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Many parents wonder what age is the best time to put their child in preschool. However, once your child reaches the age of 4 doesn’t necessarily mean that they’re ready for preschool. At the Blue Elephant, we strive to not only teach children but parents as well about the importance of early childhood education. If you’re a parent that is looking to put their child into preschool, here are 5 questions you should ask yourself so your child can be prepared for their first day.
Before sending your child to preschool, think about how much they have socialized with other children and how they interact with their child. If your child has been around other kids frequently, reflect on how they treated others- such as with siblings, neighbors, and playgroups.
If your child has not had much interaction with other children, you can arrange playdates, sign up for activities, or attend community events to give your child some practice socializing with peers.
Before preschool, your child should also be able to take care of some other basic needs, like washing his hands after painting, eating his lunch without assistance, and sleeping alone.
Preschool usually involves lots of projects that require concentration and the ability to focus on an individual task. But even if they are the kind of child who asks for help with everything, you can start getting them ready by setting up playtimes where they can entertain themselves for a half-hour or so. While you do chores, encourage them to make a project alone. Gradually build up to longer stretches of solo play. Your goal here is to keep them moderately preoccupied with an activity so that your child can complete the project on their own.
Preschools usually follow a predictable routine, and there’s a good reason for this. Children tend to feel most comfortable and in control when the same things happen at the same time each day.
So if your child doesn’t like to keep up with a schedule, preschool can be hard to adjust to. Start by making a regular timetable, such as establishing a schedule on when they eat, play, learn, and sleep. They’ll learn how to transition from one thing to the next even when they don’t want to.
While there aren’t super strict rules in preschool, it is expected for children to follow simple instructions. Preschoolers are usually asked to clean up, follow guidelines, walk in a line with the rest of the class, and do other assorted jobs.
If you sense these requirements might be problematic, start by giving your child easy tasks they can do on their own. Pick simple chores that can be completed every day.
While a 3 or 4-year-old doesn’t need perfect speech, people should be able to understand what they’re trying to say. Your child should be able to hear and understand other people. Also, if they have any questions or concerns during school, they should be able to speak clearly to their teacher.
If you suspect your child has a speech or hearing issue, talk with your pediatrician. They should be able to recommend a speech therapist who specializes in working with young children.
If you’re a parent that is looking to enroll their child in an education program, contact the Blue Elephant today! Our Frisco, TX learning center offers a diverse group of programs that cater to children of all ages and learning levels. If you have any questions or concerns, our team will be able to answer them as soon as possible. We can’t wait to help your child succeed inside and outside the classroom.