Advantages of Preschool

Children usually start preschool between the ages of 3 to 5. However, keep in mind that every child is different, and your 3-year-old may not be ready to start school just yet. Experts advise parents to consider their child’s developmental stage rather than their chronological age.

“I remember so clearly the pressure I felt to send my kids to preschool simply because that’s what you do. I was the only one out of all my friends who didn’t sign them up the same fall that they turned 4,” Katie Bingham-Smith wrote for Mom.com. “It didn’t feel right to me. I wanted them home with me for as long as possible and I have absolutely no regrets.”

If your child is not ready, that’s perfectly fine — every child develops at their own pace, and rushing your child into school may create more stress and anxiety than benefits. Check with your child’s pediatrician and with the staff of your intended preschool to gauge your child’s readiness.

One benefit of preschool is introducing your child to social situations early. “Socialization is a simple but extremely important advantage of preschool,” said Julie Nicodemus Jones, a licensed marriage and family therapist and private school counselor in Houston. “Children are exposed to the behaviors of other adults and children.”

Jones went on to point out the value of preschool; they learn what is and is not acceptable, when it’s appropriate to speak in a group setting, how to work with other children, even how to use public restrooms. While the attention a child receives at home is certainly beneficial, the socialization offered at preschool is more varied.

Preschool helps enhance a child’s language skills. Youngsters learn the language used in sharing and taking turns, as well as boundaries expressed in the form of rules. “The more children are exposed to language, the more they’re likely to acquire it,” Jones said. “They learn other ways to perceive experiences beyond the language of their own parents.”

But children aren’t the only ones to benefit from the preschool period. Jones pointed out that parents can gain from the experience as well. During this phase, parents — along with their children — can perfect their time management skills, learning how to perform their daily routine in tandem with the getting-ready routine. “By the time they have to deliver their child consistently to a standard kindergarten program, they’ve learned to manage this routine,” Jones said.

The rules, the structure and the organization a child experiences in preschool will often carry over, leading to less anxiety and disruption when it’s time to start school, said Jones. Because the child will already be familiar with the idea of time schedules and have a clear understanding of classroom expectations, kindergarten is likely to seem less intimidating.

Preschool helps children and their parents learn how to consistently separate in a less stressful setting, said Jones. Kindergarten teachers usually ask that parents drop off their children at the entrance and not enter the school building. “Separation is abrupt and often a little difficult for new kindergartners who are not comfortable separating from their parents,” Jones said.

Preschool, however, is generally a more casual environment, with parents permitted in and around classrooms as children are dropped off. This allows parents and children to grow accustomed to separation at a slower, more easygoing pace.

Preschool allows children the precious opportunity to learn through play. “Public kindergarten programs across the nation are required to teach from an academic curriculum,” Jones said. “And unstructured playtime is disappearing from schedules as academic standards continually rise.” However, she noted that the simple act of learning through play still exists in the group settings of preschool.

The memories your child will have of preschool are priceless: the feel of finger paint, the smell of glue, the sound of children’s songs. Jones said she recalls her preschool experiences, how they opened up her five senses and encouraged her to explore her environment. “I still remember ‘I’m a Little Teacup’ 40 years later,” she said, “and the candy canes made out of salty homemade play dough.”