mobile: Is preschool necessary?
So I have been working on school related work with Alex (7) and Taylor (5). I am very disappointed with Taylor's teacher that she did not learn more. She had minimal exposure to preschool activities prior to the school year. Post school year, she could not identify all of her letters. They didn't even touch on lower case letters at all. So, after a week of working about an hour a day, I think she has letters down and is able to identify and write the smaller sight words.
I realize as Mom it is my job to work on school related stuff too even though I didn't. This really makes me think that I can work on this stuff with Dylan and not send her to preschool.
Do you feel after a year of preschool they should know all of their letters?
Do you think that all kids should go to preschool?
Re: Is preschool necessary?
I think most people (teachers, therpaists) agree that 1 year is very important. Here kindergarten is full day so I don't know if that's an important reason. I was on the fence about sending our son this fall as he turns 3 in August. But he needs more socialization than I can give him and, quite frankly, it's easier to go to preschool than to hunt down 5 days of social opportunities for him!
As far as letters and numbers go - we do that with him. He loves books so we take that time to "teach" him. We also have letters and number magnets that he loves to play with. I would not send him to a preschool that was going to sit him in a chair and make him work on things like that. Fear of that is one of the reasons I was on the fence about preschool.
I'm in the minority (I also plan to homeschool, which I know isn't too popular on this board) - but I'd say it depends.
I think as long as there are other opportunities for socialization it's ok for the parents to work with the children on academics, and then provide those social/play/class setting opportunities elsewhere. I think homeschooling can be done very well, but I also know (from friends experiences) that it can be done very poorly.
I thought this was a really interesting article on well educated/not weird people homeschooling (because I only know a handful of those type of people who do it).
https://childrensmd.org/uncategorized/why-doctors-and-lawyers-homeschool-their-children-18-reasons-why-we-have-joined-americas-fastest-growing-educational-trend/
Dylan is my last "baby". I am already going to have adjustment with 2 of the older girls in school all day.
We have only sent the others at 4, so I'd still have a year home with her. I think everyone has valid points. MIL & I were talking about this the other day so I wanted to get some unbiased opinions.
I know that my SIL regrets not sending her DD to preschool.
rote memorization is essential for a school age kid who needs to learn to read and do mathematics. For a preschool age kid, skills like gross/fine motor activities, social skills, self help skills, learning to understand and use language appropriately, etc are more important skills than memorizing abc's.
With the move to full day K, though, I think it's important for kids to have some previous experience in a school environment.
Edited to actually answer your questions:
I taught preschool for years. My last classroom was ages 1.5 to 2.5 and kids new most of their letters before leaving, and we were definitely very play based. Yes, I think a 4 year old classroom should have taught them.
And no, I don't think all kids need to go to preschool, but probably should if they'll be attending a more academic full day K.
My little sidekick August 2010
Mr. Sunshine April 2012
I don't send my kids to preschool to learn academics per se. I send them to learn how to get along with a group of their peers, how to listen to a teacher, how to sit in circle time and how to be away from me. Academics aren't the primary focus of preschool IMO, these other skills are.
And yes, I do think preschool is very important. I realize it can be pricey so I understand if a family truly cannot afford it (and by the same token cannot afford to work so their kids can attend because childcare prices are so high) but I think it's a very high priority item, so I forgo many other luxuries in order to send my kids to preschool.
Ok so I have seen the preschool thing discussed a lot here.
In my area all the public preschools are based on income and child's development level. As in, if you are lower income or your child has developmental delays your child can go to preschool. I suppose some day cares probably have preschool style learning but I really haven't looked into it.
I personally don't think all kids should go to preschool. I do think socialization is important, so maybe find a way to get her interacting with other kids as much as possible.
We live in a LCOL area. 3 mornings a week was $140. Price is not the issue here.
I didn't mean to imply it was an issue in your case, just a reason I've often heard! And I often hear the "if you can't afford preschool go back to work" argument, which isn't always an option.
rote memorization doesn't teach a two year old the problem solving skills to build a block tower with larger blocks in bottom or master a puzzle. Those are far more important developmental skills than memorizing the names of shapes. I agree if you're talking about a kindergartner when you're referring to a "young age" that rote memorization is vital-kids do need those skills to learn reading. I do think people get way too hung up on rote memorization with toddlers/preschoolers though. Those skills are unimportant in gauging how a child that age is developing.
agreed.
Our kids do not qualify for the public programs, but there are 2 private schools in town with preschool. Sadly we only have about 2 other options in our town. If someone wanted to make a mint, they'd open a new preschool.
You are probably right. In the next county there are two private schools, but only one with preschool. At this school it's very expensive and there's a waiting list because spots are limited.
When I was growing up there were a lot of church based preschools. I wouldn't be opposed to that so I might start looking around for one of those.
This. I also haven't found a school yet that I don't have to do activities at home as well. It's just part of it.
I think there are some kids who need less preschool. The kids who follow the instructions in all the classes, the ones who run when it's time for parachute or circle time. Who can stand in line for 8 seconds at the register. I don't have one of those kids. My son is extremely social and has no trouble separating from me. But he needs work in the other areas and 'rules of society'. He also just needs the socialization aspect because he gets so much out of it. So it's 2 years of preschool for us. But I think different kids can certainly do well with 1 year.
