm

Two examples to share here from the American side of the pond:

1. Luckily I had a stay-at-home mom who “taught” me. I was excited for school, but when the bus stopped for me at
age 4, I was told no. I couldn’t go to kindergarten until age 5. Then during kindergarten I was known as the annoying
child who, on a weekly basis, would ask my teacher, “When do we get to learn to read?” My mother hesitated to try to
teach me for fear she would do it in a way that didn’t match the school’s teachings. Obviously all this impacted me, as
now an adult, I remember all of this with keen clarity. Fast forward to 3rd grade where I was given the option to skip a
grade, but feared missing content and not being successful. How in just a few years had my young eagerness been
diminished?

2. Curiously I now work at a university. A significant population of our students cannot yet pass basic algebra and
greatly fear our writing exam required for graduation. On the other side is the Honors students I have the joy of
working with. Some are still seeking and honestly needing for us to craft creative options to keep them challenged and
engaged, not to mention their annoyance at having to work with the general population of ill-prepared, lazy students.
The need for individualized learning is so very obvious.

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Linda McIntosh January 9, 2016 at 3:17 pm

As in early childhood educator in United States with a masters in early childhood and we were taught that
developmentally appropriate practices should be used with young children. Unfortunately early childhood Are
permitted to use these practices in their teaching.

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Jim January 10, 2016 at 5:47 am

http://nypost.com/2015/12/28/the-secret-of-joy-how-imaginary-play-can-lead-to-genuis/ Food for thought

Reply

Robert Emmett Henry January 14, 2016 at 9:59 pm

It’s funny you explore this issue – I was unaware of it … but not surprised at the bureaucratic folly going on in
America.. I am considered very literate (founded a peer-reviewed healthcare journal, a medical journal, and a
pharmacy journal – have been a poet since I was 17, fell in love with polysyllabic words as a teenager, always had an
encyclopedic interest in every aspect of life, spirituality, the sciences, history, etc.). Yet my kindergarten experience
was one of gentleness: the teacher read us stories and guided me as I built a boat out of raw wood, painted it, and
floated it in the pond in the middle of the classroom. I didn’t attend preschool, since mothers stayed home and raised
their children, and we had plenty to amuse ourselves with besides becoming “students” at age 3 or 4 … all in all, I think
letting children be children is conducive to a healthy, happy, balanced attitude toward life, sociability – and ultimately,
scholarship. That said, I was read to when I was little by my parents and older sister, and I read to all of my 8 children
from early years – and they too are all very literate and know themselves. I’m for it: let the little ones enjoy living first:
they’ll learn to read and write and problem-solve in time.

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michelle morales January 15, 2016 at 11:29 pm

When I first started teaching in Australia in 1979 our kindergarten children were taught the same way as the Finnish.
Now there is heated debate among teachers as we have ventured into the same kind of teaching pedagogy as the US.
We know in our heart which is the best way. I teach year 6 and even then there is still a wide range of readiness.
Hands on learning is loved by my students. I feel sorry for my kindergarten colleagues at times with their constant
testing.

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Tricia January 16, 2016 at 1:03 pm

In many ways, I take offense and disagree with the generalizations put forth in this article. To assume that all
American kindergarten kids spend a “sizable chunk” of their days filling out worksheets is not only wrong, it’s
offensive. As a kindergarten teacher in a low-income, culturally diverse public school, I spend hours each week
planning ways to make learning fun for my kids. Yes, I have standards to meet and expectations for each child. As a
professional who loves her job, I do it with joy. My children learn with joy. We sing, read, write, and play in a joyful
classroom. Joy is alive in American kindergartens, believe it or not.

Reply

Tim Walker January 16, 2016 at 1:55 pm

Thanks for chiming in, Tricia. I’m not assuming that “all American kindergarten kids spend a ‘sizable chunk’ of
their days filling out worksheets,” as you claimed. I recognize that the United States possesses diverse
classrooms at all grade levels, and no one can safely make sweeping conclusions.

That said, the reality is that kindergarten in America has changed over the last 20 years, generally speaking.
And this isn’t controversial. Since the publication of my article, the working paper (“Is Kindergarten the New
First Grade?”) was published in a peer-review journal and recently featured by NPR in greater detail
(http://www.npr.org/sections/ed/2016/01/08/462279629/why-kindergarten-is-the-new-first-grade).

Here’s what I wrote about the study:

“Researchers at the University of Virginia, led by the education-policy researcher Daphna Bassok, analyzed
survey responses from American kindergarten teachers between 1998 and 2010. “Almost every dimension
that we examined,” noted Bassok, “had major shifts over this period towards a heightened focus on
academics, and particularly a heightened focus on literacy, and within literacy, a focus on more advanced
skills than what had been taught before.”
 In the study, the percentage of kindergarten teachers who reported that they agreed (or strongly agreed) that
children should learn to read in kindergarten greatly increased from 30 percent in 1998 to 80 percent in
2010.

