Life Lessons from Kindergarten

All you ever needed to know were life lessons from kindergarten . . .

Do  you ever reflect on life lessons from kindergarten? If you remember them, then you're set for life. If you don't, this post I found on Twitter will help. I watch social media closely and it's my job to share some of the hot topics on Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, and other outlets that teachers, principals, students, and parents are contributing.

MindShift posted an infographic from Sylvia Duckworth illustrating the importance of kindergarten, based on the book by Robert Fulghum. It turns out, all you ever really needed to know was what you learned in kindergarten. You might not learn the themes of Macbeth or how to graph a parabola, but you do learn that you're supposed to wash your hands before you eat and to play fair. Some of these kindergarten life lessons seem to stick with us our whole lives (like “flush” for example). But we seem to lose sight of others like “look around” or “live a balanced life.” You can see the complete list of 15 life lessons below.

It's a good idea to look these life lessons from kindergarten over, even if you teach higher grades. Sometimes it's easy to lose sight of these basic lessons from so long ago, whether it's as simple as “put things back where you found them” or something that goes a bit deeper like “be aware of wonder.” It's worth recalling what you learned back in kindergarten.

What lessons would you add? Do you struggle with any of these lessons? How do  you think your life would change if you followed all fifteen rules?

Tori Pakizer is the Social Media Editor at SimpleK12.com. She writes regularly about the use of educational technology in K-12 classrooms, and specializes in how teachers use Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, and other social media. You can follow Tori and SimpleK12 on Twitter @SimpleK12. If you have ideas for using social media in schools, please send your information or tip to editor@simplek12.com.