The Relevance of Preschool in the Early Years

Children need the freedom to appreciate the infinite resources of

their hands, their eyes and their ears, the resources of forms, materials, sounds and colours

–   Loris Malaguzzi

The early years of childhood are perhaps the most magical, bringing with them the excitement of exploring and discovering a world so new and filled with wonder. With this sense of wonder and boundless energy, particularly in the age group of 2 – 3 years, children create their own perception of the world, creating play from their understanding of the things that are happening around them. Play sometimes comes from things being pulled down from shelves, or switches being turned on and off, without the realisation of the consequences – frightening at times for a parent!

Moments and situations such as these often leave parents bewildered and confused about the routines, safety measures, toys and other stimulating materials they need to provide to amuse and engage their children. Parenting can thus often become an exasperating and confusing task and in search of a solution parents may try a variety of ways to keep children fruitfully engaged. These may take the form of playdates, playground time, outings and so on to keep children occupied – not always easy!  What then is the answer?

1. The Preschool, with just the right measure of safety and opportunities for learning, play and an understanding of the needs of early childhood offers the perfect solution.

• A good Preschool provides a variety of age appropriate activities, time for interaction with other children of the same age and an opportunity for children to build a regular routine under the guidance of a trained, loving and caring educator.

• The preschool educator comes with a heart full of warmth and love and a bag full of innovative ideas to offer interactive fun and learning and to top it all, the most essential qualities for the early years – patience, understanding and abounding energy!

• At preschool, children learn to get along with others as they build social skills, develop a sense of independence and get away for a while from the familiar environment of their home.

• After the initial settling period, children fall into routines and start exploring opportunities and discover the world.

The future is manifest in our children’ imagination

And perfected in the games they play.

– Chris L. Andreadis

Written by

Kiran Tara Singh

Educationist

B.A, M.A, B.ed