Bassok and her colleagues found that while time spent on literacy in American kindergarten classrooms went
up, time spent on arts, music, and child-selected activities (like station time) significantly dropped. Teacher-
directed instruction also increased, revealing what Bassok described as “striking increases in the use of
textbooks and worksheets… and very large increases in the use of assessments.'”

I’m glad to hear that your kindergarten classroom is playful (and joyful), by the way. The research suggests
that your classroom — and others like it in America — is exceptional.

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Claudia Luce January 19, 2016 at 10:20 pm

I come from Singapore where education also starts early as 3 years old, where kid learn to write, read, count, colour,
singing etc in Kindergarten. Imagine, Germany also has the same concept as Finnland. Kindergarten is a playground
and a platform for the children to develop and grow through playing, integrating and also simple learning through
story telling and visiting of places like museum, planetarium etc. My girl did not know how to read till she goes to
Grade 1 (nearly 4 months now.) My German husband always remind me that i am not in Asia and shouldn’t push our
children to excel in academic in such a young age. Childhood is priceless and should not be taken from anxious mum.
My good friend is a doctor who married to a German doctor who did his Apprenticeship in Singapore hospital. They
both lives in Germany now. The difference, one has a good stress free and full of play childhood and one who starts the
art of academic stress at age 3. Both grew up to be doctors. The moral of the story is, the child will grow up to excel be
it starting at 3 or at 7 yrs old if given a good support in academic years.

Reply

Veera L January 21, 2016 at 6:31 am

50+ comments and not a word on the gendered play?

As a Finnish mum, I really appreciate our system: without it I’d be at home on the dole and a very frustrated, probably
bad, parent.

Yet it has it’s problems: my daughter is a bright, physically active child. Daycare has taught her many things, but a
major one is that as a girl, pink and purple are her colours, and Elsa and Anna from Frozen are her main interests.

Sure it’s cute in a way. But it’s also getting in the way of her finding who she herself is. The idea of raising girls to
become sugar, spice & everything nice is definitely not challenged at her daycare – even though it’s otherwise one of
the better ones, and looking at my daughter, I see material for far more than just gingerbread.

Non-gendered child-rearing is maybe harder to grasp if your native tongue has gendered nouns. Finnish doesn’t, and I
see no good reason for this development: there was far less of it in my daycare time in the 80s.

Reply

Melissa Maedgen May 30, 2016 at 8:40 pm

I just came across this article, and had the same reaction. Yours is the first (and until now only) comment
about the gender division in play. Did ALL of the girls really CHOOSE to stay inside and play board games, and
ALL of the boys CHOSE to play outside. I find that hard to swallow. And I find it much more disturbing than
whether the kids are taught to read at 3, 5, or 7.

Reply

Tim Walker May 31, 2016 at 6:00 am

 Why is it disturbing that — on that one particular morning I visited — boys were playing outside and
girls were playing inside? I was told that they were given a choice, so I don’t see the controversy.

Reply

Erika September 16, 2016 at 6:51 pm

Christopher Bell:
Bring on the female superheroes!
TEDxColoradoSprings · 15:48 · Filmed Oct 2015
5 subtitle languages

Check this about the same topic

Reply

Grace @ Sandier Pastures March 21, 2016 at 6:38 am

Hello, this article was shared by a friend after I wrote a blog post regarding the challenges we faced while finding a
school for our 4 year old. He will be in kindergarten in September 2016. I live in Dubai and my son had been to at least
3 schools for assessment for “kindergarten readiness” so far. He “failed” in one school last year and we were asked to
put him in nursery first. And so we did. He went through another assessment this February with difficulty because he
is not social – he is very hesitant to talk to people he is not familiar with. However, at home, he is chatty and a very
happy boy, singing, dancing. A normal boy. We went for another assessment at a different school just this weekend
and while he “passed” the oral test (interview) part, I am shocked to know that he “failed” in the WRITTEN TEST. I did
not know there is a written test. Since when did going to kindergarten this tough?? I can’t remember if it was like this
10 years ago for my first child and during my generation. Schools now expect 4 year olds to master things AT HOME.
My boy can’t hold his pencil well yet and though can sing his abc’s and 123’s, can memorize all the words of his
favorite books and can point at least 40 countries on the map, he is considered a “failure” because his pencil grip is
weak and he can’t write all the letters properly. He is just 4, ffs. You can click on my name for my blog post about our
experience. I envy the children in Finland!!

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sol5 May 28, 2016 at 6:40 am

Why your boy need to know all these things before going to school ?
School isn’t the place to learn ?
The french children go to school when they are 3 whatever they master … School is the mean of learning
speaking with others, in front of adult and children public, the place where train their pencil grasp until they
could write … and so on…
I’m astonished !

