[ShadowMom]

I have seen some threads (here and elsewhere) that imply that not sending a child to preschool, or to the right kind of preschool, means they will be missing out on some really big educational opportunities.

I may be full of it... but I can't imagine a preschool age child needing to learn much beyond experiencing the world firsthand and maybe learning the basics of how things work.

Is there more to preschool than I thought? Can someone give me a summary of what kids learn in preschool?

My DS is only 2.5 years old so I am not too worried about it. We are planning to homeschool, but beyond learning things naturally we haven't done anything.

 

[rsps]

the things teachers of public school are most concerned that they learn how to wait their turn and sit quietly.
they also are supposed to be learning things like colors, numbers, how to write their name.
None of this needs preschool to learn (not even waiting and sitting)

If you are going to send them to PS, they also learn the structure of "School" in preschool, so they adapt to public school more quickly. -- that might be something you can't teach them at home, but do you really need to?

here's some links to more offical lists of what kids leanr in preschool:

http://www.teachingstrategies.com/pa...cfm?pageid=176
http://www.parents.com/parents/story.../data/3145.xml
http://www.worldbook.com/wb/Students...ulum/preschool

 

[Lillian J]

My son went to preschool long ago and had fun playing, singing, playing, having snacktime, playing, doing simple crafts, and playing... It was nice, although, in retrospect, it would have been better if it had been a co-op so I could have been with him, because that's what he would have preferred. But today's preschools can have a dark side - younger and younger children are being diagnosed with learning disabilities, and even being medicated, because what was once a 1st grade curriculum is being shoved onto younger and younger children. There's a lot on this page - preschool/kindergarten learning activities - in the box of articles at the top - about what preschool should be as compared to what it's become. Same with kindergarten. One of the articles is A Call to Action on the Eduction of Young Children - in which educators and researchers state the problem in pretty passionate terms, and it's endorsed by over 150 others.

So, if there's a fun little old-fashioned program near you where your child would enjoy some semi-structured playtime a few hours a week, it can be nice - but it's certainly not necessary. I do think children that age should have lots of opportunities to get together with other little ones their age - they can have SO much FUN

! But they don't need preschool for that. - Lillian

.

 

[SagMom]

Quote:

Originally Posted by KristiMetz Is there more to preschool than I thought? Can someone give me a summary of what kids learn in preschool?

From what I've seen, there is coloring, printing, painting, singing, ABC's, counting, and all the stuff that Kindergarten used to be. Because...today's Kindergarten is now 1st grade--where kids are expected to begin to learn to read and write and add. At least, that's what I've seen around here. So, if your child doesn't go to preschool, they enter K "behind."

:

Also, "everyone" goes to preschool, so the child who's first experience at school is Kindergarten, won't know the "culture" and "mechanics" of school--the lining up, walking single file, the idea of cubbies and recess and assigned seats, fire drills, ect ect. Parents don't want their kids to feel out of place.

Most all the Kindergartens around here are full-day. Parents send their kids to preschool as a chance to "get used to" school--a few mornings a week before having to go full time.

I don't really understand why someone who plans to homeschool would send their child to preschool--as Lillian said, there are other ways to get kids together to play.

 

[annethcz]

I've talked to kindergarden teachers and early childhood teachers in my school district. They say that they can usually tell which children went to preschool- those children know how to stand in line and listen to the teach. But after the first week of kindergarden, you can't tell the difference

 

[Roar]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lillian J So, if there's a fun little old-fashioned program near you where your child would enjoy some semi-structured playtime a few hours a week, it can be nice - but it's certainly not necessary. I do think children that age should have lots of opportunities to get together with other little ones their age - they can have SO much FUN ! But they don't need preschool for that. - Lillian

I agree. It depends so much on the school. My son went to a co-op nursery school. The focus wasn't on standing in line or learning ABCs or anything like that. Instead it was a chance to be with other kids and adults, to play in an open ended way with stuff we didn't have at home, to do messy gooey art without me having to clean up, and to give me a little break now and then. I'd put it strongly the not necessary but can be fun category for sure.