Top 10 Things About Kindergarten

Today is my son’s first day of Kindergarten, and he is really excited. My wife, on the other hand has been a wreck all weekend. I have been thinking back to my early childhood school days, and although I am sure I was scared on that first day, I went on to thoroughly enjoy school and all the fun things that go with it. Here are my top 10 favorite things of kindergarten;

1. Recess. This is a no-brain-er. Every kid loves to play, and you don’t have to be able to tell time to know when it is recess.

2. Learning to read. It sounds like an obvious thing, but going from being read to and being able to read on your own opens up a whole world to a child. I loved to read. Little did I know that this would be the one thing I also hated about going to college. Too much to read, not enough time to get it all done.

3. Duck Duck Goose. This simple kids game was my favorite. Boy, could I run fast, and could play this game all day long. If you aren’t familiar with the game, you all sit in a circle, and one person is “it” and they walk around the circle patting each kid on the head saying “duck”. If your head is tapped and they say duck, you do nothing. If they say “goose” you get up fast as you can, and try to tag the person that was “it” before they make it around the circle and sit down in your empty spot. Now you are it and the game begins again. Great idea to the teacher that came up with this one.

4. Lunch Boxes. I got to pick out my own lunch box every year. Now I was the third of four children, and almost everything I owned was handed down from my two older brothers. This was one thing I had complete control of, and I made the most of it. I remember my Hot Wheels lunchbox, and I always thought the thermos was the best part. Actually, the “treats” were the best part, which consisted of either a twinkie, ding-dong, or these things called Zingers. Now that was a treat.

5. Reading out loud. This is when I started my lifelong mission of showing off. I would always volunteer to read first, last, long paragraphs, whatever. I still like to read out loud. I hope my son shares my enthusiasm toward reading out loud. Time will tell. Read more