Preschools in India

The topic of preschool is a constant matter of debate among parents and child specialists. Different experts have different opinions about whether a child needs to go to preschool. The answer is a simple yes as well as no. Yes, because preschools play a major role in education and all round development of child and no because many kids that didn’t go to preschools or kindergartens still managed to do well in life. The choice comes down to individual parents. A good preschool can really make a valuable difference in a child’s life but the wrong preschool experience could potentially set a child back by creating a negative perception of school, learning, and socializing.

If you have decided to send your kid to a preschool you must look at what a preschool program has to offer. An ideal preschool builds the foundation of knowledge, culture, numbers etc. It also helps in developing child’s social and emotional skills. Preschool programs don’t work in a defined way. The course curriculum depends upon community to community and place to place. But at the same time, parents can achieve these objectives without the confines of a preschool program. They can create a learning environment at home and focus specifically to child’s education.

If your child has experience of daycare then he is less likely to require social environment of a preschool. If you have a joint family then child will develop social skills on his own. He will know the meaning of playing with others, sharing with others and other key social lessons. Parents can also think of creating a home preschool program for children. They can get such services from local libraries or online learning centers etc and create customized home curriculum for the child. Finally, it boils down to individual choice of parents and quality of preschool program in the neighborhood.

Imbibing reading skills in your child demands certain skills. Many parents express their inability to teach reading skills to their kids. But if you can read yourself then you can also teach your child. The first question that a parent needs to ask himself is whether child is ready to read? Usually, by the time a child attains the age of two, he/she is ready to read. But then, there are other factors also. Not every child is same so some may learn fast whereas some others take their own sweet time. It has been seen that some children have started developing an inclination towards reading as late as four or five years. As a parent you should observe your child keenly and check whether he flips through the pages or does he show any interest when you teach him letters. If your answer is yes then you can proceed to teach him reading.

First rule is to read aloud to him. Sit with him in a comfortable environment and read a story book to him. Keep your fingers on the word while you read. This will help child in associating the sound of the words with the printed words. If you read regularly, your child will also be interested in reading. You can also try to mix reading and writing. Try to mix reading, writing and seeing all together. This makes for a very effective strategy. Focus on teaching your child by emphasizing on the letter sounds more rather than on the letter names. Teach him one letter per day. Children take some time to learn so go slow.

Teaching kids to read should always be fun. Children should not feel any pressure. That’s why reading a story book is so very effective. Kids love stories plus these books have pictures which further piques their interests. You can also sing the letters and words to children. Do all these activities on a regular basis and soon your child will eventually learn how to read fluently.

• Bamboola, #73 (Old #26), Venkatakrishna Rd, Raja Annamalaipuram, Chennai – 600 028, Email : sanvedh@gmail.com, Website: www.bamboolachennai.com

• Foot Steps Play School, 41 Jaganathan Street, Lakshmana Nagar, Kottivakkam, Chennai 600041, Email : footstepsschool@gmail.com, Website: http://foot-steps.org

• The Child’s Nest, #6/1A,Vedhachalam Street, (opp Kovai Pazamuthir Solai,Kaveri Street), Saligramam, Chennai – 600 093, E-mail : contact@thechildsnest.com, Website: http://thechildsnest.com

• Funtellec School, New no 28, Vijayalakshmi Street, Mahalingapuram, Chennai – 600 034, Email Id : edu@funtellec.com, Website: http://www.funtellec.com

• Kriyative Kidz Preschool, 6/22, II cross street, Ragava Reddy Colony, Ashok Nagar, Chennai – 600083, Email Id : kriyativekidz@gmail.com, Website: www.kriyativekidz.com

• Apple Tree Play School, 3/330, 5th Road, Sidco Nagar, Chennai 60049, e-mail : appletreeplayschool@gmail.com, Website : http://www.appletreeplayschool.com/

• Kids Galaxy Play School, Plot No:220, II Cross Street, Natesan Nagar, Virugambakkam, Chennai – 600 092, Email : indra@kidsgalaxy.net, Website: http://www.kidsgalaxy.net

• Kinder Scholars International Preschool, New No. 6, (Old No.48), 1st Main Road, RK Nagar, R.A. Puram, Chennai – 600028, Email : info@kinderscholars.com

• Ikids, No.1, Diwakar Street, Bharani Colony, Saligramam, Chennai – 600 093, Email : info@ikids.in, Website : http://www.ikids.in/

• Learning Tree Montessori School, No 7, Venkateshwara Nagar 2nd Street, Adyar, Chennai, Email : mail@learningtreechennai.com, Website: http://www.learningtreechennai.com/

