The phrase ‘possibilities unlimited’ stands absolutely true when it comes to children. Young minds have the endless potential to grow up and achieve success in life. We as elders need to identify their potential and help them achieve milestones on the right path.
Early childhood education aims to take the very first step in recognizing a child’s true potential. It is a training program that extends far beyond the traditional learning process. Read this blog till the end to understand the importance of early childhood education.
What is early childhood education?
Early childhood education is a program that caters to the basic formal and informal education needs of a child from birth till the age of 8. This is a crucial period of brain development. Hence, an early education program targets to nurture a child’s physical, cognitive, social, and emotional well-being.
Early childhood education may not always be in the form of formal education. It is often done through educational activities such as games, extra curricular activities like art and craft, music, dance, and some social activities like interacting with other people, etc.
Why is early childhood education important?
Early childhood education is essential for building a strong foundation for your child. Here’s how your child can benefit from early childhood education:
- Brain development: The early education phase of a child, from birth till the age of 8, is a crucial phase of brain development. It is important to feed your child’s brain with meaningful things at this age to build a strong foundation for his/her future. The activities or the learning process in an early childhood education stimulates the brain and makes it capable of learning cognitive skills, problem-solving skills, language learning skills and so on.
- Social skills- An early education problem also targets a child’s social skill development such as communication skills, critical thinking skills, socializing, and empathetic thinking skills.
- Preparation for school- Apart from informal learning sessions, an early childhood education program also conducts some formal learning sessions which can help a child to prepare for his/her upcoming school.
Thus, we can say that an early childhood education program can offer a nurturing environment for your child and help in their brain development in the proper direction.
How can you provide early childhood education to your child?
There are several ways to provide early education for your child. Let us have a look at some of them:
- Preschool or kindergarten: Preschool and kindergarten are primarily for children aged from 3-5. These institutions provide a nurturing environment and a structured program that can guide a child’s development in the proper direction.
- Daycare centers: Daycare centers are capable of offering early education to children along with childcare services. Daycare centers are ideal for working parents.
- Parent-cooperative preschools: These preschools involve parents in the education program and offer a unique approach towards a child’s learning process.
How can kindergarten help?
Preschools and kindergartens play a significant role in a child’s early education program. Here are the following ways how a kindergarten can help your child:
- Formal education: A kindergarten will provide the necessary formal education required for your child. It will also prepare your child for the upcoming school.
- Informal education: Informal education includes educational activities and games that target the development of social skills, problem-solving skills, and critical thinking skills in a child. For instance, exploring the best preschool near me, like Little Scholar, can provide a nurturing environment for your child’s development.
Some of the informal educational activities include:
- Playing games with friends helps them learn teamwork, cooperation, and communication skills.
- Playing board games enhances critical thinking and problem-solving skills.
- Singing songs and reciting poems- Children learn new words and improve their vocabulary by singing songs and reciting poems.
- Reading stories aloud- This helps improve the concentration power of a child and develop an interest in reading books and engaging with the story.
- Engage in arts and crafts activities- Children are also made to engage in arts and crafts activities to improve their creativity.
- Engage in dance and music- This helps a child to develop his/her self-expression skills and bring out his/her true potential.
- Outdoor activities- In the early education program, children also participate in outdoor activities, which enhances his/her socializing capacity with the outside world.
FAQ:
- How to choose a kindergarten for your child?
By now, we are certain about the benefits of putting your children in a kindergarten. Now the question comes: how do you choose a kindergarten for your child?
Well, to start with, search for a kindergarten which is close to your house. Search ‘kindergarten near me’ on Google to get a list of the ones near your house.
The next step is to conduct research on each of these kindergartens and find out the suitable option for your child. While researching, keep the following pointers in mind:
- Well-qualified staff.
- Low teacher-children ratio.
- Hygienic environment.
- Gentle and caring behavior towards children.
Once you are done with your research, you will easily be able to identify the best kindergarten for your child.
- At what age can I put my child in kindergarten?
The ideal age to enroll in a kindergarten is usually 3 to 5.
- How much does kindergarten cost?
The cost of kindergarten varies from place to place. It depends on several factors such as location, facilities provided, age of the child, etc. The average cost of a kindergarten in India is somewhere between INR 15,000 to INR 20,000 per year.
