✅What does pre-school mean?

Pre-school is a space where children of 3 to 5 years spend some hours of their day. It is a preparation for formal schooling in the later years. The school scales down in the number of teachers, students, and classes.

The learning is mainly in play-way methods.

✅What is the best age to go to pre-school?

The best age to send children to pre-school is three years. However, schools are also admitting children of as young age as two. Parents can decide for their child according to their child’s nature.

✅What are the main pros and cons of preschool?

The main pros and cons of a pre-school are as follows :

Pros:

Early learning: Early learning inspires early love of education too.

Social interaction: The child will have many opportunities to interact with kids of the same and different ages. That helps their learning, growth, and maturity.

Activities: Your child will be introduced to various activities, including art, music, dance, and sports.

School admissions: Pre-schools can help your child access regular school, as many schools prefer preschool-educated kids.

Easier transitions: Exposure to a set routine early on makes for a smoother transition to formal schooling later on.

Cons:

Lack of individualized time: A teacher’s attention often divides, and there is less individualized attention than at home. And the importance of one-on-one time for some children is compulsory.

Learning too early: Some pre-schools, it’s claimed, force children to learn too early. That is a particular concern with academic programs. Teaching subjects such as reading, writing, and math before one’s ready can lead to frustration and interfere with a love of learning.

Separation anxiety: Many young children struggle to separate from their parents. Some may need more parental attention and may not be willing to attend school.

Less social opportunities: Some pre-schools, especially academic ones, have fewer social activities. These programs also have less play-based learning.

✅What to see if your child is ready to go to play school?

The parents need to see the following things to adjust their children well in play-school.

Potty trained: Most pre-schools expect the child to use the toilet with help. The child must also be able to speak about his need to go to the washroom.

Independent: By the time kids start pre-school, they’re expected to play games or do group activities with other kids for a short period (5 to 10 minutes) without requiring constant assistance from an adult. They also are expected to feed themselves and find their things in the classroom.

Concentration: Children 3 to 5 years of age should have an attention span of 10 to 15 minutes while listening to a short story or instructions to do an activity.

Emotionally Strong: A child should be able to say goodbye to his parents/ parent when they/she leaves them at school. Initial one-week discomfort is unruled.

Stamina: A child must have the energy to wake up in the morning to get ready for school and be awake by the time she returns home.

✅What do kids learn in play school or pre-schools?

Kids learn various activities in pre-schools which fall in the following categories of their development: Physical development is how your child moves her arms and legs(gross motor skills) and her fingers and hands(fine motor skills).Teachers help children master these skills by offering different equipment and physical activities. Children run, climb, jump, catch and throw.Using their hands, they explore materials like playdough, paints, puzzles, sand, and things to write.Children build healthy bones and muscles by using their bodies both indoors and outdoors.

Social development helps your child to mingle with other children. Teachers teach children to respect others and work in communion. By learning and playing together, children build their language skills, social skills, and self-control. Teachers support children to learn conflict resolution to get along well with their peers.

Emotional development lets your child have empathy with people around her. Teachers help children identify and manage their own emotions and behaviour. They also teach children to show concern for others. To build your child’s self-esteem, teachers encourage him to try new things and keep working on challenging tasks.

Language and literacy development helps your child understand and communicate through listening, talking, reading, and writing. These skills are all connected. Teachers allow your child to use her growing communication skills to learn new concepts.

Thinking, or cognitive, skills develop as children learn to think more complexly, make decisions, and solve problems. As young children explore, ask questions, and create, they improve their thinking skills. Reflecting on and using information lets your child understand the world around him. How children approach learning is also an essential part of their thinking skills. For example, focusing or handling frustration helps him learn more efficiently.

✅What should a 3-year-old academically know for pre-school?

Educational Milestones for a three-year-old child.

Reading Skills: you will notice that they can recognize some commonly used letters or are even able to learn simple three-letter words.

Most pre-schoolers, by the age of 3, will know the names of their favourite books. They can hold a book correctly and turn pages, recall words and frequently used phrases from the books of their interest, and even read books like adults. They can also differentiate between an alphabet, a random squiggle, or a number. Some pre-schoolers can also recognize or write numbers and letters and identify letters that begin with certain words or phrases.

