When I was One,
I had just begun.
When I was Two,
I was nearly new.
When I was Three
I was hardly me.
When I was Four,
I was not much more.
When I was Five,
I was just alive.
But now I am Six,
I’m as clever as clever,
So I think I’ll be six now for ever and ever.
A A Milne
These lines say it all about growing up! A child is a curious scientist, who loves to explore the surroundings.
A high-quality preschool program should help children develop a range of skills that make them ready to start school. The program should also have broad learning and development goals for children and aid in holistically developing motor, social, emotional, language and cognitive skills through play. High-quality programs which use a Play Based Learning Approach gives children a head start in developing conceptual understanding of subjects. The program should have a balanced approach to each child’s developmental stage. Creating a safe and positive environment at the preschool help children feel motivated to develop their imagination, explore and learn.
At this age, especially with preschoolers, the focus should be to foster a love of reading, encourage independence and increase social engagement. School readiness also means the kids developing early reading skills that are developmentally appropriate and developing social skills such as cooperation and making friends. For example, Preschool classrooms can be organized into distinct age-appropriate areas based on types of play – Functional play, constructive play, area for pretend play, reading, arts, music, blocks building, Math and Manipulatives. A typical school day would have both free play and structured schedules. During structured play (goal-oriented play), kids follow directions or use logic: board games, music chairs, puzzles, follow the leader, team sports, etc. While during unstructured or free play, kids do what interests them and generally is creative or open-ended. Examples: Playing in a playground using their imagination, dressing up, exploring the outdoors, etc.
Preschool kids are very enthusiastic. Encouraging the preschoolers as they move through their classrooms and manipulate toys, puzzles, and shapes, helps them develop important cognitive skills.
Encourage the child to have a positive attitude. This increases the enthusiasm and curiosity in them every time a learning opportunity presents to them. A positive attitude helps the kids to relax and absorb information better. This also helps the student visualize positive outcomes and find a healthy balance. Encourage outbound activities to help the children see a new world. Gardening and introduction to cooking items like pulses, vegetables, milk helps them relate to these in their day-to-day life.
Preschool also teaches social skills, as in manners such as saying “thank you” and “please” during interaction with other kids or teachers. The child is also taught to share her experiences at school and home with others. Making clean-up time fun makes them learn responsibility. Finally, preschool helps the kids to understand the routines of school, increase their confidence and comfort levels, while “letting children be children”.
At Keevkids we get Preschoolers to be “school ready” by imparting them “pre-skills” through “playing and learning”.