Is Your Child Ready For Preschool?
Deanna Mascle
Many parents enroll their children in preschool programs
without considering whether or not their child is really ready
for preschool. Many parents are eager to give their child a
head start in the race to educational success so children are
starting preschool at younger ages. However, enrolling your
child too early in preschool can cause long-term problems with
your child's education rather than giving the head start you
intended.
How can you judge whether or not your child is ready for
preschool? Take a look at three key areas: physical
development, social development, and emotional development.
You should also look at the program itself. For example, some
programs are specifically geared to a young age group and are
less about formal education and more about play and social
experience. Some programs have very limited time periods (only
a few hours a week) and are intended to introduce young
children very gently to the educational experience. However,
the standard preschool program is generally geared toward
children ages 3 and 4 in preparation for kindergarten. Just
because your child falls within the correct age group does not
mean your child is ready for preschool. Forcing a child who is
not ready physically, socially, or emotionally into a formal
school setting could set the child up for failure, which could
then result in a life-long problem with school.
Physically your child should be able to attend to most personal
hygiene issues independently or under supervision. This means
the child should be potty trained as well as able to clean up
afterward (including unfastening and fastening clothing). Your
child should also be able to feed herself with little or no
supervision.
The child should also be able to focus on a task, such as
coloring, as well as listen attentively, to a story or
conversation, for longer than a few minutes.
Another important physical development issue is whether or not
your child is able to maintain the school schedule. Will the
snack and meal breaks meet your child's nutritional needs? Will
he be able to stay awake until it is time to leave or take a
nap?
Preschool is often a time and place when children learn a great
deal about friendship and social interactions, but if a child
isn't ready for this level of social activity it can be tough
on the child, class, and family. Children should have some
experience playing with their peers, learning to share and take
turns, and working out their differences before attending
preschool. Children should also have some experience taking
direction from adults who are not their primary caregivers. For
example, a child who has only been in the care of a select few
relatives may have difficulty adjusting to the care of a
strange new adult.
Emotional development is another key consideration when
determining if a child is ready for preschool. Is your child
ready for the separation from home and parent or previous day
care provider? How does your child adjust to new places and
people?
If you think your child is not ready in one or more of these
important areas then you should put off starting preschool. It
may be that in a few months time your child will have leaped
past those hurdles and be ready to start. You can also work
with your child on the areas you feel need work, such as
personal care or social interaction. Many programs also allow
you to ease your child into the program with only a few hours a
week gradually stepping up to full participation.
Remember, young children grow and develop at a tremendous pace
so simply giving your child some time to grow into a program is
much better than forcing the issue. In later years your child
won't feel the impact of those "missed" months on their
education but a positive preschool experience will have a
lasting effect on self esteem and learning.
Starting your child's preschool experience when they are ready,
willing, and able is the best way to set your child on the road
to educational success.
About The Author: Deanna Mascle shares more articles about
preschool education at
http://TeachYourPreschooler.com
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