A large amount of research shows early education matters. Early childhood gives you an opportunity to dramatically shape your child’s brain while it is quickly developing. In early childhood, children develop the language, learning, social and emotional foundation for later development.
Studies in several states show children who attend preschool are already ahead in early reading and math skills by the time they enter kindergarten. This head start continues through kindergarten, high school graduation and into adulthood as noted by researchers who have followed children for decades.
Other benefits from attending preschool include:
1) Forming New Relationships
By the time your child reaches preschool age, toddlers are in the process of developing family relationships with parents, siblings, grandparents and the extended family. Enrolling your toddler in a preschool is an opportunity for them to create new peer and superior relationships in a safe environment.
Other preschoolers who are strangers may become their friends or even people a child does not particularly care for. Authority figures other than parents and grandparents are met, and the rules of interaction are learned. All of this occurs in the safe environment of preschool that does not have a rigid academic agenda that also must be learned and followed.
2) Learning Classroom Etiquette Without Pressure
Many kindergarten classes have academic and social requirements for entrance. Preschool is an opportunity to work on the weak areas before the first year of academic training begins. Children are often required to use the toilet on their own and have basic language skills before entering kindergarten.
Each state has its own set of standards and curriculum to follow and achieve. A kindergarten student also may be required to be able to listen to, understand and follow basic instructions given by teachers.
Preschool is a tremendous opportunity to establish and sharpen basic skill sets. Learning to raise a hand before speaking, showing respect to peers and authority figures, and accepting individual responsibility for your actions are all learned in preschool. These are accomplished without pressure to get it right the first time.
3) Gaining Classroom Familiarity
Preschool students learn to work with and respect public property – from individual desks and classroom tables to school supplies, books, equipment and toys. Everything from the fat pencils to the blunt scissors has its place in classroom functions tailored to academic learning. The basics of becoming familiar with the sights, sounds, tools and other things common in a school setting are better learned in the more relaxed setting of preschool.
4) Learning Academic Basics
It is best if a child knows the alphabet, can count to at least 10, and knows basic colors and shapes before entering kindergarten. Busy work schedules of parents may make it difficult to establish some of the basics learned by rote memorization. With its mix of play and learning it is a little more casual than kindergarten, preschool is a good opportunity to get caught up in or even excel at these academic things.
5) Casually Establishing School as a Routine
Some school districts provide all-day kindergarten. Older generations remember kindergarten as being a half day of school. Preschool’s fewer hours provide a gentle way of establishing routines that will be followed for many school years. It helps give toddlers who are anxious about being away from parents and parental figures a great opportunity to realize school is safe and fun.
Preschool is the introduction of the basics of routines that will be followed here on out through twelfth grade, undergraduate education and even up to post-graduate studies. Thousands of hours are likely to be spent in a classroom throughout one’s life. Preschool is the fun adventure that helps prepare students for many years of exciting learning opportunities.
These days, almost all parents want their children to be enrolled and trained in a preschool first before exposing them to the formal school set-up. This way, the kids can gain all the wonderful benefits mentioned above and be more prepared to adapt to the regular big school environment.
Author, Tricia Borren, is a mom and blogger from California. She loves hiking and spending as much time in the outdoors as possible. There’s not much more to her than that! Tricia has previously written Five Fun Activities To Help Your Family Bond please check it out. Thank you.
