It is that time of the year when the child is 2 or 3, the parents get eager to get their little ones to the preschool. Preschool embarks their journey into their learning years. The doting parents find all those possible best preschools near their residence or their workplace which is close by at an accessible distance. The parents usually look out for a hygienic and safe place which promises a better growing up environment for the love of their life. But there are few other things which a parent will usually miss out on. They either overlook them or never have any idea about certain points which may create a bigger impact on their little ones.

Preschool is not just about having good teachers, clean chairs and floors or secured indoors. There are few other factors which only a keen observer or a professional can usually think of. Here we are giving you some of the important points to consider in preschool which would be considered as not so important by the parents.

• Language or the communication ability of the teachers/support staff:

Why? You may ask… but isn’t it so obvious that when the kids can grasp the accent and language from parents, the same would be done with the adults at the other environment where kids generally spend a good share of their day? Make sure that you strike a quick conversation with everyone in that school. A cuss word sounds interesting to a child than an act of kindness, as the other one brightens up their curious minds than their usual routine. How to spot this? Give more than 2 visits to the preschools you are finalizing on. Keep a check on the way the teachers teach the kids. Take a look on how the support staff gets the child to be potty trained. These intricate details can help you decide with a relief. Strange thing to observe? Well nothing is more important than your child right?

• The Game and the game changers:

“You can discover more about a person in an hour of play than in a year of conversation.” – Plato. Games are innate in children for whom learning at the initial stage only happens when there is some game or playing involved. The teachers could be the game changer in a child’s life who will engage the kids by applying the creative techniques to teach those concepts which are prescribed in the Preschool syllabus in a given curriculum. Mere teaching ABC or 123 will fetch no interest, but playing hopscotch with numbers in them or singing and enacting the ABC rhyme with pictures and charts on the wall can help then to gain a better understanding in their own distinct style. The learning is all about making the concepts and the curriculum come alive with various lively activities.

• Serious about not being serious:

It is usual Indian tendency to be happy to see their children write and read as soon as they start learning. This is due to the kind of pressure they have from the society to be the better child than the best. Competition is so prevalent that it takes away the childhood from a child. Go easy on making your child a productive one. Make your child a proactive person who actively involves in learning skills and not delivering results. Making them aware of the concepts than being pushed to learn the contents of the curriculum is the factor than can change the entire process of effective learning for your child. Look for a Preschool which makes the child learn some basic concepts like watering the plants to keep them alive, cleaning the dirty hands to be free from diseases or things like saying ‘please’ before telling ‘I want’.

These small things can pave the way for a better learning capability once they reach the regular day school setup. It is the difference between teaching them to concentrate better through team activities than asking them to pay attention to the teacher in the class.

Technology tips for Preschool parents

Any preschool will make an attempt to get the best out of each child, which is exactly what each parent expects to. But what the child actually needs is attention and care. Giving utmost attention and unconditional love which is infused with simple concepts and joyful learning, a preschool learning will then reach a successful completion.

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There are times when we often think that ‘How I wish my child was not addicted to my phone’ or ‘How I wish my child would spend more time playing those board games like how we did.’. Children today are extremely inclined towards the electronic gadgets which are undoubtedly more attractive and colorful from either their toys or books. The vibrant multimedia in the games gives them a visual pleasure that takes their precious hours and gives them back strenuous eyes. No matter how much ever we try to keep them away from the phones, TV or the smart tabs, the more they are tempted to swipe those screen with their tiny fingers. Researchers have proved that mere 2 minutes of talking or activity with phone can cause severe damage to a child’s brain causing irreparable damage like tumors, disturbed brain activity and lack of average concentration during higher learning. The gadgets act like slow poison on the tender minds which restrain the production of Melatonin, the hormone that controls sleep/wake cycle or Circadian rhythm. World Health Organisation considers mobile phones as “Possible Human Carcinogen” which causes hazardous effects on health like brain tumor, Parkinson’s disease, heart and Alzheimer’s disease and even stroke.