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Maisy April 12, 2016 at 12:24 pm

I live in Australia, my husband and my 5 year old are Australians, I am from Mexico city. My son is able to understand
and speak a little bit of Spanish ( I have to admit I haven’t being very persistent, but I don’t want to force him). We
decided to send him to pre-school that follows the Steiner system when he was 3 years old because he is an only child
and he was craving someone else to play with. We (husband and me) play (still) with him reasonable amounts of time
with him and we do lots of creative things together. My son is very bright. We read our son since he was 6 months old
and he just loves books, reading and to be read at, he asked me to teach him to read since he was 3 ( i didn’t because is
not my first language and had no idea how to do it) so instead he memorised his books and pretend to read them all
the time. He is a very creative, arty, sensitive and owns a fantastic imagination. We enrolled him in a public school that
has a great community of parents and most of his friends attend it too. He was placed in a composite class with
students from 1st. grade and kindergarten. The students from 1st. grade are average students with above normal
social skills and good behaviour, and the kindergarten kids were selected to be in this class according with their
knowledge skills (above average). Example: My son was tested before the placement and he was able to read some
short words, count to more than 100, re-tell a story that was just read at him with great vocabulary and details, etc.
My son is now reading quite well, and they send him home with books to read and groups of “sight words” to read as
well within 3 seconds each word.The teacher selects the books to read according with every child’s level (she tested
them every week) What do you think about composite classes?? What do you think about teaching to read this way???

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Jaana April 16, 2016 at 11:20 am

One of the reasons I put my daughter to private school in US is exactly the new common cores,and new testing
standards. I knew that it will be a mess and schools and teachers are going through a period of not knowing exactly
what they are doing. I have heard parents complaining, teachers complaining and students frustrated.
My daughter went to a school that uses montessori technique in learning (it is not montessori school).
Kibdergarteners learned through art and play. My 6 yr old is now in 1st grade and she loves reading…and school!
Public school system is US is facing too many issues.

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K. Hansen April 23, 2016 at 3:04 pm

Unfortunately, especially in low income schools—dyslexia isn’t discovered until late into primary school grade levels.
Early intervention and educating the parents (who might also be dyslexic and not even know that is rhe reason THEY
did poorly in school) asap is crucial for rhe success of the child. Early detection via early age assessments is necessary.

Reply

David Grimes April 23, 2016 at 8:51 pm

Several studies have shown that kids need two years of pre-reading before they start reading. The pre-reading can
start at 3 or 5 doesn’t matter. By the end of third grade, you the reading skills are the same. The ones that don’t get the
two years of pre-reading have oral reading of similar skills of the ones that get two years of pre-reading, but their
comprehension level is lower.

Can’t find the studies at the moment, but the results are lined out here:
https://www2.ed.gov/pubs/startearly/ch_3.html

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sol5 May 28, 2016 at 6:31 am

Very interesting paper… I’m a french preschool teacher and our curriculum is nearer to finish one than US.
curriculum. No reading in K (nor preK), play and manipulation as means of learning.
Some pencil and papers activities of course, because we teach cursive handwriting in K but as scientific researches
had shown, it’s the fine time and way to do that. Playing, free play or didactic play, represent 1/5 to 1/2 of the daily
school time. Listening stories, songs and represent 1/10 … Sport is 1/8… ritual activities (counting, philosophy,
lifeclass regulation…) in circle last for 1/10 … rest last 1/30 to 1/6 (depending on age and necessity for each child).
Pencil activities are equal or less than one per day (depending on the learning processing). Art occupies the major part
of the afternoon (1/6 to 1/5 of the day…) And lunch time is 1,5 hour… including 30 min of playing and crafting…
Langage interactions are privilegiated in french classrooms.

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Dimpal June 9, 2016 at 9:42 pm

Wonderful article! I loved reading all the comments as they were the voices that we hear from many parents in our
school too. ‘Playing joyously with friends’ is an art that is so difficult to have these days! Aren’t we forever spending
funds on team building activities for adults? We look for that rare quality in leaders… and do not bother to nurture it
at the right time when it’s taking roots. The children need to grow at their own pace… at times we want to see our kid
being ahead of all… and most of the time we are not sure if the child is frustrated at not getting challenging work or it’s
the parent’s perspective.
All I can say is… it’s fantastic to see smiling faces playing and enjoying what they learn rather than sitting at desk and
memorising facts to vomit in their weekly test. I’d love to be in Finland….anyday.

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Sarah September 4, 2016 at 2:22 am

Clapping syllables and rhyming are part of phonological awareness, not phonemic awareness.

