Is My Child Ready For Preschool?

Preschool is a fundamental part of an educational system! They play a huge role in children’s development as they set the basis for physical, cognitive, and emotional education; three elements that are vital later on in adult life!

Preschools provide the first pedagogical experiences to our cute, little monsters! The list of benefits is endless: free play, socializing, pedagogical activities, creativity, etc…

Although right now most preschools all around the world are closed because of the coronavirus, they will open again at some point! At least that is what most parents wish for! haha

So, it is really important for the parents to know whether their child is ready to attend a preschool or not… In this article, I will present a small ” checklist” of 3 important things that all parents should consider before preschool.

But first, it is really important to clarify the term “preschool adjustment”.

What does “Preschool Adjustment” Mean?

The main point of this article is to help parents prepare better their children in order to have a better “preschool adjustment”.

According to the scientific field of Early Childhood Education, the term “preschool adjustment” refers simply to the period that a child needs in order to adapt to the new school environment.

No matter how ready a child is to attend a school or not, each preschool should satisfy the needs of each child individually (social, physical, cognitive, psychological) in order to help it adapt easier.

So, there is no magic recipe that determines the right skills or the right timing for a child to start preschool. Each one of them is unique and with a different pace of development. Parents should always be aware of that!

Thus, my ”checklist” is simply a guide to provide further knowledge and advice to parents; a guide to prepare better a child before attending preschool in order to have easier ”preschool adjustment”.

1. Routines and Rules!

A preschool environment is mainly structured around daily routines and rules. The reason is quite simple: routines and rules create a stable and safe environment!

It is quite essential for a child to feel safe in order to adapt to a new environment. Preschools can be intimidating because children have to be totally apart from their parents.

So, a preschool is trying to familiarize children through daily routines and rules. Both of them help to determine what is expected from the child to do daily.

From the above, it is obvious that a child that is raised in an environment with routines and rules can have an easier ”preschool adjustment”.

There are many routines and rules that can be beneficial for a child, but the one that takes most of the pedagogical credits is the night routine. Sleep can affect drastically a child’s day. I think you have all experienced that!

A child should know what is expected to do before going to sleep and when waking up. When there are consistency and stability, then there are more possibilities to avoid stress and irrational tantrums.

The goal here is to create a routine that sets the right conditions for a good and happy day and night! For all 🙂

It’s hard to do… It takes lots of time and effort… But it worths it!!!

What are your thoughts on that…? Does your child have a night and a morning routine…? If yes, how did you establish it? Comment below!

2. Emotional Education

A big part of a child’s development is its emotional education. This term refers to all the necessary social skills that a child needs to develop in order to become a productive member of a group.

For example, being aware of different emotions, communicating needs, solving conflicts, sharing, accepting consequences, having empathy, etc…

As I have mentioned before, a preschool is obliged to help a child develop social skills. It is even written to the curriculum of each school.

But, social skills could start developing methodically from home. A really useful skill that can help a child adapt easier to a preschool is the ability to communicate basic needs.

When I use the word ”communicate” I am not only referring to the verbal form. A child can learn to communicate through other means, such as pictures or songs, especially when it hasn’t yet started talking.

So, parents should always support their children from a really young age to communicate their needs in different ways. At the same time, they should always inform preschool teachers, so they can understand easier children’s needs and build faster a trustful relationship between them.

3. Independence

A preschool class is an environment full of new experiences and things to discover. It is the perfect place to help a child develop its instinctive tendency to explore through its senses.

But, in order for a child to do that, it needs to feel confident, strong, and independent. The impression that a child has regarding its self-esteem starts from home.

Parents that give lots of freedom to a child to explore a room, a house, or a playground, can impact positively the ”preschool adjustment”. Parents should always reinforce kids’ natural curiosity unless they do something dangerous!

Conclusion

The ”checklist” that I personally suggest to parents to consider, before attending their child to preschool, consists of three vital elements:

1. Rules & Routines

2. Emotional Education

3. Independence

The checklist is simply a guide to provide further knowledge and advice to parents. Parents should always be aware that each child is unique and has a different pace of development.

The article was written by Mypehas