When we parents wish to give our child just the best of the best, avoiding electronic gadgets could be seriously considered as a better option. But it all starts when we take help of our smart phones to feed the kids when they are babies, give them our phones to play games to shoo away their boredom and when we have some work to be completed and we consider the phone as a safe and better option for their pastime. The blame is definitely on the parents who unknowingly push their children into this dreadful pool of diversion.

Technology doesn’t always have bad effects. As the old folklore goes that “Too much Good can result in being bad” – anything or any practice must be well administered as to not exceeding its suggested limits. Phones and Tabs are one of the most cutting edge inventions of the century. These have eased many such difficulties which were beyond doable before. It is because of these smart gadgets, that we are leading a life of ease and amaze. So it is upto us to utilize these wonderful creations in a recommended limits to enjoy a life where science goes hand in hand with good health.

Here are some of the tips for all those parents of preschoolers to put these digital devices in to best use with their toddlers:

Search for alternatives:

Instead of gifting them with an E-Book reader, gift them your time to read out their favourite bedtime story. Take help of your parents i.e. the child’s grandparents to animate a fable or an old poem in an attractive way rather than always asking your child to let you finish your work. This method is much encouraging to the children to start becoming a book lover. Reading a hard copy of a book is much more satisfying than swiping away screens.

Attractive Activities:

Introduce your child to some really attractive children’s activity like building blocks, little mechanic kit or even a baking/kitchen set. These imaginary games will increase their creativity and helps in retention of knowledge in the long run. Fantasy games will gift your children with by-products of mental stress and digital addiction. But playing with skill toys with their friends teaches them the aspects of sharing, giving and understanding. The better interaction and a low key on being an introvert come as a bonus with these practices.

Make Rules:

It would be unfair to ask your child not to touch her tab at all when she sees all her friends talking about the latest games or some fun applications which are a buzz. The child may feel bit outdated when compared to the peers who wear a cap of Digital Swag and who are well informed about the latest digital trends. This is the time when you can ask your little one to make him/her understand the bad effects of these on their health. How can this be done? By making simple rules like ‘No using phone for more than 15 minutes’ or asking them to run in the ground for double the time they spend on tabs/phones. This will make them understand from a tender age and will definitely appreciate your concern one day.

Putting Technology For Better Use:

Tabs/phones are not bad. Just that the duration of which has to be monitored as everything good in this world will have its own set of bad attached to it. Spend time with your child and help them understand all those better things for which a phone or a tab could be used. Like learning phonetic syllables through videos, talking to the grandparents who stay away with life like video calling, listening to songs and rhymes which are fun to learn etc. It all depends on how we serve the platter.

Watch Yourself:

Asking your son to stop playing Temple Run when you are continuously binge playing Candy Crush? How unfair! Kids, especially the preschoolers follow and imitate the elders at home. It is extremely wrong to scold your child when you yourself succumb to the fun and charm of the gadgets. It is always advisable to follow what you preach when it comes to bringing up children. You reap what you sow, you see what you show. Be an idol for your child who would look up to you as an example. Dictating the child something which you never follow will confuse the children and later leads to the clash of views. Spend quality time with your children. Give them wings of faith and creativity to fly high in their imaginative world.

Constant spending time with your little wonders will also help you push out that urge in them to spend time with their virtual mates. The more you spend time the less attention they crave from you. Indulge your kids in some other activities and keep them busy the whole day. Once they are back from their school take them out and enroll them in some fun yet healthy activities like dance, swimming or chess classes which will keep them occupied and busy to even think about touching your phone lying next to them.

Studies say that kids from age 2 to 6 are so high on their grasping ability, that the traits, knowledge and the skill they learn during this span will remain with them till a lifetime or hold a major chunk of responsibility in shaping up the person who they would once they are grown-ups. Early learning should include some positive elements like better language abilities, effective logical thinking and improving motor skills. These will happen only by a proper parenting and a valuable adult supervision which includes less electronic inclination.

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Pre School also called as Playschool a time of Joy, excitement and a new horizon for your little ones is a place where your children learn through play and excitement. This is the most important phase in the life of your child and is critical to his lifelong development influencing the brain development and enhancing neural connections.