Vocabulary Skills: By the age of 3, kids' vocabulary can contain as much as 200-350 words, and you can expect to hear longer sentences that are more structured and grammatically correct. For example, instead of saying 'I eat,' your child might say 'I'm eating. A parent can also expect to hear past tense such as 'ran' or 'walked.’ They can comprehend better and speak with clarity; you will be able to understand at least 75% of what your child says.

Identification Skills: 3-year-old children can identify many objects at this point in their development and even identify their various uses. Things that they encounter regularly are often of the most significant interest.

It is interesting to notice that they can identify individual objects before they pay attention to the colours and shapes of things. As shapes and colours are the most striking attributes of the environment, children identify these faster than any other thing. As a result, children need to know the basics of colours and shapes before they can read, write or do the math.

✅How can you help your child when he/she doesn’t want to attend preschool?

There are instances when children don’t wish to go to a pre-school in the first place or insist on not continuing. They show it mostly by crying and clinging to the parent. If it is an initial phase, it is expected; however, after the first two weeks, the parents should do the following:

Parents should go and meet the school head and teachers and let them know about their child’s challenge.

After ascertaining that all is well at school as per the child’s nature and habits, the parent should develop a good rapport with the teacher. One can know about the schedule of activities in advance and talk to your child about them to raise curiosity.

Remain involved in knowing about what happened in the school until you find your child happily settling in the pre-school.

✅What is the difference between a regular preschool and a Montessori school?

In a traditional preschool, kids are supposed to follow a cookie-cutter approach where they learn the same concepts simultaneously, in the same ways, and are expected to meet the same standards.

Montessori pre-schools are focused more on individualized learning. There is a less structured approach and more choice for children to learn at their own pace. Moreover, the Montessori setting encourages more independent thinking and a learning ambiance. However, students are still prompted to collaborate and develop vital social skills they'll carry throughout their education.

✅Are pre-school and kindergarten the same?

The term kindergarten is derived from the German language, and it means ‘garden for the children.’

Pre-schools and kindergartens are educational establishments that offer pre-school education to children.

In some countries, Preschools and kindergartens may refer to the same.

In countries like the US and Canada, kindergarten is the first stage of compulsory education at five.

✅Are pre-schools costlier than regular schools?

Most pre-schools are not costlier than any regular school, yet schools in Metro cities have national chains and charge fees as high as 1.38 Lakh per year for pre-schoolers.

✅Is it better to be the oldest or youngest in class?

As per some research data, older children benefit from better-developed cognition (mental abilities) and motor skills in their initial school years; however, till grade 9, the difference remains as less as 7 percent.

✅How long does it take for a toddler to adjust to pre-school?

It depends upon the child to child; however it may take one day to four weeks for any average child to adjust to pre-school. Few tears in the morning or pick-up time for a few days are normal.

✅Do you get homework in pre-school?

Most good pre-schools don’t give any homework; however they may provide a drawing sheet or any other fun activity to enhance young children’s motor skills on weekends. That, too, the children are not expected to do their homework all the time.

✅What math do pre-schoolers learn?

Ordering/Seriation, Comparing, Patterning, Counting, Measurement, Parts and Wholes, Numbers and Symbols, Graphing, Shapes, Spatial Sense and Classifying are some of the concepts that pre-schoolers do in Maths.

✅How do I teach my preschooler at home?

A parent can help the child at home by:

Recalling the letters of the alphabet with the child.

Let her retell favourite incidents from her favourite storybook.

Draw and write the alphabet with the child.

Sort out things in terms of colours or shapes.

Engage a child in jigsaw puzzles.

✅What are the qualities of an excellent preschool program?

An excellent Pre-school program will have the following qualities :

Large play area

Child-friendly staff

Low teacher-student ratio, ideally 1:8

Safe and hygienic environment

Hands-on learning

A Child-friendly infrastructure

✅What are the developments of a 4-year-old in reading?

A 4-year-old read Words and sentences from left to right, and one understands the idea behind a word in print.

Holds a book firmly and turns pages in the correct order.

Do memorize the names of some of his favourite books and can read some words along with the guide.

She knows some capital letters- and small letters and understands that letters stand for sounds C makes the seh sound

She can recognize her name and some familiar words on signs such as danger

Can identify whether or not two words rhyme or whether they start with the same sound

✅What should a 2-year-old be learning?

A 2-year-old should be learning the following things:

Point to pictures or things when they are named

The names of body parts, parents, siblings, and objects

Say a sentence with two to four words

Follow simple Instructions

Repeat words overheard in a conversation

Sorting shapes and colours

Play simple make-believe games