Remember back when you were in kindergarten? You probably had snack time, recess, circle time, naptime, and playtime. In the classroom, you could see children finger paint, play games and sing songs. Many of us adults remember that time as a time of fun not as a time of academics. Today, things are not the same anymore.

Last month, my son started kindergarten. His first week consisted of getting to know the school, the teachers and his classroom. In his second week, he received two to three pages of homework on a daily basis. The homework included memorizing his address as well as phone number, writing a book report and creating categories for various items. His homework resembles more that of a first grade homework rather than a kindergartener.

Today, kindergarteners go from math to language, to computer, to centers, to science and some even receive second language instruction. The day focuses on instruction and academic challenges. When all the work is completed, there is “the extra work folder” to keep them challenged and busy. Kindergarteners today even have tests. The kids are being tested on the alphabet and numbers.

The school district is offering a nearly six-hour day of kindergarten, because they found that the traditional three-hour program did not allow enough time for math and language and other things. Because of the short hours, the school district was also losing hundreds of kindergarteners each school year to private schools which offer longer hours.

Although my son still has fun in kindergarten, his body and mind are exhausted by the time he comes home. It is not an easy task to convince a five-year-old that homework is an essential part in his academic achievements.

No question, I am worried that he is growing up too fast, leaving his carefree childhood behind. I am worried he has to do things that are not developmentally appropriate for a five-year-old boy. However, my son is lucky to have teachers who understand my concerns. They offer many hands-on-activities such as cooking, building bird houses, decorating pumpkins… Besides recess, those are his favorite activities at school and they motivate him to do well.

College admissions have become more competitive, and even that adds to the scurry. So is this acceleration of the early elementary curriculum a good thing or a bad thing?

Students become more tired, agitated and they feel rushed. It appears that kindergarteners don’t have enough time to process certain knowledge. How much do they actually remember? I guess first grade will be a good test for them to find out.