I sit here and think about how it was for me growing up in the late 1950s and the 1960’s. I was born on the tail end of 1956 so really I do not have memories of the 1950s, of those first 4 years of my life. It’s weird how babies and toddlers learn so much so quickly in their first years of life but yet they don’t have a way to remember people and events from them.
So, my earliest recollection is when I went to kindergarten. It’s just a quick picture in my mind of being in my class, which was only a half day, yet still having a nap or quiet time midway through the morning. The teacher would darken the overhead lights in the room and we would get our mats (I think mine was a small rug) out of our cubbies (or the cloakroom) and lay down for a bit. It was probably only 20 minutes or maybe a half hour. I don’t think anyone fell asleep, or if they did, would stay asleep for very long.
I did not go to preschool before kindergarten. So, kindergarten was the first time of learning. I don’t remember the baby and toddler toys I had at home, but back then they weren’t made to do anything but to enjoy some play. I’m guessing I had the usual: the blocks, a baby doll, etc. and perhaps they were hand-me-downs since I was the third and last child in the family.
So kindergarten back then was much like what we think of as preschool is now. It was about learning numbers and the alphabet, and it was a time of learning to share, and to follow a bit of a structured schedule. It was an introduction to school.
I don’t remember if we had toddler books at home. I don’t remember if my parents read to me when I was really little. That bothers me. I wish I knew. Although, I know back then it was not encouraged as it is now with babies and toddlers. The first books I do remember reading on my own were the Bobbsey Twins series. My real love of reading and books came much later, when I was the chauffeur mom driving my own kids around. I learned to always carry a book with me because I spent a lot of time waiting in my car. This was before cellphones. So, for me it was easier to wait – and read. Once I joined my first book club I was hooked.
I did read to my daughters every night at bedtime. I remember it well because even though the girls had their own rooms, one would come to the others room for bedtime book time. As a mom of young ones it was often the first time I ‘chilled out’ and I remember reading myself to sleep! Sometimes I would be falling asleep and start reading gibberish and my girls would say “Mom, those aren’t the words!” Ha! I also remember hubby coming up to check on me when I didn’t come back downstairs and finding me fast asleep with them.
These days the learning process starts pretty early. My twin grandsons went to preschool and were ready to do a full day of kindergarten this past year. They are learning words and putting sentences together now. They have had books reads to them since birth. Especially, each night before bedtime. My granddaughter goes to daycare which is also a preschool environment. She too seems to pick up many skills early on, and she learns quickly and joyfully.
I think about how important it is to give all children the same opportunity because now schooling doesn’t start with kindergarten. If a child has not gone to a preschool they will walk into a kindergarten classroom already behind some of the other children in the room. It can cause low self-esteem in the child. It can lead to struggles in catching up. It can be the start of a negative feeling about school.
Most preschools cost money. There are some “Head Start” programs around, funded by the government. There are also charitable programs, some run by churches. Here, where I live, is an excellent at-home program called “Miss Ruby’s Kids” where trained volunteers go into homes and teach young children AND their caregivers. Often a parent, or grandparent, does not have the reading ability themselves, and therefore they cannot help the child. This program brings in to the home the teacher, some free books, and other educational toys. Funding comes from caring donors, and matched corporate funds.
When I think back to how I got my early education when I was little, I don’t think my way was really any different from all the other kids at that time. I went to a suburban public elementary school. There were not as many options back then compared to now. Kindergarten was the very first stepping stone and we all started out the same way.
I wish I remembered more from that time back then. I can’t blame my lack of knowing from being old(ish) now. Ha. It’s not that my memories have faded. I never had clear memories from that age. And, back then we didn’t have lots of pictures and selfies and videos like children have now. That may help them recall better when they look back on them.
Even though toddlers don’t remember the specific memories from those years, it is the foundational time of feeling love, and safety, and knowing they are cared for by parents. Studies show that without it a person can have a life full of challenges.
I may not remember specific memories before kindergarten, but thankfully, I always felt that my foundational needs were met – and more.
Marla’s Musings 