• The Banyan Tree,  #9/3,Vaigai Street, palaniappa nagar, Valsarawakkam, Chennai, Email Id: shruthitalapa@gmail.com

• Kids Play Zone, G1, Plot No 79 A, Bharat Flat, AVM Avenue, 3rd Street, Virgumbakkam, Chennai 600093, Email Id: info@kidsplayzone.net, Website: shttp://www.kidsplayzone.net/

• Grandma & Grandpa’s, Old no 37A, Rukmani Road, Besant Nagar, Chennai- 600090, Email : padma.kumar@grandmagrandpas.com, Website : http://www.grandmagrandpas.com

Emergence of IT has completely changed the education scenario. IT has also invaded into the realms of preschools. Now a day, it has become a common sight to see preschoolers glued before their computers. Though, stuffs like crayons, clay and water-colors are still prevalent but computers are definitely making their presence felt in a big way. One can find several useful preschool software programs available in the market. Developed by child psychologists and child educational experts, these software are primarily creative and productive in nature. With the help of these programs, kids can indulge in creative activities like drawing and writing. Preschool games software are also available. These programs have popular cartoon and comic characters which help children in recognizing colors, using mouse, identifying shapes and letters etc. Children can also learn how to read and type with the help of preschool software.

Preschool software have been designed to improve better coordination and problem solving abilities and critical thinking skills of children. Because the games are entertaining in nature, children find them very enjoyable and spend long time on them. This way, they learn to explore and imagine things. Software have definitely come as a boon for preschool education system. However, it is important to choose right kind of software among a glut of programs available in the market.

Most of the preschool software can be quite expensive so you need to be judicious while buying them. Think of the purpose behind buying the software or what kind of learning will it provide or the educational content of the program or its true benefits etc. Get some of the quality educational programs but make sure they are not affecting children in a negative way. Be selective while using preschool software.

A preschool is a place where kids come not just to learn but to have some fun as well. Therefore a preschool should have all kinds of games and equipments that not just aim at mental development but physical development as well! A trampoline can let kids enjoy along with some learning. Every preschool has activities and games that aim at some form of learning however, a preschool can also have equipments that purely attract the children to come and have fun.

You can own a Trampoline at a preschool. Trampoline can make kids enthusiastic and active. They are of various types and sizes. They can be easily used by anybody. It is best to select the one that suits an individual’s need and budget. Basically, trampolines can be divided into two main categories: Construction and recreational. The former has a steel frame and can be folded up for easy transportation. On the other hand, recreational trampolines are not as strong as the construction trampolines.

Young enthusiasts can exercise on the trampoline. Instructors can teach them the art of bouncing and stopping that is required to play and exercise on the trampoline. Trampoline models have powerful frames to support more weight. However, proper jump is essential. So it is necessary to take precautions. An instructor is a must who gives proper instructions on how to jump on a trampoline. It is usually advised that only one kid should jump on the trampoline at the time. By maintaining appropriate safety measures, trampolines can indeed be a great fun.

Preschool is the first step that introduces your baby to an institution of learning. After home, this is the second environment to which a baby is exposed to where he or she acquires new skills, learns new concepts and knows more about the world. It is here where the baby will meet new people from their own age group which will be the first step towards building relationships.

The concept of a play school or a preschool is relatively new in India and it is indeed your little ones first step towards mainstream education. Pre-schools are full of fun and learning. They have lot of activities that encourage a child to learn.

Almost all children between the ages 2-3 years are enrolled in preschool and this is especially the trend seen in urban cities and the metros. This in metros has almost become like a prerequisite forgetting admission in a school. Now-a-days parents don’t even wait for their child to turn two. In fact parents have to register their babies’ name well in advance.

However, parents must realize that if their child is not ready for going to a preschool, then it can become very stressful for them. Most parents today feel that their child should not be left behind and hence they hurry for everything without really looking at their child whether he or she is ready for the same or not. All children may not necessarily grow up and be comfortable with going to a pre-school at the age of two.

To avoid putting your child through stress, make sure that you prepare him or her for such an environment. Your child is ready for a playschool when he can sit in one place patiently. Key thing here is to learn that every child will take his or her own time to grow up and learn and parents need to catch that and act accordingly.

Learning must be an enjoyable activity for kids. Be it nursery, kindergarten and preschool, it is important to ensure that learning should be a fun and pleasant experience for our children. For a child, first day at school or nursery is full of nerves, excitement and tears. Parents leaving kids all alone with strangers is simply a nightmare for children. They feel lonely and seek support. Schools need to play major role at that point of time to calm the nerves of the children. Those first tentative steps should be made as easy and enjoyable as possible.

