Preschools in India

Choosing the best preschool curriculum is a hotly debated topic. Different experts have different opinions about ideal preschool curriculum. However, all the experts agree on one thing and that is curriculum should reflect the age and cognitive/emotional development of the child. But here again, differences occur. Different children has different emotional development pattern so a curriculum becomes more of an individualised thing keeping in mind needs and development of a particular child. The educational bar for kids is continually being raised. What was earlier taught in kindergarten is now taught in preschool. For example, kids used to learn numbers, alphabets and social skills in kindergarten but all these things are now being taught in preschools and that’s a remarkable change in our educational pattern.

One idea for best preschool curriculum is to incorporate pre-design lessons in the course which will be applicable to all the kids. The second idea is to use customised lessons in the best interests of a child. Parents are in ideal situation to tell where the child stands in terms of emotional growth and cognitive abilities. The focus of a preschool curriculum should be on natural learning tendencies of the child and not on teaching him rigidly. It is important to find what interest a particular child. If a kid is interested in fruits then naturally it will be easier for him to learn counting skills with the help of fruits or find an alphabet that is covered in fruit. A child’s natural interest should be given utmost priority in a preschool curriculum.

Best preschool curriculum must have subjects on art or music. These subjects are always fascinating and most of the kids will learn better if music or art is included in the curriculum. Social skills should be an integral part of the curriculum. Socialization skills play a major role in child’s future growth and development and preschool teachers must focus on that aspect. Finally, a preschool curriculum must promote independence and development of individual strengths.

Playschools have become a favourite among parents. In terms of popularity and preference, playschools have leftnormal schools far behind and the reasons of this phenomenon are not hard to find. But before we dwell on benefits and advantages of playschools, we need to understand a child’s mental setup when he joins a playschool. A kid is very vulnerable and tender when he first attends the school. It is not easy for him to deal with separation anxiety. He seeks same love and care provided by his parents from others around him. He requires personal attention and comfort in new surroundings. All these factors play a major role in parents opting for playschools instead of normal school.

Compared to a normal school, the student-teacher ratio in playschools is usually less. In other words, this enables kids to receive appropriate care and attention from the teachers. This is where, playschool scores heavily over normal schools. A playschool is designed keeping in mind child’s safety. Safety of toddlers is given utmost importance in playschools. Compared to a normal school, playschool learning and teaching environment is much more fun. Here the emphasis is on making learning an enjoyable activity for the toddlers. School curriculum is designed with the help of creative elements. Learning toys like clay making, blocks and puzzles make education entertaining and visually stimulating.

Toddlers need to rest and sleep. Playschools have provisions for such requirements. Most of the playschools have mattresses laid in a room. Playschool teachers are specially trained for dealing with toddlers as this job demands patience. Teachers try to understand the mindset of kids. A playschool environment thrives on colourful and attractive infrastructure. Walls are painted with wonderful pictures of animals, birds and other eye-catching elements. This makes the process of learning more enjoyable for the kids. All these factors play a major role in parents deciding to choose playschools over normal schools.

Preschool has become a necessary part of a child’s education. It is not exactly an easy task for parents to prepare their child for preschool education. But, for a child to be successful in preschool and formal education, he must be prepared for preschool. The preparation process starts with making your child as independent as possible. It should begin with basic hygiene, toilet training and ability to dress himself. Parents should take steps to make child comfortable in company of others. Preschool teachers know the importance of love and care but they are not really able to provide each and every child same level of attention as that of their parents. A child takes time to get adjusted to a new environment. Some children feel extremely uncomfortable in company of strangers like preschool teachers and other kids. However, it is the combined duty of parents and teachers to get rid of any such fears harboured by the kid.

A child will do much better in preschool education if he has been taught some basic concepts by his parents. Prior knowledge of colours and shapes will help the kid in grasping his lessons better at preschool. This is a delicate and slow process that parents should practice on a regular basis. Just a casual introduction to different colours while he is wearing dresses or eating fruits of different shapes will give him elementary knowledge of colours and shapes.

Parents can also introduce alphabet and letter sounds to the toddlers. These lessons should be fun and casual. These steps are necessary because of education bars in preschools and kindergartens are being raised. Now kids get to learn a lot many stuff in these classes and if they are not prepared, they will face difficulty in preschools. The early learning is to provide kids the head start to become more successful in preschool and then later in formal education.

Kindergarten education literally shapes the future of a child. If there is a term that one can use for kindergarten then it must be ‘fun learning experience’. Toddlers are taught basic learning skills at kindergarten. These skills play a crucial role in further education of the child. At many places kindergartens are also known as preschools, nursery schools or play schools. However, in recent times the concept of each of these terms has been defined in a more proper way. Kindergarten is for kids aged between two to five years. The purpose of kindergarten activities is to improve the basic communication skills, introduction to alphabets and numbers and motor development of the kids. These activities are designed in such a way that child not only enjoys doing them but also learns faster.

