Show kindergarten TRAINING LESSENS retardation it la Is estimated that from 20 to 30 por per cent ot of children in fit tho the public schools repeat tile tho work of the first grade A survey recently mado made in pennsylvania shows that tho the causes for this large retardation tion aro are as follows 1 ill health and resulting irregular attendance 2 difficulties in making adjustment to group life 3 mental immaturity 4 lack of preparation and clience readiness to do tile the work gener generally nily planned for tile the first grade 5 inadequate provision in the first grade for children who need special care car and special direction As soon boon as aa the child enters the tha kindergarten der dor garten ho he la Is given a through physical examination in the light of what this examination reveals veala re the teacher begins to train him in corrott health habits all handicaps and remediable defects are ovet overcome coine so far as possible remedying those these defects and giving the child careful training in health habits before ho he begins the intensive study generally planned for tile first grade lays tile tho foundation for his bis success and largely removes tile the tendency to stay away from school on account of Ilin illness esq many children tall fail in the first grade they are unable to properly adjust themselves to this new strange and restricted groupe life tho the child who has had kindergarten training makes the adjustment with ease case he has learned to follow directions to remain quiet when the teacher speaks to be polite and courteous to others to comply with certain rules of conduct in relation to the school and fel ow ow pupils in fact he line lias learned that knowledge functions in behavior the child of average ability attains a mental age of six years when lie he is six years old chronologically in tile the ease case of the child who Is slower than average but who la Is capable cit pable of eventually carrying on regular school work the mental menta lage age of six years may be deferred until he Is seven or eight years old intelligence tests teats show that a mental age of six years la Is a sentral to normal progress in learning to read the child therefore who enters the first grade before he has attained a mental ago age of oc six years Is not ready for the work of this grade and should bo be kept in fit kindergarten until his attainments show a reason i able chanse for success in many In a child coming directly from the free environment of the home into the restricted environ ment of tho the formal school with its books paper and pencils has botne not acquired interest in such things bewildered and is accordingly disturbed and bewildered the free play of the kindergarten with its rhythmic songs jingle stories and spontaneous conversations about visits to industrial plants farms farma and other places of interest brings the child out of this shell of self con ness and gives him a feeling of being at home in the wor world id model ang ang painting and drawing makes learning to fo write jn in the fl first i grade beasy easy the library table with its delightfully rightfully light fully illustrated books initiates him into the reading situation and and gives him sense of 0 the value of books the andl individual vidual attention the chil child receives in tho the kindergarten makes make a possible the overcoming of speech defects lack of observation lack of listening properly and biller other C conditions on that hinder learning the child who is partially blind deaf un der nourished or in some other wa way incapacitated to carry 0 oh on adequately la Is discovered before he is branded ke a a failure and ana so may be intelligently helped jve ave all agree that the sense of failure frels is ono one of the greatest hind hindrance to success whatever can bo be done to prevent a child from falling failing should be done kindergarten cratil training I 1 ng d does 0 es this as thousands tho hsands of parents whose chIldr children er have been so tr trained can testify |