Preschool prepares your child for kindergarten like nothing else. If your child has stayed home with you or your spouse, or even if your child has been in a regular daycare full-time, the first day of kindergarten can be a real culture shock.
Going to a structured learning environment is a change that can easily be aided through preschool. Enrolling your child into a part-time or full-time preschool offers fun kids activities and a learning environment which helps with the transition to kindergarten. Here are five essential lessons kids learn while in preschool:
Lesson 1: Social Development
There are typically 15-20 children in a preschool group. Especially if your child has stayed home and had small play dates, for the first few years of his or her life it’s important to get your child acclimated to an environment with a large group of children.
Preschool helps your child to develop and mold his or her social skills and really learn how to play well with others. Since young children learn social skills and how to control their emotions in real time, this gives teachers the opportunity to help your child react to difficult situations and learn how to deal with problems, such as another child trying to steal a toy.
Lesson 2: Personality Development
Although every child has a role in his or her family, it’s important for kids to also learn their roles and understand 
different social structures—such as school and a classroom environment.
In the one or two years that your child spends in preschool, he or she is able to learn where he or she fits in a group setting. Children are meeting new people, learning to develop their interpersonal skills, taking on new responsibilities, and building self-confidence.
Lesson 3: Taking Instruction
Of course your child has been taking instruction from you his or her entire life. Learning to take instruction from a teacher, sit still for periods of time while learning lessons, and learning behavior in a classroom environment is a totally different ball game.
Preschool involves structured learning time. These classes are geared towards three- and four-year-olds who obviously don’t sit still for long periods of time, so each of the lessons kids learn are typically taught through hands-on experiences. However, this is still an incredibly important skill for your child to learn before kindergarten.
Lesson 4: Decision-Making
This may be one of the most important lessons kids learn in preschool altogether. Teachers are there to help point decisions in the right direction, but for the most part, your child is left alone to make his or her own decisions on how he or she wants to react to a situation.
Children also get to make their own decisions about which play station they want to play with, as there are a variety of kids activities set up in the play room.
Lesson 5: Taking Care of Themselves
In preschool, children begin to learn how to take care of themselves and others. This helps their confidence and self-worth begin to grow. In a classroom environment, teachers offer plenty of opportunities for children to help out and learn how to do chores and take on leadership roles around the classroom. These lessons are essential to learning the appropriate behavior in a kindergarten classroom.
Although it’s hard to watch your babies grow up, it’s important to understand that preschool offers essential lessons that your child needs to learn before starting kindergarten. To learn more, contact us today!
