All I Really Need To Know I Learned In Kindergarten

Sometimes we get so caught up in pushing kids from younger and younger ages to 'know everything now' for fear they will be behind if they don't all learn everything by the exact same time. This poem really is a good reminder of what kindergarten really is about. The skills we need children to learn and develop early to create a solid foundation for future learning. I'm not saying we shouldn't give them 100's of opportunities to learn about letters and numbers and reading and writing...just that, perhaps we could tone it down a notch and really focus on skills that matter early on. What is your opinion on this?

"All I Really Need To Know I Learned In Kindergarten"

by Robert Fulghum

Most of what I really need
To know about how to live
And what to do and how to be
I learned in kindergarten.
Wisdom was not at the top
Of the graduate school mountain,
But there in the sandpile at Sunday school.

These are the things I learned:

Share everything.
Play fair.
Don't hit people.
Put things back where you found them.
Clean up your own mess.
Don't take things that aren't yours.
Say you're sorry when you hurt somebody.
Wash your hands before you eat.
Flush.
Warm cookies and cold milk are good for you.
Live a balanced life -
Learn some and think some
And draw and paint and sing and dance
And play and work everyday some.
Take a nap every afternoon.
When you go out into the world,
Watch out for traffic,
Hold hands and stick together.
Be aware of wonder.