There are certain factors that are kept in mind while planning kindergarten activities. The priority goes to concept of education in each and every activity. Education in kindergartens is all about simple activities. There is no unnecessary inclusion of academics in kindergarten activities. The primary aim is to teach children how to speak, how to recognise different objects, how to identify plants and animals, how to distinguish colours etc. In last few years, computers have also been included in kindergartens with the help of which children are introduced to new technology. Computer learning activities also help in improving hand-eye coordination.

Kindergarten ideas place special emphasis on element of creativity. By providing creative freedom to children, teachers can bring out the best from the kids. For example, in an art class, a child can paint stars in red or blue colour instead of white. The aim here is to enhance his creative side. Toddlers at kindergarten are introduced to kids of their age. By indulging in observations and interactions with other toddlers, kids can learn many new things. They discover the joy of sharing and communicating. Kids also learn basis etiquettes which goes a long way in shaping their future.

It is an established fact that a kid learns better when learning becomes fun. Repetitive assignments and boring homework tend to take the fun out of learning. That explains why preschools focus more on educational games which not only allows kids to have fun but also makes them learn. Teachers at preschools plan interesting games for kids to add excitement and enjoyment in their learning phase. Preschool educational games for kids are increasingly becoming popular. These games help in fostering team spirit, confidence and social skills among the kids. Educational games also help in enhancing memory, intelligence and creativity.

Many educational games for kids are based on memory, health, word structure, art and music, alphabets, logics, numbers, geography, animal and nature, mathematics, identifying colours and objects, and spellings etc. Talking about some of the interesting games for preschoolers, ‘As You Like’ is quite a popular game. Every kid loves cartoon characters and this game is all about sketching a picture of any favourite character. Children are also made to colour these sketches using sketch pens or crayons. This game helps in enhancing creativity of the kids.

‘Place Me’ involves objects of different shapes and sizes. In this game, child is asked to draw the outline of an object and then place the object into the correct outline. What this game does is to help kids in identifying objects in accordance with their shapes and sizes. ‘Fill the Gap’ is a fascinating educational game for kids. It is basically a spelling game with the help of which kids learn to improve their spellings. In this game, picture of an object is put in front of the kids and they are asked to fill the incomplete spellings against the items.

Some of the other popular kids educational games are ‘black or blue’ and ‘letters and number connection’. Apart from that online computer games, educational toys, number songs etc are some of the other options for kids.

Bonding comes easy to children especially when they enroll themselves in a preschool. It is natural for parents to be anxious initially and ask the teachers how their ward is faring. But as time goes, kids learn to adjust to the wake-up times as well as teachers and they adore the preschool. There are several activities that interest the child in a preschool. This is the early education plan that is so well coordinated by zealous teachers.

 The traditional days in preschool are full of fun. The enthusiasm is seen in the parents too, as they deck their children with the finest traditional outfits during a dandiya or a Diwali day held in preschool. The best moments are captured via camera and photo shoots which can be shared with relatives and friends. Preschool science activities are also fun especially growing a plant or planting a sapling.

Competitions are more of an opportunity that allows a child to overcome being self-conscious. It also helps build confidence and allows the child to independently perform. Saying small dialogues, enactment and get-up is interesting. The array of fancy dress ideas opens up novel innovative dresses for children. The instructions given by the preschool for participating in a fancy dress must be followed at all times.

Other activities in routine days include wooden puzzles, stacking and also recognizing alphabets or common birds and animals. While saying poems, the rhyme method helps them to modulate their voice and opens up their sound so that they are able to speak clearly. Gently and with lot of care, teachers help the child pronounce difficult words and also sing along with the same. Water play or Sand play is a favorite among children.

The Boogie Woogie song or the Old Mc Donald enactments are still afresh in our minds. Most schools also do a parent-child interaction program which helps in the early days. The participation ensures that children get to like school and slowly they partake in the activities independently. Scribbling, crayon work and thumb painting are also taught in schools which help them develop their motor skills.

Sports become a part of Pre School games be it a bat-ball game or lemon-spoon race. Running, hide and seek and other word games causes ripples of fun-laughter which are the highlights of a preschool. Annual days, stage shows, X Mas party are other delights which are common in preschools.

Learning is an intriguing process. There are no set procedures regarding how different children learn. Different children have different learning methods. Irrespective of their abilities or interests, they learn in contrasting ways. This fact is so well understood by Montessori schools that realise that in order to make students reach their full potential; they need to be provided with appropriate learning environment keeping in mind specific needs. Even children with learning disabilities fit in Montessori schools. The schools have equipments designed for best learning modes. The education method in Montessori schools has been designed in an interesting way. Different items of interest have been integrated with different subjects that help kids in learning the basics. If we take the example of Geography subject, the books are plenty including on maps, animal figures, globes and pictures. Segregating one subject in different themes and books make children more comfortable with the subject material and they gain all round knowledge of a particular subject.

One striking aspect of Montessori school education is emphasis on teaching independence. Children are made active by indulging them in different tasks. These tasks could include serving at the drinks break or taking care of learning equipments, tying shoe laces, polishing, sweeping and making sandwiches etc. Children do these activities on a daily basis and that helps them in being independent.

