to preschool or not to preschool?

by | Sep 20, 2022 | Curriculum | 0 comments

language development

Cooperative play in a preschool setting enhances your child’s communication skills and enables them to learn from their peers. 

Interacting with and listening to adults and peers also enables children to refine their speech sounds. 

Your child will learn how to communicate their needs to others, use longer sentences and take turns speaking, all while having fun playing with their newfound friends. 

social skills

Preschoolers can play for HOURS and then some! Their imaginations run wild and when together, they create all kinds of fun scenarios we could never dream up.

Playing with peers gives them an opportunity to share, take turns, practice patience, verbalize their needs to one another, ask questions, and finally, how to show empathy for one another. These are all important life skills that will serve them well in kindergarten and beyond. 

academics

Are you ready for your child to teach YOU something new? Our preschoolers are SO excited to share songs, stories, and art projects with their parents. It gives them a huge sense of pride and accomplishment. 

Preschool teachers have a carefully planned, age-appropriate curriculum in place. Every day in our classroom we sing, dance, count, practice days of the week and months of the year, discuss a new topic, listen to a story, practice writing, and coloring, explore science activities, and offer many other learning opportunities your child might not have at home. 

new experiences and materials

Do you regularly give your child scissors and markers? Probably not, and we get it! 

But at preschool, your child will have opportunities to use scissors, glue, glitter, stickers, plastic jewels, and more. We put on smocks and play in the dirt, shaving cream, and finger paint and then we wash them up before we send them back home to you.

How great is that? All the mess and none of the clean-up! Preschool is truly a magical place where dreams come true.  

give yourself a break

Parenting little ones is exhausting. 

A few hours away from your child gives you a much-deserved breather and makes you an even better parent once you are reunited. Also, it gives your child a chance to practice separating from you, leading to less separation anxiety later on.

kindergarten is the new first grade

Have you heard this phrase recently? 

Remember when we learned our ABCs in kindergarten? Most programs were half day. We had a snack, played outside, sang a song, colored a picture, and our parents picked us up in time for an afternoon nap at home to recuperate from our exhausting morning. 

Enter full-day kindergarten and the big push for academics. 

Our children are falling asleep on the bus after their first 7-hour school day and having afternoon meltdowns. Play is not always prevalent and the new goal is for your child to be a beginning reader by the end of their kindergarten year. Our precious kindergartners are being pushed to the limit and it is no joke, my friends. 

Preschool gives your child a chance to practice navigating through a school day. They will know how to line up, use scissors and crayons, and sit for a story. They might even know how to take their own coat on and off, put a folder in a backpack, clean up their toys and communicate needs to their teacher. 

These things take time and practice, and if your child has already done them in preschool, it will be a piece of cake in kindergarten. (Or as we say in preschool, “easy peasy lemon squeezy!”)

 

so… to preschool or not to preschool? 

Every child is different and only you as a parent know what is best for you and yours. However, have witnessed the benefits first-hand in those who DO attend, and we promise you they will serve your child well in kindergarten and beyond. 

learn more!

Schedule a tour to learn about Kids 360° Early Learning Academy!

flex your brain!

Did you know every detail of our curriculum is carefully curated based on its foundation in scientific research? Learn more about the science behind the movement in our Scientific Articles.