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How Preschool Can Help Prepare Your Child For Kindergarten

27 February 2020 by Reginald Long

Preschool is optional for children, so many parents might wonder if there actually is a benefit in choosing a preschool for their child. Preschool can do a lot to help children get ready for the demands of regular school, beginning with kindergarten. Here are just some of the ways that preschool can help your child get ready for kindergarten. 

1. Familiarization with school structure

School is a new institution for children, and there are behaviors that are expected in school that children do not know yet. For example, children can learn simple things like raising your hand to speak instead of shouting, listening skills, and lining up at the door in preschool. Later, when these actions are expected in kindergarten, they understand these actions and why they important for order in the classroom. 

Another thing that can help children learn more about school and how it works is the process of keeping track of a backpack, coat, and other belongings. Children in preschool also learn simple things like washing their hands before snack time, taking home notes to mom and dad, and saying goodbye to a parent easily so the separation isn't hard. 

2. Improved social skills

Children learn how to be around other children in preschool. They learn to share toys and supplies, to take turns, to speak kindly, and to have compassion for others. Children can also learn how to communicate with their peers in preschool using safe actions and words, instead of hitting, yelling, or throwing fits. 

Play-based curriculums in preschool help provide the unstructured play children need for development, but they also provide hands-on practice in relating with peers and with adults. Early education teachers know how to teach young children at their own developmental level, making it easier for the preschooler to understand what is expected of them. 

3. Increased understanding of academic concepts

Preschool can help children get ready for kindergarten in an academic way. Preschool programs often emphasize the alphabet, making patterns, counting, and doing things with hands, such as folding paper, using scissors, and holding a pencil properly. Many kindergarten programs teach reading, so previous familiarity with the alphabet and letter sounds is important. 

4. Adjusting to environments that are different than home

Finally, children who go to preschool can become familiar with environments outside home. They know they can safely leave their toys and special things behind, and come home to them when class is over. Children also get used to saying goodbye to adults for a little while, as they go to school to learn. 

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