Montessori education method also scores when it comes to not setting any standards of achievements. Children learn at their own pace. The school focuses on gifts, talents and needs of each child and provides them total freedom to do things that children love. The Montessori culture also encourages students to help and respect each other. Good quality equipment used in Montessori schools play a vital role in imparting quality education.

To enhance the learning experience of toddlers, teachers at preschool try to look for new ideas. For toddlers or young kids, games can play a major role in making learning an enjoyable process. Games are not just for entertainment or fun. They have a crucial role to play in the growth and development of the children. It helps in instilling important attributes like social skills, team play, intelligence and creativity etc. Toddlerhood is a developmental stage when child learns to explore things and his surroundings. Child also starts walking, talking in this phase. He learns to recognise people.

To further his learning, parents are sending their toddlers to preschools so that he can be better prepared for kindergartens or elementary schools. Child comes in contact with other kids at preschools and that’s his first introduction to social skills. He learns to establish relationship, work in a group and slowly starts feeling comfortable away from his parents. Preschools have become very popular in recent times and more and more parents are sending their kids there. Preschools focus on games that are educational as well as fun. This way, child is able to learn more.

‘Bunny Race’ is one such game. It can be played inside as well as outside. In this game a group of 4-5 kids are assembled together and made to jump like bunnies. Children just love this game. ‘Hide and Seek’ is another entertaining game where children are gathered around. When the teacher closes her eyes, children hide in different places and one who is caught hiding has to find the ones hiding. This is a very popular game all across the world.

Toddlers love to run around and that’s why ‘chase’ is such a popular game. This game helps child in remaining active and subsequently helps in motor development of the children. Other popular games are ‘Tagging game’, ‘Cat and Mouse’ game and Fishing game etc. These games assist in hand-eye coordination, motor development and alertness.

Preschool age is a crucial development stage for children. This is their first step to become independent emotionally and the 2 hours spent away from their care giver is the most unique experience. Children tend to fall ill often when they are growing. This is also their way to build their immune system. Along with the same, proper diet and a healthy family environment is more than enough to keep them happy.

 Children’s activities are engrossing and keep them busy and hence once the child is recovered it is fine to send them to the class. It is always best to inform the teacher regarding the absenteeism and also attached a doctor’s certificate in case the illness was severe. Teachers are trained in the school to extend a lot of compassion and care to children who are ill. A child may also display a change of mood or angry behavior while experiencing discomfort.

 While the child has fever or severe ailment, rest is essential and hence it is best to refrain from going to school. Children who are newly admitted to preschool take time to adjust with the surrounding. While being particular about attendance speeds up the process to get them familiar to the routine of going to school, it is very much important to help them recover. Speaking to them positively about school like ‘the teacher and your friends miss you’ certainly helps. The idea is to keep them motivated to get back to school so there is no apprehension in their little minds.

 Most preschools also insist on a form that mentions allergies or sensitivities the child has before admission. Kids allergic to certain items like pollen, dust, gum or colors are surely taken care of in the best possible way. Certain new age schools also have a doctor on house which is beneficial to address accidental falls or sudden illness. The teachers who are newly inducted must also be communicated about the child’s allergies and small facts certainly help to avoid a health hazard.

Once the child is fit and healthy, they automatically love to partake in the activities. Diet restrictions may also be communicated. Playing and learning builds a certain joy that helps them overcome their discomforts.

Choosing right preschools for your kids is very important. Preschools play a wonderful role in shaping child’s educational life. Parents, now a day are looking for quality preschools for their kids. For some parents, lack of quality time is the main reason behind sending their kids to preschools whereas for some others, preschools offer a wonderful way to prepare their children for kindergarten.

The reasons could vary but objective remains the same, hence parents need to be very selecting about choosing right preschools. There are several factors that should be kept in mind while zeroing in on appropriate preschools.

Location is first important factor. A preschool kid is very young and he will need to be picked up and dropped off by you. It will be better for him as well as you if the school is nearby. Long distance can make child uncomfortable and he will always be worried. He can also suffer from separation anxiety so choose a location that you can easily travel. Once you have selected the preschool, look for the curriculum aspect.

Parents must be aware of what their child will be learning in the school. You can have a look at different preschools and their curriculum’s. Some preschools will not be more than a day care center whereas some others will have well developed curriculum designed to prepare your child for kindergarten.

A preschool should be able to foster academic growth. It is also important that child learns basic things like being introduced to reading and writing, alphabets etc.

Cost is also an important factor in deciding preschools. Check out the fee structure of the preschool. It can be monthly, weekly, annually or can offer subsidized costs. A preschool charging exorbitant amount does not guarantee to provide best of education for your kid. Talk to other parents and get their feedback. It is also important to notice teacher/student ratio in the preschool. A child is likely to learn more if he/she has more attention from the teachers. Considering these factors will help you in choosing perfect preschool for your child.