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Home › Articles › Preschool Prep › Preschool Prep Series

Preschool Prep Series

How to Hit the Ground Running

By Tara Swords

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Kay Bumgardner's 4-year-old daughter, Haley, attended a preschool at the local Methodist church. Kay liked the combination of basic academics and social interaction that her daughter got there.

ABC "Each day, they would learn each letter of the alphabet and make a picture of things that start with that letter," she says. "Before each holiday, the teachers would explain about the holiday and they would do a craft representing that holiday. They were also taught about shapes, numbers and colors."

Regardless of the type of school you choose, most don't expect your child to have already mastered these tasks; that's what preschool is for. However, many will require your child to be toilet-trained, so it's a good idea to first check out the preschool's policy on children in diapers.

Learning at Home
While it's not necessary for your child to write, spell or count before he embarks upon the preschool experience, there are things you should do to prime his mind for those tasks to come. For example, it may be more important to help your child understand what words mean, as opposed to programming him to recognize those words written on paper.

"I think it's very appropriate to read to your children, to point things out, to play games with them," says Myers-Walls. "That will help them recognize colors and shapes -- not to think they are tasks they should learn."

Also, Myers-Walls says more and more research is suggesting that early experience with music is the best preparation for math skills.

Learning in preschool is made to be fun, and your child will probably be enthusiastic about things he's learned. His excitement will provide you with an excellent opportunity to help him work on school tasks after school has ended. Just remember to keep it fun and meaningful.


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