What are some of the ways preschool helps a child grow? By Child psychiatrist Joshua Sparrow
For some children this may be the first time they’re going into a group setting where the attention by caregivers will be divided among several children. Learning to share the relationship to the teacher will be a major new gain. Also, the child will be learning to make friends, share, take turns, and hold back on impulses, areas in which they’re still making progress. Preschool will present them with more opportunities to practice these skills. They’ll also have opportunities to learn about other children’s feelings, and to discover the joy of being generous. It’s very early, but you’ll see examples where the child will say, “Do you want to play with this doll?” That’s their little gift, and they’re learning the internal pleasure they get out of that.
Also, at this age kids love the daily routine of preschool. They get excited about mastering the schedule — they know when storytime and snack and lunch and nap happen — and they’re really thrilled with themselves. Their fantasy play becomes stronger around this age, and there are ways of being more elaborate with their imagination when other children are around. They also benefit from their peers in terms of language acquisition, and even motor development. You may start to see them climb up on a slide more readily, for instance.
