Is Kindy worth it?
Printed From: OHbaby!
Category: Have A Baby?
Forum Name: Kindy and Beyond
Forum Description: So you've survived the sleepless nights and toddler tantrums, now the fun really begins! Talk to other parents of older children here!
URL: https://www.ohbaby.co.nz/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=10411
Printed Date: 28 June 2025 at 4:56am
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Topic: Is Kindy worth it?
Posted By: meow
Subject: Is Kindy worth it?
Date Posted: 02 September 2007 at 7:43am
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Ella is in creche a few times a week and I'm going to look at a kindergarten to see if she'd like it there. I will probably take her out of creche completely if I decide to send her to kindy.
My question is: for those of you who have had kids in daycare, then kindy, is there much difference? The main reason I'd put her in kindy is so that all the kids would be her own age.. and so that she learns to make her own friends too. Is there any advantage with learning at kindy? She has learnt quite a bit from crehce, they do baking, planting trees, all sorts of things. She learns lots from us too. At 4 I am planning on having her in kindy anyway, but if she's happy at creche now, should I just leave her there for a while? ------------- http://lilypie.com"> 
http://lilypie.com"> 
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Replies:
Posted By: my2angels
Date Posted: 02 September 2007 at 7:48am
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Ive been tossing up between kindy and preschool. Kobe goes to preschool 2 mornings a week and i want to start preparing him for school soon.
Of the two people I know (my niece and a friend) both have gone from preschool to kindy at around 3.5yrs old and both have loved it! One still goes to preschool for two mornings a week and doesnt like it anymore, she only wants to go to kindy. Now that the 20 free hours have come in though and preschool is soooo much cheaper Im thinking of leaving Kobe in there for a bit longer and just increasing his hours. One of the benefits of kindy is that they will make wee friends who will go to the same school so when we finally settle I might find a kindy in the area. If your working though Kindy can be a pain because of the hours where as preschool you have all day. |
Posted By: nuttymama
Date Posted: 02 September 2007 at 7:53am
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We had Jayden in Kindy from 2.5 years and he loved it. I enrolled Abby in creche for a few mornings a week and put her name down for Kindy but we have decided to leave her where she is. With the free 20 hours kindy is just like creche now anyway. Also when I compared what both of them do in our case it's exactly the same so I figure there is no point disrupting her and moving her. ------------- Abigail 06/01/2005 Jayden 21/11/2001 Micheal 03/04/1997 |
Posted By: kebakat
Date Posted: 02 September 2007 at 8:48am
| I'm curious about this now. I'm gonna be nosey with my MIL later as she works for ERO so she will have an opinion. |
Posted By: Bizzy
Date Posted: 02 September 2007 at 9:32am
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in my opinion kindy is great..but i dont think it is really a learning place, more a free play kind of thing. whereas preschool is a more structured and learning environment. and yes if you are working i think a creche or preschool with longer hours would prob be best. IMO i would leave her in creche if she is happy and she will be learning to make her own friends but they will be of different ages, and that cant be a bad thing either. ------------- http://www.myfitnesspal.com/weight-loss-ticker"> 
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Posted By: susieq
Date Posted: 02 September 2007 at 2:58pm
| I think the best benefits from kindy is the friends thay very often make that will be going to usually the same school as themselves |
Posted By: AnnC
Date Posted: 02 September 2007 at 6:00pm
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sorru didn't read everyones reply but with Brooke she was in daycare from 16months and when she became kindy age I started to take her to both, in the end Brooke told me she didn't want to go to kindy and prefered Daycare. She just got tired from going to 2. But if I had to choose I would say to take her to kindy as you say they are all the same age and its nice for them to have friends who are going to school with them. ------------- Ann 
Also Mum to Josh (15) and Brooke (10) |
Posted By: nictoddie
Date Posted: 02 September 2007 at 7:48pm
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I think Kindy is great too, at 3 it is free play but when they get to morning kindy at 4 it is much more structured well ours is, for Braedon it has been great to get him out there as he can be quite shy and reserved he has made some great friends we are moving soon and he will be changing kindys I just hope he settles well as he is doing so well at the moment. ------------- 
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Posted By: buzimumto3boys
Date Posted: 17 September 2007 at 7:14am
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Bit late on this discussion but have been agonising over this myself... I think Kindy has its good points but I will most likely send my middle boy to pre school... (If I can find one!!) Kindy doesnt actually teach them or help them to learn much other than social things and Mat time etc... I am in the process of having to try and teach my eldest to write his name and learn the letters of the alphabet properly. When I have 2 younger kids in the house it can be very difficult to get the time with him I need.
My son loves kindy but I just feel he should be doing a bit more at this stage (4.5) before starting school.. I dont want him to be behind!! 
