Importance of preschool

Answer 1

Socializing, time away from mom/caregiver in an organized pre-school setting, expanding learning (numbers, letters, colors, animals, manners), crafts, songs, fun & play, learn to follow rules in a group, learn to talk in front of goups, learn to make friends. Can one person do all of this at home for a child? usually not. Preschool provides so much for little ones and often the benefits have little to do with with academics.

This all cannot happen if the preschool is low-quality though. Public school (and many times Private School) preschools have become way too academic. Children this age learn best through hands-on experiences, and this is the most important time in their lives to develop social skills. So if you are looking at a preschool where children are seated at desks or in whole-group activities most of the time, and if there is EVER a time when they aren't allowed to talk, this is not a high-quality preschool!

Here's something that will help you identify a high-quality preschool:

http://www.kidsource.com/kidsource/content3/identify.preschool.5.html

Answer 2

While preschool can be very beneficial for children, it is neither necessary nor compelled in the US. By attending a preschool, young children learn social skills by interacting with other children their own age in a controlled setting. They are taught manners and politeness through these interactions. Sharing skills are also taught in preschools, as well as fairness and not to harm others.

Important life skills lesson are also given in preschool. Children can develop motor skills -- both fine motor and gross motor through art, drawing, and physical activities. They may develop the foundation for math skills and language skills through cognitive activities and activities involving numbers and the alphabet. They are exposed to culture and cultural awareness, and science though celebration of holidays, learning about the world and interactions with children different from them.

Preschool education is important because children are in a "window of opportunity" during their preschool years, a time when they are able to absorb information more than when they are older.

Answer 3

At the very least children learn social skills that prepare them to go to kindergarten. At the best children learn pre-literacy and pre-math skills in addition to social skills.