By Sumona
The debate about early childhood has gone on for decades. Many developed countries have invested heavily in early childhood programmes through policies and resources. In Singapore, formal school starts at seven years in Primary One.
Over the last two decades, early childhood education has exploded. With government regulation and support, preschools have become an important part of the education system.
For parents, the main question is whether early childhood education has any benefits. Recent studies have revealed that preschool Singapore programmes yield big benefits. The benefits extend beyond the child to the parents, society and government. Here are some benefits of early childhood education in the country.
1. Preparing Children for Formal Learning
The education system in Singapore is one of the best in the world but also among the most demanding. For any child joining Primary One with no foundation in schooling, the transition is tough. Early childhood schools are more than fun places for children.
Today, highly trained teachers are in charge of these programmes. The education experts develop programmes tailored to prepare the child for formal schooling.
Preschools have a wide range of activities that form a foundation for your child’s academics. From counting, rote reading, sounds, vocabulary, drawing, painting, singing to storytelling, all these fun activities have an element of learning.
Teachers prepare activities tailored to suit the age of learners. By the time these children join Primary One, they have acquired pre-writing and pre-reading skills. The transition for them is easier. Your child won’t struggle when the formal learning programme takes off.
2. Socialising Your Child
You need to start socialising your child as soon as possible. This means that even though they are in their cure little chris farly baby onesies, they should be made to interact and engage with other kids. This will teach them a lot of things about common loving and behavior. Sharing and caring is one of the principles kids learn during the socialization process.
The family is the basic unit of socialisation. At home, the child acquires most of the habits they exhibit at an early age. While the experience is nice, it lacks diversity. There’s a limitation to the extent of socialisation your child enjoys at home. After all, you all want to make the child happy.
However, an early childhood school environment provides a better opportunity for holistic socialisation. Attending preschool removes your child from the comfort of home and thrusts them into a new environment. Here, the child encounters new kids and starts getting better at socialising. The teachers provide an environment that encourages socialisation.
The early childhood school setting requires your child to interact with strangers and work with them. Your child has to learn how to form friendships, form teams, compromise, and share. Early childhood provides some critical social skills which a child can apply in life.
3. Physical Development of the Child
If you’re like most parents in the country, you’ll agree it’s hard to monitor your child all the time. Most parents are at work and they need someone watching the kid. Worse still, the home environment might not allow the child to roam freely or play.
Early childhood schools come in handy as an alternative to help with the holistic development of a child. At school, the teachers prepare activities to promote a child’s gross and fine motor skills. You’ll find the children playing fun games with the teacher closely monitoring all activities.
4. Creating a Better Society
Enrolling your child on the best preschool might not look like such a big decision. What most parents don’t realise is that some skills these children learn at this stage influence their behaviour in the future. For instance, learning to cooperate with new kids is difficult. With time, your child understands the importance of teamwork and compromises in order to work easily with others.
Early childhood schooling helps your child appreciate the place of rules in society. With the teacher at the head of the class, your child learns the importance of respecting authority. These simple skills are crucial for success in life.
Children who attend early child schools recognise the importance of rules and follow them easily. They don’t have a problem fitting into structured environments. From upper school levels to the workplace, your child easily navigates different stages of life.
5. Identifying Learning Deficiencies Early
Learning disabilities in children can occur for various reasons and they require an early diagnosis. In the past, many children struggled with formal schooling because of a lack of diagnosis or misdiagnosis of learning disabilities. With the professionally trained teachers in the best preschools, it’s easy to identify learning difficulties.
High-quality early childhood programmes partner with psychologists, learning experts and parents to find the best solutions for learners. If your child has any learning difficulty, you form a team with teachers and child psychologists to get the best solution. An early diagnosis allows teachers to tailor learning activities to suit the learner.
Final Thoughts
Are you a parent considering the benefits of early childhood education in Singapore? Well, this has to be one of the best gifts for your child. The preschool experience not only helps socialise your child but also prepares them for the rigours of academic life. The programme builds a foundation for successful learning.
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