Full-Day or Half-Day Kindergarten – Which is Best?

As your little one prepares for their first days of school, you may feel overwhelmed by the many decisions you need to make in your quest to do what’s best for your child. One of the earliest choices you’ll likely face is whether to enroll your child in full-day or half-day kindergarten. Both models have been used successfully for years and continue to serve students well, depending on the child and the program.

Differences Between Full-Day and Half-Day Kindergarten

The primary distinction between the two models is the amount of time spent in class. Full-day kindergarten typically runs between five and six hours, while half-day kindergarten is usually about three hours long.

Schools offering half-day kindergarten often split it into two sessions—morning and afternoon. Parents of younger children are usually encouraged to choose the morning session to better accommodate naptime. The afternoon session may be more appropriate for older five-year-olds who no longer need a nap and can remain alert and engaged later in the day.

The extended hours of full-day kindergarten offer the advantage of increased instructional time. Some refer to this as “the gift of time.” These extra hours provide more time for teaching and assessment, and they often lead to a more relaxed classroom environment, where activities aren’t rushed. A full-day schedule also allows time for enrichment experiences such as field trips, guest speakers, and more opportunities for play and social interaction.

Many adults are more familiar with the half-day model because that’s what they experienced as children. Supporters of this approach argue that a shorter day better suits the developmental needs of five-year-olds, especially considering their limited attention spans.

A common argument for half-day kindergarten is that it allows for a smoother transition into the school environment. However, as more households have both parents working outside the home, many children have already adjusted to spending long hours in daycare. For these children, a gradual transition is often unnecessary. In fact, one concern with half-day programs is the number of transitions children must make each day—moving between home, school, and childcare—which can be disruptive and tiring.

Characteristics of a Good Kindergarten

While there are strong opinions and research supporting both full-day and half-day models, the truth is that either can be successful. What matters more than the length of the school day is the quality of the program, the teacher, and how well the curriculum aligns with a child’s developmental needs.

Developmentally Appropriate Instruction – At every stage of childhood, learning should reflect the developmental readiness of students. While kindergarteners come from diverse backgrounds and experiences, all of them benefit from learning environments that acknowledge their shared developmental needs.

• Children this age are naturally active and should not be expected to sit still for long periods of time.
• They need at least an hour of play each school day, ideally including outdoor play when weather allows.
• Social skills are developing rapidly. Children may need help with conflict resolution, cooperation, and making new friends.
• They are beginning to recognize their ability to make decisions and should be given chances to choose among meaningful activities.

Curriculum That Fosters a Love of Learning – A high-quality kindergarten program creates a nurturing and engaging learning environment. While instilling a love of learning is important at every age, it’s especially crucial in kindergarten, often a child’s first formal introduction to school.

• Children love to be read to, and daily read-alouds should be integrated across the curriculum for a variety of purposes.
• Early reading instruction should focus on connecting letters with their sounds, recognizing and forming uppercase and lowercase letters, identifying high-frequency sight words (e.g., “is” and “the”), understanding spelling patterns (such as -un for sun, fun, run), and developing rhyming skills.
• Writing instruction should encourage capitalization of the child’s first and last name, writing for multiple purposes (stories, journals, friendly letters), using phonetic spelling, and understanding that writing conveys complete thoughts separated by punctuation.
• Math instruction should include classifying objects, counting and writing numbers up to 20, naming and drawing geometric shapes (squares, rectangles, circles, triangles, ovals), recognizing calendars and clocks, learning the days of the week, months, seasons, and exploring basic patterns.
• Science instruction should allow students to use the scientific method (hypothesizing, experimenting, discussing outcomes), understand the five senses, identify objects in the day and night sky, talk about weather and appropriate clothing, and explore animal habitats.
• Social studies instruction should introduce concepts such as basic human needs (food, clothing, shelter, transportation), community helpers and jobs, maps and globes, rules and laws, voting and decision-making, and reciting the Pledge of Allegiance.

A Nurturing Teacher – A kindergarten teacher should be fully credentialed and have a strong foundation in early childhood education. Equally important, the teacher should be warm, patient, and understanding. While this doesn’t always mean being “warm and fuzzy,” it does mean possessing a deep appreciation for the joys and challenges of working with young children, as well as a good sense of humor and a whole lot of patience.