Singapore boasts one of the best education systems with a foundation set right from an early age in preschool. While early childhood education is not mandatory, almost all children attend preschool. The private sector through high-quality schools offers preschool education (PSE). With the government making PSE mandatory, some parents might wonder whether it’s necessary for their children to attend these schools.
This post explores the preschool Singapore system and shows why it matters for your child.
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What to Expect in Preschool
One reason some parents might have misgivings about early childhood education is because of a lack of the right information. Before you make the crucial decision whether to take your child to preschool, get more insight into what happens in the programs.
Right from the design, and organization of the class to the environment, the preschool class is welcoming and relaxing. For a child to feel comfortable, the best PSE programs invest in creating a playful space with beautiful colors and opens setting.
You find highly trained early childhood teachers to handle the programs. The teacher is a guide to facilitate the child to play, explore and learn. Some skills children learn include language, maths, reading, and writing.
The classroom, the teachers, and other students become the secondary source of socialization for the child apart from the family. Teachers employ unique learning styles from play, music, games, and other techniques that make it easy for the child to learn and retain knowledge.
Benefits of Preschool
Preschool is ideal for children from the age of 3 to 4 years. At this stage of growth and development, your child is like a sponge and soaks up knowledge fast. If you don’t put the child in a learning environment, they miss a great opportunity to develop critical skills in life. Here are some other reasons preschool matters:
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Build a Foundation for Learning
In preschool, teachers create situations for learning, and your child gains knowledge along the way. Teachers introduce games and other techniques to teach skills such as counting, literacy, collaboration, sharing, patience, and problem-solving.
All these skills are critical for your child’s education at later stages. The skills also come in handy in life, as the child can easily interact with other people respectably.
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Introducing Structures in a Child’s Life
At home, the child receives all the attention and is at the center of everything that happens. Parents and families pamper kids, and it’s easy to notice this through tantrums kids throw in public or when they first attend school.
Through preschool, the child understands what structures are in life. The child becomes part of a system and they appreciate order, respect for others, and respect for authority. The child learns critical self-regulation skills, which come in handy later in life in dealing with other people.
With time, your child learns how to obey rules and follow instructions. Your job as a parent is to reinforce such behavior at home by ensuring the child follows a structure in eating, playing, and other activities. Without introducing order early in a child’s life, parents can have a hard time managing the child.
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Socialization
The family is the first aspect of socialization for a child, but it’s not very balanced. With everyone working hard to make the child happy, this environment can easily give a child a lopsided view of life. Major preschool importance is to provide a more balanced form of socialization.
In class, the child learns to compromise, which is a crucial skill in life. The child develops socially and emotionally, learns about disappointments, resilience, seeking help from others, and competing. These are skills your child can never attain at home.
The child also learns self-dependence, which is another critical skill in life. When kids are in a group, they challenge each other to discover as they explore. With time, you’ll find your child taking initiative at home to complete simple tasks or doing things you normally help them do.
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Developing Motor Skills
One of the most overlooked advantages of preschool is the fact that it helps children remain active and healthy. At this stage of life, there’s still a risk of a child becoming overweight because of constant feeding.
Teachers in preschool develop programs with the development of psychomotor skills in mind. Students are always on the move and this keeps them fit and healthy. The games, songs, and dance are incorporated into the learning. You’ll soon admire the improved coordination skills of your child whenever they move, dance, or do other activities.
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Understand Diversity
When you take your child into preschool, you create a foundation for them to learn diversity at an early age. Pre-schoolers quickly understand that people come from different races and ethnic backgrounds, and they appreciate them as they are. They form friendships across all groups, and they grow with no traditional prejudices or stereotypes.
Preschool in Singapore is a critical stage in the growth and development of your child. You build a strong foundation for your child to grow socially, emotionally, intellectually, and physically. Go ahead and identify the best preschool and let your child start learning early.
