A child care center or preschool plays a very important role in preparing young children for the transition to elementary school. When professionally run by highly qualified early childhood teachers, these facilities can offer young children many useful benefits that can be very meaningful to them even during their adult lives.
To understand the benefits of early education, you must first have an idea of what really goes on in preschool. This will help you understand the impact of such installations.
learning activities in preschool
A key aspect of the learning that takes place in preschool is the fact that it is heavily focused on play and structured activities. This has proven time and time again to be a very powerful way of teaching young children, greatly increasing their experiences and knowledge. Such structured games and activities are also combined with open-ended play, which is designed to help children progress at their own pace.
There are a wide variety of activity options available to these children, including: puzzles, games, blocks, construction, clay, playdough, painting, gluing, books, and sensory activities. These aforementioned activities can easily be done indoors. For outdoor options, your child is sure to enjoy: woodworking, dramatic play, water play, natural landscape exploration, sandbox play, swings, and rock climbing.
Your son or daughter will also develop valuable social skills through interaction with other children. This is further enhanced through group activities such as: playing instruments, show and tell, drama and acting, storytelling, poetry, dancing and singing.
What are the benefits of preschool?
Numerous benefits can be derived from early learning experiences:
1. Cognitive development:
The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare states that a number of benefits for cognitive development can be derived from quality preschool programmes. Your child would have the opportunity to develop beneficial social skills, intellectual development, independence, and even mental focus. Your child would have better cognitive development that would further prepare them for elementary school.
2. Benefits for disadvantaged families:
Children in disadvantaged homes are less likely to have extensive cognitive/intellectual stimulation within their home environments. Such encouragement can be found in preschool learning programs, which can go a long way in narrowing existing achievement gaps. This is something that has been made clear in the US-based High/Scope Perry Preschool Study. In fact, the study found that the intellectual and social benefits of preschool learning extend well beyond the early years of a child. child and into his adult life. Even at 40 years of age, that child would have far better financial performance, educational outcomes, and much less crime.
3. Improved communication skills, social skills and self-confidence:
The interactions between children and teachers that a preschool learning environment provides are excellent opportunities for young children to improve their communication skills. This also helps to develop much better social skills, which they would not have achieved otherwise.
The achievements that a child produces during learning, in addition to being recognized by their learning partners and teachers, help to develop the child’s self-confidence. In addition, the child will also learn to appreciate others and value her achievements.
