Arizona Tribune - 4 Signs Your Child is Ready for Preschool

While there are no fixed rules about when to send your child to preschool, early childhood education, including preschool, can benefit your kids throughout their student life and later years too. Here are four signs that your child is ready to start preschool.

1. Increased independence

As children grow, they depend less and less on their parents. You may notice your child doesn't want your help as much as they used to. They may indicate a desire to do activities unaided and may be able to eat alone, wash their hands without help, and do basic tasks like putting on their own shoes. This doesn't mean your child doesn't need help or does everything on their own, but these can all indicate increased independence and that your child is ready to start preschool.

Preschool offers an exciting new place for children to explore their newfound independence. Kids will learn to work and collaborate with peers, follow directions, and discover new activities they want to try.

2. Low separation anxiety

When your child is comfortable being away from you for a while, this is a big sign that they may be ready for preschool. Some separation anxiety is normal, but if your child cannot be away from a parent without getting distressed, they may not be ready for preschool.

If your child has already spent a year or two at a local daycare in Arlington, they're unlikely to get upset when separated from parents for preschool. However, kids who have never been away from a parent may struggle. Consider preparing them by leaving them in the care of a trusted friend or family member for increasingly longer periods until they acclimate.

3. Extended periods of concentration

Unstructured tasks at home may not require a long attention span, but when kids go to preschool, they may work on activities that last 15-20 minutes at a time. When you find your child is able to concentrate on one task for a longer period of time, they may be ready for preschool. It's also a good sign if they're able to recover concentration quickly after getting distracted in the middle of an activity. Preschool activities are designed to enhance concentration, so these skills will improve with time and attendance.

4. Communication ability

It's okay if your child isn't chatty yet, but basic communication skills are crucial when kids enter preschool. Your child should be able to communicate their needs, especially if they're hurt, sick, need the bathroom, or require some other assistance from a teacher. Kids need not be perfectly articulate, but speaking in short sentences and asking who, what, and where questions may be signs of readiness. Again, children already enrolled in a local daycare in Washington DC may be comfortable relating their needs to caregivers or teachers. Some kids may need some support from parents before they're ready for preschool.

If you're not sure about your kid's readiness for preschool, you can consider taking them along for preschool tours to understand the environment and activities available. Some preschools also offer half day programs which may be more suitable for kids who haven't been away from home before.

Contact Information:

Name: Sonakshi Murze
Email: [email protected]
Job Title: Manager

SOURCE: Bright Horizon

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