What Are Some Recommended Majors for Becoming a Kindergarten Teacher?

Children in kindergarten are in their most impressionable years, and it is up to the kindergarten teacher to give them the structure and support they need for future schooling. Since most states require prospective teachers to earn a bachelor's degree in order to earn their teaching certificate, there are several recommended majors that will equip prospective kindergarten teachers with the necessary skills.

Early childhood education will help you learn to be an influential teacher to children in kindergarten through the third grade. You will understand how children develop, what their educational needs are at different stages in their lives and how they think and operate. With this major, you will also learn the necessary tools to help kindergartners reach their full potential.

According to an article on Education.com, "Children in the kindergarten set process the world around them by how things appear visually." For example, a 5-year-old does not understand that an ice cube was once a puddle of water and vice-versa. Children think in absolute, concrete ways. With a degree in child psychology, you will learn all about the social, mental and psychological growth of children. You will also acquire the knowledge on how to support children during this stage of development.

A kindergarten teacher's lesson plan is usually structured around basic subjects, such as math or science. Because kindergarten teachers are expected to introduce these subjects to their students, some states that require teachers to hold a degree in a content area like math, science, writing, art or reading.

For the teacher who enjoys presenting subjects to children in an imaginative, creative way, children's literature may be your ideal major. Since kindergartners are exposed to some type of literature every day, whether it be in the form of mathematical problem solving or basic reading, a degree in children's literature will show you how you can educate your students in a way that will hold their attention.