Run before walk? If not, then why test preschoolers?

A fetus in-utero develops in sequence. Heart beat before eyes, neural structure before hearing and so on. What if the development skipped a step or two? What if the brain began to develop before the spinal column was in place? Nobody would wish that.

Now, take a preschooler. Playing, exploring relationships. Pause the play, skip a step ahead. Introduce phonics-based reading, invite Math worksheets in the classroom. Reduce outside play in favor of tests. Why would we want that?

If we won't wish for the fetus to skip any steps in its development, why would we wish that for a preschooler? A child has her work cut out at every stage of development. Every child moves through her developmental stages at her own pace, carving her own path through each stage. Her work at every stage is just as important as that at a later stage. If we won't ask our children to run before they can walk, why do we ask them to engage academic work and testing before they are ready for it?

A recent spate of research including a report I cite on Crisis in Kindergarten and now a Scientific American article on Preschool Tests (sorry I couldn't get a link to the full article) begs us to ask why we are rushing our young children right past their critical preschool stage of development. Preschool children and Kindergartners are meant to play. They learn critical skills through play. These skills are the bedrock for the work that lies ahead of them past the age of seven. The Scientific American article cites increasing emphasis on academic work in preschools including testing. The result? Learners who are less successful. What else could we expect? If you run before you know how to walk, you are bound to stumble and fall more often. If you learn academic content before your fundamental cognitive and social structures are in place, you are less likely to grow into a lifelong learner.

I hope this new spate of articles gives us all a good reason to pause and ask what we really hope for our children and whether what happens in their preschools aligns with our deepest hopes.