Although most parents take their children to childcare centres and kindergartens for preschool education in Singapore, some choose to homeschool their children. Since some parents have successfully homeschooled their children, it has raised the question of the benefits of enrolling a child in preschool. Why should you take your child to a preschool over homeschooling?
Your Child Receives More Than an Academic Learning Foundation
Children don’t just go to preschool to gain academic knowledge, but they also gain several skills. Young children are observant. The things they see fuels their imagination. Home schooling deprives children of the exposure they need to observe their environment. Social interactions give them a greater perspective to life and opens their minds to opportunities they would otherwise miss if they weren’t in kindergarten.
Preschools Introduce Structured Settings to Preschoolers
When children are at home, they can sometimes get used to breaking the rules. You may have a routine, but it is not the same as what they face when in school. The preschool structure involves various tiers of people, including other children, teachers and administrators.
The structured school setting help preschoolers to understand rules and why they need to follow instructions. For example, he will learn to raise his hand or wait his turn if he has a question. He will learn social etiquette. He will also learn how to share the teacher’s attention. Group settings make all these lessons possible.
Preschools Prepare Children for Elementary School
Homeschooling your child will not save him from separation anxiety, especially if this is your greatest fear. When in elementary school, your child will face the same challenges he would have faced in preschool, or even worse. Allowing your child to interact with other children and letting him go through a school program that is like that of elementary school, will help him adapt faster.
Preschool Helps Children to Discover their Capabilities
Preschool gives your child a chance to find out what he is capable of when away from you. This is because a child tends to assume his parent has his back always. This is true, but sometimes a child needs to pick himself up when he falls. Taking your child to preschool gives him the space to discover who he is and what he can do.
Apart from self-discovery, children build confidence when interacting with their peers. You’ll undoubtedly realize that once your child goes to preschool, he will occasionally do stuff he used to expect you to do. It could be a simple task, such as pouring himself a glass of water, or decisions that have to do with what to do with his time.
Preschool Helps Children to Answer Some of their Questions
Do you sometimes get overwhelmed when your child keeps asking questions? The questions never seem to end, and since it is a learning phase for them, you have no choice but to respond. Preschool will help ease the pressure placed on you to respond to questions since the exposure allows children to find some of the answers to their questions. Before long, instead of you doing the educating, it will be your child telling you what he has discovered.
Your child has a lot to gain by going to preschool. Before opting for alternatives to taking a child to preschool, it is best to look at the pros and cons so that you can make the best choice for your child.