Every parent wants the best of the Play school education for the little ones that makes them seek a preschool that should be able to provide them with the perfect curriculum. If you are a parent, making a decision to choose a Play School for your child it is indispensable to have an understanding and an overview of the various curriculum’s preached currently at preschool level to make a correct and an informed choice. Apart from that, it is also necessary to have an in-depth about what as a parent we need to check for choosing the right curriculum.

Well to begin with it is necessary to know what does the term curriculum means. Any curriculum is defined as the content and the organization of any school program including daily activities and routines which impacts a child’s intellectual, physical, social, linguistic and spiritual wellbeing.

A curriculum has to meet the need of the children which focuses on the above said intellectual, physical, social, intellectual and spiritual well being. This is based on three important factors;

1. Level of interest
2. Adaptability
3. Capturing child attention.

As per the guidelines by the National Centre on Quality Teaching and Learning, the pre school curriculum should be based on the child’s sound development that should include overall child’s skills and cognitive development, reading and mathematical skills, physical skills and socio economics development.

For teachers, the most effective programs should have a clear understanding of what they want to teach. A curriculum should also be able to provide the guidelines to the teachers in creating a classroom environment that aims to upgrade the cultural and linguistic background of the children as well.

A number of curriculums are used around the World in the Preschool classrooms depending upon an individual’s specific needs.

Montessori

The Montessori Method of education, developed by Dr. Maria Montessori , is a child-centered educational approach based on scientific observations of children from birth to adulthood. Dr. Montessori’s Method has been used for over 100 years in many parts of the world.

Montessorie is based on the fact that children seem to understand complex statements better when they engage all their senses. Activities in this type of curriculum include personal care (such as dressing and undressing), care of the environment like sweeping, dusting and gardening. Given free choice kids shows more interest in practical activities.

Montessori education system has given the World some very famous and renowned personalities like Prince Williams and Prince Harry, founder of Google- Larry Page and Sergey Brin, founder of Amazon – Jeff Bezos and many more.

Reggio Emilia

It operates on the premise that early childhood education is the combined job of the parents, teachers, and community.

Schools are run by a council with representation from all of these groups. The staff is made up of two teachers for each classroom, an artelierista (an art teacher) for the entire school, a nutritionist, a cook, and an administrator.

The environment is often called, “The Third Teacher” because it is so important to the proper development of the children. Reggio Emilia classrooms have their own kitchens with cooks and dining areas created especially for the youngest children who might eat there. The nutritionist on staff provides training to parents as well as planning nutritious meals for the children.

One of the most important aspects of the Reggio Emilia approach is the aesthetic value. There are plants, lots of light and doors from each classroom into the outdoors space. The hallways in most Reggio programs are called ateliers.

Multiple Intelligence:

Multiple intelligence curriculum was founded by Dr. Howard Gardner. This curriculum is aimed at focusing on the various types of intelligence which a child is gifted with. These types of intelligence are as follows:

• • Verbal/Linguistic –These people are good by expressing themselves through words.
  • Logical/Mathematical – These people think scientifically and spontaneously process data.
  • Musical – These individuals are good in songs, rhythms, tunes
  • Visual/Spatial – Good at visual cue.
  • Body/Kinaesthetic – Good at controlling their physical movements like athletes.
  • Interpersonal – These people work well in groups and are empathetic.
  • Intrapersonal – They use the information people take of themselves.
  • Naturalistic – These people love nature and recognize the elements of the natural World.

According to Gardner’s theory, one form of intelligence is not better than another; they are equally valuable and viable. Yet, different cultures are biased towards and against certain types of intelligence. The different types of intelligence affect the understanding and the instructions you give to students in the classroom. The role of a teacher is to promote that particular acumen a child has in order to develop a better society.

Waldorf

Waldorf education, also known as Steiner education, is based on the educational philosophy of Rudolf Steiner, the founder of anthroposophy. Its pedagogy emphasizes the role of imagination in learning, striving to integrate holistically the intellectual, practical, and artistic development of pupils.

The Play-way method:

This method is based upon a child core interests and intellect. It is unplanned and thus encourages complete freedom of expression. Grading or rating students of any kind is not customary in this kind of curriculum; rather the teachers assess the skills and aptitude of the child, and communicate their assessments to the parents from time to time to discover the original talents of children.

