What makes a kid a preschooler? If you are wondering this you are not alone, here is what I found out.
Generally a preschooler is a child 3-5 years old who is showing an interest in early learning and ready to develop their social and educational skills.
Plain and simple preschoolers are kids who haven’t started traditional school yet. We have done preschool in a school setting and preschool at home, we like both.
These are my kiddos, and me of course. Eleanor is my kindergarten daughter and is 6, my current preschooler is 4 and named Anderson. My two pre-preschoolers (not ready for preschool yet, just loving playing) are 2 & 1 Dominic and Oliver. Dominic is my nephew and we watch him while his mommy and daddy work during the week and he fits into the pack like the rest of us.
Let’s define a preschool
Preschool can be private, public or at home. Preschool in a school setting is usually center based leaning which can include painting, role playing, puzzles, reading stories and coloring. Center base preschool allows your students to rotate their activities and vary learning techniques. Centers help keep them interested and engaged, because we know kiddos can be active and loose attention easily. Centers allows teachers and aides to rotate the kids to different activities as needed.
Preschool typically emphasizes:
- Learning the alphabet and letter sounds
- Numbers to 10
- Basic colors
- Shapes
- Pronunciation and communication
- Making friends and social skills
The main goal of preschool is to introduce learning and get your child ready for kindergarten. Preschool at home develops these skills and topics in a more individualized manner. In our case there is usually one (me) on three or four depending on who is in school or at home at the time. This means I can adapt my teaching to my kiddos and how they are processing or feeling on any particular day.
What age range is a typical preschooler?
There is not a magical number for what age a preschooler should be. Starting preschool with your child will largely depend on when they are ready. Most students start preschool between 3 or 4 and then begin kindergarten or transitional kindergarten at 4 or 5.
If your child is showing an interest in learning earlier they may be ready. Although most preschools have a minimum age for admission you can begin teaching younger children at home anytime. On the flip side, if your child is of the typical preschool age but not ready for learning or being social in a traditional classroom setting you can start to introduce learning at home and get the seeds of learning growing.
Preschool at home
Some of the best ways for a child to learn anything is through play and focused activities. Doing preschool at home means you get to interact one on one with your child and build a strong relationship with them that will hopefully last through the years. Creating lessons and activities for your child will be fun and it is exciting for you and you also get to watch your child learn and grow.
A huge benefit to having preschool at home is having the ability to adapt and choose activities that your child is interested in. While also developing the skills they will need in the school years they have in the future. The second biggest benefit of home preschool is the cost is relatively low. Preschools in out area can be pricey and hard to justify if you are a one income family. Being able to teach your child at home the basics they need for school is a great monetary relief.
Related Questions
Is Preschool Good for a 3 Year Old?
The goal of preschool is to prepare your child for school by teaching them the basics of learning and introduce them to social skills. They learn to follow directions sit quietly and take turns. That all sound pretty good to me! All of these preschool skills will be very helpful to learn prior to starting Kindergarten.
How Do I know if My Child is Ready for Preschool?
I knew my daughter was ready for preschool because she was curious about everything and wanted to know more. She absorbs learning like a sponge. I wasn’t as sure about preschool with son. He is super social and can make friends with anyone. But isn’t too concerned with remembering or learning.
A huge part of determining if your child is ready for preschool is knowing your child. Are they comfortable leaving you for a few hours a day? Are they interested in learning? One factor you may consider is potty training and ability to dress themselves. If your child isn’t ready immediately they will get there with time.
Whether you decide to put your child in a traditional preschool setting or do preschool at home there will be some adjustment time. Enjoy your new experiences and make the transition times joyous.