New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1918-05-12
Child raining at Home
BY Mothers Who Have Been kindergarten Teachers

garten the child was allowed more
freedom to express himself, and his
interests were carefully observed and
fostered.
Another experience had while
teaching was with child who did not
want to come to kindergarten. For
three days I used all my persuasive
powers; he would come as far as the
door and no further. The fourth day
l got him into the room, but he would
not sit down. The next day he took
his chair, and after that, little by little,
he became part Of the kindergarten.
In the end he was one of my most
helpful pupils. When I went to call
over saloon and that both his father
and mother were heavy drinkers. He
had been brought up with whippings,
and that was the reason for his ex-
treme distrust when he first came to
the kindergarten.
From Four to Six
Many persons have said to me all
that children do in kindergarten is TO
play. l always answer by asking if
they have ever been in kindergarten,
and almost always the answer is no.
Then tell them to go and visit one
| and that after that will talk to them.
Of course. children play, in kinder
four to six years Of age do? The play,
however, is SO carefully selected and
guided that throughout it all the chill
dren learn many things. They learn
from pictures, games, blocks, etc. My
Bobby, though only four, knows the
simplest forms and shapes-the
sphere, cube and cylinder, and the cir
Gle, square, oblong and triangle. Direc-
ton is also taught in the kindergarten
| Through plays, pictures and games the
children learn about the various trades
and their benefit to u.s. These are only
a few of the things they learn. and
wish I could go on and tell all. But
even if / had the time I could not do
so, for l do not know ,all myself, each
day bringing forth something new.
The trouble with US as parents is
that we do not play enough. Some
mothers and fathers say to me that it
is undignified. ! answer, never, if car
ried on in the real child-way. Nothing
is undignifed that will help our boys
and girls to be better men and women
Fostering Interest
In closing, let me add that we as
mothers, though we think we are doing
everything possible for our schildren
can always find room for improvement
and the kindergartens will help US
4 every time. The good work we start
they will carry on. Let us never bs
like the mother who said her boy was
not interested in anything. For thu
boys teacher when she called noticed
that he had box which he seemed tt
take great care Of, and it was not Ions
!. before she learned that it was a col
lection Of caterpillars. Yet the mothel
said that her boy was not interested
in nothing. The teacher at once showed
!, her pupil that she, too, was interested
in hts collection. She learned from tn,
boy a great many things about cater
pillars that she did not know, and il
| turn taught him things he did no
know Teacher and boy became grea
friends; through this common interes
others sprang up, and the boy hange'
, from a sullen. inattentivc boy to
, broad-minded, wide-awake man. II tn
, mother could only have shared he
boys interest, how much more helpful
: 4 they would have been to each other.