The early years in a child’s life are of utmost importance. At the outset, this period is neglected thinking that this is a period when kids should be left free and nothing should be imposed on them. However, this is a dangerous mindset to be in. This period – from a child’s birth till the time they enter kindergarten is a crucial period of their development.
Now, as a parent, you might wonder, how is that a crucial period? My child has not yet spoken a word. He/she is an infant, what can they learn at this age?
Schooling is not simply about learning subjects, conversing with friends, and playing around. It is much more than that. The period of early childhood education is a time when children have a high level of cognitive functions and have the ability to learn quickly. They learn how to interact with their peers and lay the foundation stone for listening, cooperation, and giving a chance for others.
If you are having doubts about whether to enroll your child in a pre-school or put them in childcare, then you have reached the right place. In this article, we will outline why early childhood education is important.
Why is early childhood education important?
- Builds self-esteem and confidence at a young age
The period till children enter pre-school is when they do not care about failure nor do they worry about making mistakes. Once they enter higher classes, children become conscious and start to hesitate in coming forward for participation. Exposing them to activities in their early childhood days will build their confidence and prepare them for the years ahead.
- Makes them a better socializer
In a pre-school environment, children are exposed to skills such as listening, sharing their things with others, waiting for their turn, and cooperating. These may seem like minute things at the outset, but these are the skills that will shape your child’s personality. Enrolling them in a preschool during this period will help them express their emotions of happiness, sadness, and anger.
- Better performance in academics
Early childhood education directly impacts the child’s performance in academics when he/she enters higher classes. Research shows that children with access to preschool education have consistently performed better in their academics as compared to those who have not had pre-school education.
- Gets the creative juices flowing
Pre-schooling gives space for children to have fun with colours. At home, parents are worried to give kids paintbrushes fearing they would spoil the walls. This is a way of restricting their creativity to build. However, in preschools, there are no such restrictions and kids can draw and get messy to their heart’s content. Exposure to art at such an early age will help them build their skills and also will help you, as a parent to be able to identify what excites your child.
- Exposure to dance and music
Music and dance are as much important as academics. Learning an instrument, attending music classes, etc helps kids to develop their motor and cognitive functions. These help to develop better hand, mind, and body coordination.
- Increased attention span
The attention span for kids is a cause of concern for many parents. With the increase in the use of electronic devices, screen time has increased and the attention span of kids has gone down. The pastime for young kids is watching TV, which is simply staring at the screen for long hours. During the pandemic, parents have become used to letting their kids watch the screen for a longer duration and this has hampered their attention span. Early childhood education solves this problem by not exposing the children to TV screens. The pedagogy in pre-schools is to keep the children engaged by involving them in games and activities. Such activities will improve their attention span.
In truth, enrolling your child in a preschool is not an expense, rather it is more of an investment, the benefits of which your child will reap throughout his/her life.