For a toddler or young child, education cannot be just all about knowledge and information. There has to be a dash of fun and then only child will start feeling comfortable in the school environment. Slowly, this will make him at ease with new kids, teachers and he would even start loving the hours spent in the school. It is very crucial for young kids to enjoy themselves. Incorporation of fun element in the early education curriculum helps children in developing their own personalities and other social skills. Learning educators must focus on scheduling child activities in an entertaining fashion.

Education system has changed a lot in recent decades. Almost all the nurseries and schools are trying to make their environment safe, secure and fun. Teaching staffs are trained in a way so that they can take care of all the needs of the children. It is not just about teaching. It is also about cultivating a learning environment where every aspect of child’s personality is being developed in a proper way. Schooling must be a happy experience for the children.

Stories are not just fun but also useful learning tool. Children love stories and any parent or teacher can vouch for that. The stories are a powerful tool in the hands of parents and teachers. Children always feel motivated at the thought of listening to a good story. What stories do is to make children listen to the stories with complete focus. Children are also able to internalize the language structure and slowly they start to recognize words and phrases they hear in the stories. Stories can be used in several other ways.

Children can learn a lot from stories if the storyteller is slightly creative. For instance, while you tell the story, you can make different animal sounds or create different voices or sing a song or make some interesting gestures. These activities make the entire storytelling session even more interesting. Children get to learn a lot and are totally bewitched with the entire experience.

Stories can also serve as a basis for teaching vocabulary to the kids. Children may not be aware of all the words being used in the story so you will be teaching words through stories. You also show them how to use those words in context of the language. Compared to simply memorizing a list of words, stories are definitely better tool for teaching vocabulary.

Preschoolers do not have great attention span. Stories come very handy in keeping them focused on a certain activity and story, in this case. Because of love children have for stories, you can use them in different ways. You can also use stories for varied tasks like asking children the title of the story or quoting from the story and asking who had said that or asking the kids to predict the end of the story etc. The list is simply endless and possibilities are definitely infinite.

We all know the importance of computer in our lives. There is simply no sphere of life that does not have the presence of computers and related technology. So how early child education could remain adrift of computers? Though, a certain section of society is against the use of computers in schools because of excessive violence in computer games. Their apprehension is definitely justified. However, a wide variety of safe and non-violent computer games are also available to the kids. There are plenty of educational computer games for kids that are used by preschools and kindergartens. These games help in teaching alphabets and numbers to the children. These games are very helpful in child’s development at preschool.

The contribution of educational computer games can be seen in diverse range of subjects including shapes, colors, alphabets, and numbers. Use of interesting pictures and graphics on computer instigates child’s interest in the learning process. Children are always fascinated by computers. Preschool teachers often use interesting educational games on PCs to involve children in various activities related to math, arts, music, language and many other skills.

One can find numerous useful educational software in market. Many parents swear by the usefulness of educational computer software. Children can solve math games, puzzles and can indulge in coloring and music with the help of these games. Parents can find good educational computer games for their preschool level children from a reputed kids store or they can order it online. A bit of search effort can also result into wonderful computer games that are totally free. Computer educational games are definitely useful learning tools and parents and teachers should definitely introduce kids to these games.

Gross motor skills refer to abilities acquired by children in their early childhood or infancy. These skills are a part of their motor development. So what is motor development then? The term ‘motor development’ describes the neurons located in the central nervous system. These neurons control the muscular development of the child’s body. Gross motor skills are extremely important for child’s growth. These skills are built, improved and controlled through the child’s early ages. They shape up the thinking abilities of the kids. They help children in growing strong and that’s why gross motor activities are strongly recommended during the preschool stage.

Preschool gross motor activities affect children in many aspects including his walking ability, muscular development and posture development etc. The process continues till adolescence. These preschool gross motor activities are very essential for the initial stages of child’s growth. There are wonderful indoors and outdoors motor activities for kids.

Reading and writing is major indoor activity for children. By learning alphabets, spellings, words, colors and listening to stories etc, child develop certain skills. Apart from that, board games, story acts, music games etc are also important motor skills activities. You can make these activities more interesting for the kids. For instance, ask children to jump, dance or hop around or whatever they feel like on the rhythms of the beat. This way, child develops his muscles by indulging in different kinds of movement and speed.

Similarly, you can ask kids to enact the stories told by you. They can indulge in play-acting actions and dialogues which will help in improving their memory apart from physical agility. Like indoor games, outdoor activities are very essential in development of gross motor skills of the kids. Indulge them in some physical preschool games and activities like riding the bicycle, skating or make them play on slides, swings etc. All these activities help in building body muscles of the kids and subsequently gross motor skills.