You want the best for your child, especially when it comes to their early education. Choosing the right preschool is one of the most important decisions you’ll make as a parent. The best preschool will provide your child with benefits that last far beyond their first year of school. What exactly should you expect from a high-quality early childhood education program? Here are three key things the best preschool will accomplish with your child.
1. They’ll Master Critical Social Skills
The best preschool focuses heavily on developing strong social skills at an early age. We’re talking about sharing with others, working collaboratively, and effectively communicating needs. Mastering these abilities early on sets up children for success in kindergarten and beyond. The best preschool creates plenty of opportunities for peer interaction through play and group projects. This allows children to organically improve their ability to empathize, cooperate, and resolve conflicts. You’ll notice your shy toddler becomes more outgoing and your aggressive preschooler learns better self-regulation. According to Reflection Sciences, starting at the age of 4, the average child gains a greater sense of individuality.
2. They’ll Gain Early Literacy and Math Skills
Reading, writing, counting – the best preschool lays the foundation for these essential skills without feeling like strict academics. Through songs, games, and activities, your child will develop early literacy abilities like letter recognition and comprehension. The same goes for math fundamentals like sorting, patterns, counting, and shapes. Learning is woven seamlessly into playtime and center time, so it never feels like drudgery. The best preschool sets children up to enter kindergarten familiar with pre-reading, pre-writing, and very basic math concepts.
3. Their Creativity Will Flourish
Structured curriculum has its place even at the preschool level and so does pure creative play. The best preschool devotes plenty of time to arts, crafts, music, and imaginative play. This gives children endless opportunities to express themselves, experiment, invent, and explore. Unstructured creative time also builds vital cognitive abilities like problem-solving, critical thinking, and fine motor skills. You’ll likely come home to artistic masterpieces on the fridge and hear all about the restaurant or zoo your child played during imaginative play. Nurturing creativity and self-expression is essential at this developmental stage.
When touring potential preschools, keep these outcomes in mind. The best preschool seamlessly blends social-emotional learning, early academics, and creativity into the daily routine. If you find a program that accomplishes this, you can feel confident you’ve made the very best choice for your child.