Play-way method of teaching has been introduced in preschools across India.

Creative curriculum:

This is based on the well known theories of child development. This curriculum is based on the premise that the best way to teach young children is by using an appropriate environment as well as a planned appropriate schedule and good teacher/child interactions.

Once you have understood the different types of philosophies on educating toddlers the time is to shortlist the various Preschools with the chosen curriculum.

edustoke.com can help you make an appropriate choice to search explore and select schools with an option of short listing the schools with parameters such as the distance of the school from your home, day care and day boarding facilities, age criterion, school fee structure as per your affordability, availability of nutritious meals and various other features so thereby underscoring the point that you have to search for schools and edustoke gets you all that information.

You can then take your child to a visit and watch them how they respond to the environment of the school and the Teachers, and observing their reaction you can get an idea if the school is a good fit for your child.

Also it is important to trust your instincts. Check the behaviour of the school owners, Principals, Director, Teacher and the other Staff as well to make sure your child is in safe hands and right place. Also make sure the school premise and infrastructure is as per your choices and standards.

Remember a preschool lays the ultimate foundation for your child.

Right time to send your child to a Preschool.

Search, Explore and Select Preschool near by.

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Is there a right time to send your children to school? Is there an age when the kid’s brain is ready to soak up all the knowledge? This question has been the basis of several types of research. Many schools in India accept children as young as 2.5 years old. Many parents consider this to be an ideal age. But is this the right age for children to start their school career? Some parents regret sending their kids to school at such an early age. They often ask themselves if their kid is old enough to be in school or if they should have waited another year.

In Modern times, it appears so that every year, the age at which parents start worrying about schooling is receding. There is no specific rule regarding the age criteria for admissions to LKG. Most of the schools set their own rules regarding offering admissions for pre-nursery. This range may be from 2 and ½ years to 4 years. But it is not necessary that your child might be mentally prepared for this.

Many school administrators say that parents plead them to admit their kids if they are falling a few months short of the required age. They fear that their child might lose a whole year. It is hard to explain to them that giving admission to a student who is not ready will make it very difficult for him/her to cope up with the stress. According to some early childhood educators, the right age for enrolling kids in school is four years. Some other believe that since the neuromuscular development and motor coordination of the kid will not be set until he/she is five years old. So, formal schooling should be introduced only after that.

The school age is reducing every year. Parents are willing to send their 18 months old kid to pre-schools. They expect them to start writing and reading at such an early age. Parents often set goals for children that are difficult to achieve. They shouldn’t force their kids to write if their hands are not ready. This prevents them from getting nurtured through good parenting skills. Students have to deal with low self-esteem due to starting school at an early age.

A study in the Stanford University has shown that kids who were enrolled in kindergarten at the age of 6 instead of 5 performed better on tests of self-control. Self-control is an important executive function which helps the kids focus even when they are surrounded by distractions.

Children should be allowed to stay at home learning family values. These are the years that improve the social skills. Pre-school and nursery school is not as important as the learning they get from their parents. We should let them have fun, learn what is important at their own pace.

In many countries, it is very normal for children to start schooling at a later age. For example, in Finland, it is very common for a kid to begin schooling at an age of 8. Their childhood is spent on playtime and social skills. This method has paid off really well since Finland is one of the top performing nations in the annual PISA rankings.

In India, a lot of unnecessary pressure is put on all the young kids by sending them into schools at an age when they are not ready. Even before they are sent to school, the pressure is put on them to learn as much as they can so that they can pass the interview for admission. Every kid is different. They develop at different paces. Just because your neighbour’s kid started to recite tables at an age of 3 doesn’t mean your kid will too.

There are a number of things kids have to deal with in school, including speaking clearly, engaging with peers and adults, feeling responsible for their belongings, and ability to cope up when things go their way. So, before you send your kid to school just ask yourself some questions. Can your child hold a pencil correctly? Can he dress? Can he hop, jump, and skip? If not, he might not be ready for formal schooling yet. Forcing this on him will just lead to a damaging and unhappy start to school, one of the best experiences of life, and cause him to lose his/her confidence.

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