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Tim Walker November 1, 2016 at 11:23 am

I hear you, Sarah. Technically, phonemic awareness falls under phonological awareness, but they’re used
synonymously and they both refer to awareness of words being composed of sounds.

Reply

Allison Grant November 5, 2016 at 3:24 pm

I have not read all of the previous comments due to lack of time so if I repeat a previous reader, I apologise. I’m from
Ontario, Canada where the government took 5 years to phase in a new Kindergarten programme starting in 2010.
Kindergarten in Ontario is for students 4-6 and includes two levels- junior and senior Kindergarten. Some children are
actually only 3 when they begin junior kindergarten but will turn 4 by Dec. 31 of the year they begin. Both levels are
completely optional as students aren’t required to start school until grade one. It is extremely rare, however, to not
partake in any type of schooling until grade one.

The changes to the programme were threefold. First off, the programme became FDK (full day kindergarten) whereas
previously most schools were full day but every other day with students being part of either A or B group. The second
change was a radical curriculum shift to what Ontario calls play-based learning. Finally, class size increased from
approximately 20:1 to 26-30:2. The second adult in the room is not a certified teacher but is an ECE worker ( early
childhood educator) with specific training in how to engage young minds in purposeful play activities.

My family was fortunate enough to experience both styles of KG. My son, born in 2004, was in the old programme
while my daughter, born in ’07, was one of the first cohorts of the new. What’s more, both of my children had the same
fabulous teacher. I should also point out that my children both have winter birthdays and so they were 4.5+ years old
when they began junior kindergarten and were very ready for formal school. I should also clarify that one of the
reasons the province moved to a full day every day model was in an effort to provide tax funded child care for kids in
that age range in an effort to recognize that many parents can’t afford to stay home with their children and so the new
programme lightened many people’s child care expenses. My son attended a private child care centre on his non-
school days and found it boring to say the least. There has been a great deal of criticism of the programme for a variety
of reasons but mostly because it is very expensive. Others feel that the children are too young to be in full day
instruction and it is true that especially the younger ones find the programme exhausting in the beginning. I am a
proponent of the program because I agree with the play-based model which views the child as the source of direction
for what will be explored and discovered. My children’s teacher did an amazing job of adapting to the new
programme. For someone at the end of her career, she graciously incorporated the new adult in the room and
recognized the ECE’s talents in song, art, exploration, and the creation of the most beautiful play centres. The explicit
teaching of reading is not part of the new curriculum. It only addresses pre-literacy skills. However, our teacher
retained her old reading programme (junior kindergarteners typically didn’t begin until 2/3 of the way into the year)
and I strongly believe that was to the children’s benefit. My son was what I call a spontaneous reading at about 4 with
no formal instruction other than being read to a lot. His teacher went out of her way to find age-appropriate but
challenging material for him to read. My daughter was more typical and was reading quite well by 5. Encouraging
children to develop their reading skills and not hold them back is so important.

So here’s the clincher: while explicit teaching of reading is NOT part of the new program, senior KG kids are still
expected to attain a certain reading level by the end of the year and their teachers must formally make this
 assessment. It is not a standardised test, but rather a series of one on one reading assessments. If the child does not
reach the level, they will receive small group reading instruction in grade one. My sister-in-law is one of those reading
teachers. She works with small groups every day during which time those kids are taken out of their regular classes.
No doubt this programme exists because in grade three, all students must take a standardised test for literacy and
math and many students wouldn’t meet the provincial standard if they didn’t receive this extra remedial instruction.

So what’s my point? I embrace the play-based model and find the anecdote of the teacher’s struggles in the Arkansas
truly heartbreaking. I still feel like in Ontario we have our heads up our asses though. Why implement a play-based
programme that prescribes no explicit teaching of reading if the schools are then going to demand that the kids must
be reading at a certain level before grade one?! Anyway, I always like learning about educational models around the
world. Do you think Finland’s kindergarten model would work in the US?

martin November 6, 2016 at 6:52 pm

In my view, there are several complex issues and the first one is that any cookie cutter view is probably wrong. Sure
all children need to learn to play, to socialize, to learn hand-eye coordination and even love and appreciate beauty in
life not to mention work in groups and learn stuff that their dumb ass parent failed to teach them like wash your
hands. The thing is some children are apt to learn incredibly advanced stuff compared to others and even if that
schism may be only temporal, we need to find appropriate classrooms for them and that’s where it can get
complicated. Of those children who can process certain complexities, who is to say at what amount and at what cost to
other experiences that child should be channeled into a program. It is important to recognize that if that child is
capable, he/she should be given an opportunity to excel. In my experience, my son was always held back and
generally bored as a result and after a while seemed to lose a general interest in all things and that might be far worse
than being forced to excel. For children who don’t have an academic propensity there are so many other domains of
intellect that should be nurtured not ignored to be replaced by thoughtless gibberish.

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