The important thing is not so much that every child should be taught as that every child should be given the chance to learn.

John Lubbock

I am a firm believer in the early childhood education field. Of course I am! I worked in that particular field for 16 years before becoming a stay at home mama. It is creeping up on that time of the year when parents everywhere start thinking is preschool really needed? How do I choose the perfect preschool for my family? What will my child actually get out of going to preschool?

I have put together a list of things I feel are the best skills your child will walk away from preschool with, as well as a list of things that will help you choose the perfect preschool for your child and your family.

Social Skills

Yes, academic skills such as writing, counting, ABC’s, etc. are important, but if you ask almost any kindergarten teacher if they would rather have a child in their class who can count to 100 or a child who can get their toy back successfully and kindly from a peer, they will choose the latter.

Let’s face it, social skills are needing some extra attention in our world. Humble opinion here, but we have gone so far techy that children and adults alike have a hard time with social interactions on a large scale now. I believe technology is great, however nothing beats being able to navigate life with as little frustration as possible and that comes from being able to talk and be an active, productive member of society. In preschool your child will be part of a group setting where they will learn how to share, navigate conflict, and solve problems. These are all vital life skills that don’t always present the opportunity to learn while we are at home.

Strong Foundations

Ask any preschool teacher and they will tell you play is key! Play, play, play all day. What some don’t see is that play is the learning medium for young children and lays the foundation for your child’s future teacher to launch from. While in preschool your child will learn early math, literacy, language, cognitive, and motor skills. From the outside we might see a fun playdough center set up, full of rollers, cookie cutters, playdough stamps, and more. Insider eyes will tell you your child is developing the small muscles in their hands that are necessary to hold a pencil correctly and cut with scissors.

Structure and Routine

As parents we know that when we have a routine, even a very flowy routine, the day goes much smoother. As parents we also know that sometimes life happens and it is hard to stick to a routine. Preschool provides that! If you walk into almost any preschool classroom you will see a schedule posted (hopefully at your child’s eye level) that lays out when snack time is, when it’s time to go outside, and when circle time will be happening. Most of the time these schedules will have pictures to go along with words (early literacy happening right there!) so that the child can look and know for themselves what comes next. They need that reassurance, and the ability to look themselves also provides confidence!

Knowing that when they are at school the day is predictable will also settle them into kindergarten, where everything is extremely planned out.

Kindergarten Rediness

Speaking of setting our kids up for success at kindergarten….

I don’t believe that everything happening in our public schools is developmentally appropriate, especially at an elementary school level. However, I am sending my daughter to public school happily. Friendships, community, the chance to be her own person, are all important to us as parents and what better place to do that than at school?

Preschool is going to teach your child how to raise their hand, wait their turn, walk in a line, and be self sufficient. It also teaches them that even though we are leaving them with other people, that we will be back every day to get them. This in itself will make kindergarten so much less traumatic that first week. Trust me! Preschool classes are generally smaller than a kindergarten class, and some have more than one teacher. That means someone can hold your child’s hand until they are comfortable exploring on their own, while a kindergarten teacher may not have that opportunity.

Confidence

All of the things I mentioned above lead to the most important thing your child will gain by attending a preschool program- confidence! Making friends, learning how to do things on their own, and finding their place in the group all lead to a great amount of confidence for your kiddo. They will be so proud, and you will be too!

Choosing a Great Program

It can be scary to leave your child with strangers. I completely understand! I had the hardest time leaving Ada this past year for preschool because she had always gone to work with me. I would leave her in a classroom, but I could always just walk down the hall and check on her. To choose the program that fit our family, I first sought out referrals from friends and family. Next I looked at the environment. Were the teachers warm and inviting? Did they seem to enjoy their day? Where the children greeted each morning with an open and happy invite? Look at the classroom. Are the toys and materials open and available for the children to explore? Are their displays in the room for the children to look at? Keep in mind some activities require close supervision, like cutting and glue, so those things may be stored up high and out of the reach or curious little minds.

The most important thing to keep in mind is your child and their behavior. Are they excited to go to school? Do they seem happy when you pick them up? Ada is a very verbal child, so on the way home each day she would tell me all about her day. Keep in mind that children need consequences for behavior, so as long as you agree with the policy set in place when you enroll your child, you need to trust the process. Ada landed herself in time out at preschool, and I asked her why and what happened. She told me and I was completely at ease with how it went down. (She earned it by the way… haha!)

Always keep lines of communication open and build that relationship with the teachers. That as well as monitoring your child’s behaviors at drop off and pick up are really key in settling those mommy nerves.

~Tara