Although preschool education in Singapore isn’t compulsory under the law, a huge majority of parents still choose to send their kids to kindergarten because it’s where their little ones will have their many first experiences.
Besides preparing them for future learning, preschool is where children get to learn various emotional, social, and cognitive skills that set them up for academic success. It’s designed to provide young learners with lots of positive nurturing and formative experiences.
If you’re still on the fence about this, we’ll talk about why it’s a great idea to enrol your child in a kindergarten programme to help you feel more confident in your decision!
Kindergarten is mentally stimulating for children
Children at this age need to have fun as much as they need something mentally stimulating. Preschools and kindergarten programmes acknowledge this by providing activities for young learners that sharpen and train their capacity to think for themselves.
Children experience mental stimulation when they’re in a new and fun environment, not when they’re always at home and seeing the same sets of faces every single day.
Because a young learner’s brain functions like a sponge at this age, it’s strongly recommended that parents take advantage of this crucial stage by enrolling their kids in kindergarten programmes.
Kindergarten promotes social and emotional development
Children’s emotional and social development is just as important as their mental growth. Kindergarten programmes focus on these too as well!
Early childhood education teachers do more than just monitor children while playing and teach the fundamentals of the alphabet and numbers.
Kindergarten teachers are also trained to help young learners develop social and emotional skills by encouraging them to interact and build friendships with others. A kindergarten offers a safe and controlled environment for kids to engage with their peers.
Kids are also taught how to manage and resolve conflicts, which are two crucial skills that can inform how they navigate relationships in the future.
Kindergarten teaches independence
There’s no better place for children to learn independence at a tender age than in kindergarten.
In a preschool setting, children do almost everything on their own. From organising their personal things to unpacking their lunch box, kids have no one to rely on but themselves, teaching them the value of learning things by themselves.
When children learn independence early on, they soon realise that it isn’t just themselves that they have to take care of. This then teaches them how to empathise with other people.
Kindergarten fosters curiosity
Even though kindergarten programmes follow a more structured routined than daycare centres, teachers facilitate children’s curiosity by encouraging them to maximise their desire for exploration and discovery.
Kindergarten is the best place to foster curiosity because the teachers are there to ensure the children’s safety and familiarity while engaging in new, stimulating activities.
Through the structure and supervision present in kindergarten programmes, children have more confidence to enjoy and explore new activities that spark their curiosity and creativity.
Children are safer in preschool while you’re at work
The thought of leaving your child at home under someone else’s supervision is terrifying enough for any parent.
Instead of paying a babysitter or a nanny to look after your little one, you can send them to a preschool where you can entrust them to a professional who’s actually trained to teach and monitor kids.
A kindergarten is a place where teachers keep an eye out for your child and ensure their safety while you’re at the office. You can even pick a preschool that’s closer to your workplace so you can drop by during your free time.
