Modern children go to school longer and begin school earlier than ever before. It isn’t because children inherently need more instruction than their parents or grandparents did. However, the argument can certainly be made that today’s kids will need more specialized training to join the workforce one day than previous generations successfully. The urge to educate earlier, though, comes from the increasingly universal understanding that children benefit in every way from the educational environment – even as early as nursery school.
Here are just a few ways that attending nursery school can help your child in a big way for the rest of their educational career:
Specialized Staff
The staff at nursery schools and daycare centers are highly trained.That doesn’t just mean that they know what kind of content your child needs to learn, and by what age. That also doesn’t merely mean that they are trained to react appropriately in case of emergencies or know how to perform primary care and supervision tasks like potty training or first aid. Daycare providers know how to communicate with your child and their peers so that children of their age understand – and in a way, that benefits them most.
If you have ever witnessed a preschool teacher in action, they understand strategies for engaging with children while maintaining order in the classroom. They know how to encourage without getting children overexcited. These are delicate balances that are true hallmarks of professionals – and elements of great nursery school teachers and administrators.
Exposure to Structured Environments
When you educate a child at home, you can teach them many things. But one thing you cannot teach a child in the typical home environment is how to behave and engage with adults and peers in the formal, structured school environment.
This kind of understanding will be vitally important to your child’s academic success later in life. If they aren’t able to properly participate in class and behave during school, they won’t benefit from their education to the fullest extent of their potential. Always seek a structured environment for your child’s first educational experience, as this will lay the foundation for success for the rest of their school career.
Encouraging Social and Emotional Growth and Development
Perhaps one of the least heralded and most essential facets of formal learning for young children is its impact on social and emotional growth. By allowing children to interact with both new and trustworthy adults and peers their age directly, you are giving them opportunities to build skills that they will need later in life – skills that they cannot make at home or on their own.
Developing the Imagination and Creative Thinking
Imagination develops very early in children. Even babies play pretend games with their toys, mostly when they can play with other young children. Fostering that creativity in your child can help them develop critical thinking and reasoning skills and better express themselves and communicate with adults and peers alike.
Real-World Learning Experiences
No matter how much you interact with and engage your child at home, there are real-world experiences that you cannot provide for them alone. Whether it’s peer-to-peer socialization, exposure to the classroom setting, or other aspects of a more formal schooling environment, these are all best experienced in the company of other young children in early childhood education environments.
Fostering Concentration and Critical Thinking Skills
The earliest attempts at critical thinking may be clumsy, but they are essential. For your child to solve both academic and real-world problems later in life, they must first develop critical thinking and reasoning skills. These are best introduced before school even started, as early as two or three years old. Early childhood education provides a platform for this introduction and helps kids retain and utilize that information better.
Preparing for Primary School
All the previously mentioned benefits of enrolling your child in a preschool or daycare program work toward the same common goal. That goal is the preparation for primary school. Children in most countries are not required to attend school until kindergarten or even first grade. Still, experts agree that the earlier a child engages in meaningful learning activities and social engagement, the better they will do later.
Give your child the advantage of preparation. Enroll them in a preschool or nursery school program to begin their educational career with a gentle push toward success.
Giving Mom and Dad a Break!
Perhaps the most appealing aspect of having your child attend nursery school or daycare is that you can follow to other priorities. You will know your child is safe, well-cared-for, and is provided with ample opportunities for education, growth, and development. Meanwhile, you can focus on other things, such as work, household chores, errands, doctor’s appointments, social engagements, or just self-care. For many busy parents with preschool-aged children, this is the most significant and most important benefit!