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Posted By: nictoddie
Date Posted: 17 September 2007 at 9:46am
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That is a real shame, I think my son has learnt heaps at kindy, and he has been to a 45 - 3 teacher ratio and is now at a 30 - 2 teacher ratio, they have lots of one on one time with the kids where we are and he has learnt to write his name etc just in the last 3 weeks and not from me although I have been spending more time doing these things since he brought a pic home with his name on it I would like him to be more confident when he gets to school he will be going to a rural school and there will prob only be about 12 kids in his class which will be great for him. -------------
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Posted By: buzimumto3boys
Date Posted: 17 September 2007 at 10:05am
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Wow that is really good... We have had a lot of trouble with teachers at our kindy lately and there is only one teacher that has been there from the start which doesnt help I guess. But they seem to focus more on outdoor play and my son isnt the type to sit and paint or draw... he wants to be out there running around!
I would love for my son to go to a school like that!! I think the classes around here are pretty packed. Im have to look into his school at the beginning of next term. 
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Posted By: nictoddie
Date Posted: 17 September 2007 at 10:54am
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Yeah if we had stayed in town then he would have prob been in a class of 24-30 kids new entrant so will be nice to be in a smaller environment the school caters for 80 kids so the whole school is nice and small, i think teachers def make the kindy both the kindy's Braedon has attended have teachers that have been there a while and are there till when ever if they ever leave lol, it's great to have teachers that are pationate about the kindy -------------
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Posted By: buzimumto3boys
Date Posted: 17 September 2007 at 12:59pm
Yeah hopefully things will settle with the newest teacher. But they dont seem to do any writing or anything with the kids at all. Its a real shame... some kids go to school not knowing anything! Not even how to write their own name or even which way around a book goes!!
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Posted By: nictoddie
Date Posted: 17 September 2007 at 1:41pm
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wow that is shocking, at braedons new kindy they have an adult sign in sheet and a childrens sign in sheet for the kids to write their name if they want to which I think is great! -------------
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Posted By: buzimumto3boys
Date Posted: 17 September 2007 at 1:46pm
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Yeah they have that but half the kids dont know how to and thats as much as they do in the way of teaching them... the kids are left to do things on their own...
Now you see why Im wondering about pre school! LOL where they encourage learning more... I mean the kindy is great with messy play and with painting and play dough etc but thats about it.
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Posted By: nictoddie
Date Posted: 17 September 2007 at 2:18pm
You do what is gonna be right for your kids, that is all you can do , it does not matter what early childhood facility they attend as long as they are happy and confident kids -------------
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Posted By: buzimumto3boys
Date Posted: 17 September 2007 at 2:19pm
Thats true! Thanks!! 
No matter what you do you always seem to question if it was the best choice!! LOL |
Posted By: Bizzy
Date Posted: 17 September 2007 at 2:53pm
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i dont think that it is actually their place to "teach" as such, more guide the children. Since gabriel has started kindy - and he is def a run around outside kid too - he has learnt to recognise his name and most of the other letters in it too and that is due to the kindys practise of the kids finding thier name when they arrive to put on a board and me making sure he does this and we talk about his name...i have also seen some of the teachers do that too but they are busy (esp if everyone arrives at once) and i dont see it as their job. ------------- http://www.myfitnesspal.com/weight-loss-ticker">
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Posted By: buzimumto3boys
Date Posted: 17 September 2007 at 3:02pm
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No aparently its not their place to teach the kids that sort of thing... I assumed (he is my oldest) that thats is what happened at kindy... they would help you to teach them to write their name etc.
Kindy has been great and he loves it.. he recognises his name now from doing it on the board and he has learnt about clean up time and mat time etc so it has been good for all that... just saying I assumed (wrongly) they would help with his learning a bit more. And Im now trying to decide if I will put my middle son into Kindy or find a preschool instead. |
Posted By: Bizzy
Date Posted: 17 September 2007 at 3:08pm
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there was a thread a while back about preparing your child for school with some good info in it about what most kids can do and should be able to do... i'll see if i can hunt it out for you - it may have some good info for you to help with your decision. ------------- http://www.myfitnesspal.com/weight-loss-ticker">
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Posted By: meow
Date Posted: 17 September 2007 at 3:30pm
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Wow, this thread has grown! lol
We've decided for now we'll stay with creche and maybe at the beginning of next year (in Feb) or just wait until she's 4 and then she'll start kindy. The kindys around here have a ratio of 40 kids to 3 teachers and that freaks me out a bit! lol.. she is probably ready to go there but I think we'll just make the change next year instead. ------------- http://lilypie.com">
http://lilypie.com">
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Posted By: buzimumto3boys
Date Posted: 17 September 2007 at 4:13pm
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Thanks GandT that would be great... I freaked out when I realised DS was going to school and he didnt know some of the basics!!
Meow I think teachers dont really have the time and staff to do extra stuff with the kids like writing. Its the ratio that prevents them doing alot... I mean I have trouble just watching my 3 couldnt think about 15 kids!! |
Posted By: meow
Date Posted: 17 September 2007 at 5:48pm
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Yeah I wouldn't expect them to teach writing etc.. I mean they'll pick some things up from what they see etc.. DD is already showing an interest in words and the alphabet, she isn't 3.5 years until Dec ------------- http://lilypie.com">
http://lilypie.com">
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Posted By: buzimumto3boys
Date Posted: 18 September 2007 at 6:58am
| My nearly 3 yo is also interested... He wants to learn all the time! Cant wait til he goes to preschool or kindy! (He may well get more out of it!) |