At The Age Of 3 – A New Phase Of Life Begins For Most Children: Kindergarten!

In Germany, there is a legal entitlement to a kindergarten place when the child reaches the age of three. But is age the only decisive criterion for determining whether a child is “ready” for kindergarten? And is maturity the right term for it?
The right question should actually be: Is my child already able to feel comfortable in kindergarten?

There are no rules, but there are 3 clues:

• Language ability
  A child must be able to communicate. He or she should be able to tell other children or caregivers how he or she is doing or what he or she needs.
• Independence
  The kindergarten child should, for example, be able to clean up his or her breakfast table independently. They should also have enough self-confidence to approach others.
• Curiosity
  The child should have a natural desire to learn new games and meet other children. It can be helpful if the child has already been separated from the parents for a few hours and has not had any major problems with this.

The three points should not be seen as an indispensable prerequisite or misunderstood as some kind of list of requirements. Basically, the parents also have to be “ready for kindergarten”, because suddenly it is not them who spend most of the time with their child, but the caregivers in the kindergarten. For the first time, the mother in particular has to be able to let go.

Ideally, all those involved ensure a successful start to kindergarten: mothers who let go, sociable children, and understanding kindergarten teachers.
Everything else comes naturally, such as learning to walk.

My Child Still Wears Fiapers – And Now?

In most kindergartens today, cleanliness is not a must, but a desire. Although there are very rarely extra diaper changing rooms, children usually have to be changed in public, which is particularly unpleasant for diapered children.

However, this can make it quite possible for little toilet refusers to spontaneously become dry. On the other hand, children who have already mastered bladder and bowel can still wet their pants again in the heat of play.

Making cleanliness a prerequisite for kindergarten would unnecessarily increase the pressure at home. Sentences like: “You are not allowed to go to kindergarten until you use the toilet”, do more harm than good.
In any case, cleanliness is certainly not an educational criterion for kindergarten readiness.