The public preschool that I could have tried to get into was 5 mornings and that's just too much. So we're doing private through a church. 3 mornings a week and it's $265 a month. Ouch.
The only obvious answer, Preschool-in-a-Box
https://www.startapreschool.com/freecd/
Then you could be a SAHM while making a full-time income! haha!
I'm definitely in the minority here, but we never did pre-school. My daughter is in 1st grade now (almost 2nd, just a few weeks left) and IMO, nothing has suffered from the lack of pre-school. She socializes fine (albeit a little shy, but only when first meeting someone- just like I am), she has MANY friends, behavior in school is fantastic, she's reading on an almost 3rd grade level and has never had any issues, honestly.
That said, I definitely believe many kids can benefit from it.
I so agree. I kind of liked when he wouldn't do that stuff - because it seemed boring to me too. Why should I be 'ashamed' at gymboree when they pull out the parachute and he sees the opportunity to have all the other toys to himself. lol And I like that he has down time when he doesn't always have kids in his face and always someone around to occupy him. I wanted him to have as much time as possible to just develop his own personality before having to march to the beat of everyone else's drum. But when we went to the school and I saw him there - I just know it's time. He fit right in and he's going to love it.
And it makes me sad when people now think that they have to send their 18 month old to daycare even though they are staying home because they have become convinced the child needs it.
I just hope when ds is old enough, we'll have more options, because as it stands, he probably won't go.
This. It's just what's done here and until I came here I had no idea people didn't all do preschool.
I am so torn on this. I would like DS to go to Preschool purely for social reasons. I think it is a very important age to learn to listen to adults and play/share with children. It helps that it is several times weekly versus a play date here and there.
The cost is the main factor for me, and the learning issue doesn't even play a part. DS is already fairly good with letters and colors so I doubt that will be an unmet need at 3-4. However, it is always at the back of my mind. DH thinks the cost is unneeded for something like that- It is $170 a month for the 2 day a week morning program here. I would love for him to start next fall, but it probably won't happen.
I may start a preschool co-op in the area to have something similar but no cost for parents/families participating (other than materials) to get a similar setting. We'll see!
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I've already said we're homeschooling but if we weren't our options are limited for preschool.
There is a public preschool program that is income based. There are two other church preschools. One with the catholic school and one with the Christian school.
Most of my friends who are teachers take their kids to pre-k in the neighboring state about 30ish minutes away. There's actually an inhome daycare there that their kiddos go to usually before pre-k.
DS starts preschool at the end of summer. He already knows all his letters, knows capital vs. lower case, can count to 20, knows tons of shapes (including random ones like a hexagon and octagon) and all sorts of other stuff.
I'm not sending him to learn academics. I'm sending him to learn how to behave in a classroom, to get used to being away from me, to get some social skills, etc. I was going to wait until 4 to send him but he's been begging to go and with another baby coming I think it will be nice for him to have his thing.
Long story short, yes, I think preschool is necessary. I don't want K where he is actually required to know XYZ by the end of thr year to move on to first grade should be his first school experience.
i never said you should only teach one or the other. Nor did I think that when your kid learns to identify letters is it any less exciting. I just think people focus on those skills and become concerned when they're not doing them when in reality they're not really that critical at that age. A four year old not knowing all their letters isn't cause for concern yet.
Shortly before my sons third birthday he was formally assessed by our local elementary school as we wanted to obtain speech services for his articulation issues. The testing to check how he was doing developmentally did not ask him his abc's or how well he knew letters. The only rote memorization question they asked in two hours of testing was about colors. He tested ahead of the curve in cognition/receptive language without knowing his abc's, more than a few shapes, and he only correctly identified three or four colors.
I agree with this
I believe at least one year of preschool is necessary. There is so much more to it than learning letters and numbers. In fact, very few preschools teach in the old school method of learning a letter and number a week. The instruction is much more play based that works on developing those basic skills that are needed for later.
For me, the most important aspect of preschool is learning the rules of school. They need to learn to sit in a circle, walk in line, pay attention to the teacher, share their toys, and cooperate with others. They need to be able to do all those things without mom's support. It also gradually prepares children for full day kindergarten, which can be a brutal transition for some students. At my school, there have to be people specifically assigned to catch the "runners" who escape from the kindergarten classes because it is their first time away from mom.
As for those who are saying that they are happy their child is not participating with the rest of the class, and are off doing their own thing, how is that going to help them in a school environment? Sometimes it is required that students play the parachute game in gym class (boring or not) because it is building gross motor schools and working as a team. In preschool, children learn that they are not the center of the universe.
I agree. Our school district has a free public 4K program. I know they covered all the letters and numbers, counting objects, etc, but the most important part was learning some independence and how to behave in a school setting. I don't think DD1 knew any sight words out of 4K. She wasn't reading going into kindergarten but is now reading chapter books at the end of 1st grade. Academically they all catch up.
My 2 yo just finished her first year of preschool. They went over letters, although I don't think she remembers any. She learned songs, how to play with other kids, helping to clean up, listening to the teacher, etc.
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