There are a lot of questions to ask when it’s time to get ready for Kindergarten. What are the keys to teaching preschoolers? What is their learning style? What’s the most important thing they should learn before kindergarten? Should I use a preschool curriculum? What everyday activities can we do to get ready?
Childhood experts say that all children can benefit from preschool programs that help them prepare for kindergarten. Let’s take a look at the primary question: “What do preschoolers learn?”
Preparing Academically for Kindergarten
The academic aspects of Pre-K help students prepare for kindergarten. Children who attend a quality Pre-K program will be taught pre-literacy and pre-math skills. They are exposed to letters, numbers, shapes, and colors.
These skills create a foundation for:
- Literacy skills: Developing a foundation for reading and writing.
- Language skills: Building vocabulary, listening, and speaking abilities.
- Cognitive skills: Enhancing thinking, problem-solving, and memory.
- Math readiness skills: Learning basic number concepts and patterns.
- Writing skills: Developing fine motor skills and pre-writing concepts.
- Thinking skills: Fostering creativity, curiosity, and critical thinking.
Children who attend preschools focusing on cognitive development enter kindergarten with larger vocabularies, stronger basic math skills and better pre-reading skills than children who do not attend.
Preparing Socially and Emotionally for Kindergarten
Pre-K is not just about academic preparation. A child who attends a Pre-K program versus a daycare program usually enters kindergarten more socially and emotionally prepared to be a student. They have already been exposed to a classroom structure and will have a better idea of what type of behavior is expected of them.
Let’s take a closer look at the differences.
A daycare’s primary focus is providing a safe, nurturing environment for children while parents are working.
This includes:
- Creating a safe and nurturing environment.
- Encouraging basic social interactions like sharing and taking turns.
- Helping children develop self-regulation skills, such as managing emotions and impulses.
- Supporting emotional development through comfort and reassurance.
A preschool’s primary focus expands these social skills and includes early childhood education. This prepares children for kindergarten in a few key areas:
- Building friendships, cooperative play, and communication skills
- Developing empathy and understanding of others’ feelings
- Teaching conflict resolution and problem-solving skills
- Encouraging self-expression and emotional literacy
- Preparing children for group settings and social expectations
In essence, daycare focuses on establishing a secure base for emotional and social development, while preschool builds upon this foundation by teaching more complex social skills and emotional regulation strategies.
Preschool children start kindergarten with strong social and behavior-management skills because they have learned to socialize with other children.
Other Preschool Classroom Skills:
Children learn to become more independent by taking care of not only themselves but by helping their fellow Pre-K students. Young children are naturally geared toward helping and being able to do things on their own. Pre-K prepares children for school by setting up structured routines, such as:
- Cleaning up from daily activities before moving to the next
- Storing personal belongings in their own “cubby”
- Practicing personal hygiene by washing hands before lunch or snack times
- Learning to focus on a teacher and listening while others are speaking
Bayside Discovery Center provides pre-K programs, including Florida’s VPK program. Bayside excels in providing developmentally appropriate environments and activities for all of their students, along with the socialization that preschool provides for young children. These programs help instill a love of life-long learning in your child that will help them prepare for kindergarten and achieve success in school and in life as they continue to grow.
August 19, 2024
