What's the point of preschool?

Question

I didn't go to preschool, but I'm the smartest girl in my grade.

What's the point of it, anywho?

Answer 1

Hi Dana!  This is actually a better question than I think most people realize.  I think many of the answers (though not all) you got reflect a key point that is missing and is really at the heart of your question - "can a preschool help the child where they are developmentally?"  The simple answer is "it depends on many of the factors that the child, parents, and school bring to it."

With you knowing how to read at 3 and having socialized very well, I would venture to say that you might have been lucky to find a preschool that met your needs.  There are many out there that would have met your needs, but there are also many out there that would have been harmful.  

I am used to teaching a varied age group - 3 to 6 year olds all in one classroom.  My job as a preschool teacher is to observe the children to see where they are developmentally, academically, socially, and any other words ending in "ly" that I can think of.  :-)

Once I have a clear understanding of that, I work to help the child move to the next thing they need.  This is a very different model from what you see in many preschools, where the teacher tries to fit the child into a certain mold or academic standard.  Again, not all preschools are that way, but enough of them are that you want to be careful where your child is sent.

For example, with you reading already, can you imagine having to do a letter sound a week?  You were already past that stage and to be thrown into that might have been a nightmare for you.  Now imagine going to a school where you had the freedom to write whatever stories you can imagine, then the teacher helps correct a grammar point or two along the way just so you can slowly learn those things as well.  Or a classroom full of math materials that let you learn things you generally do not learn in preschool:

--Addition and Subtraction of 4 digit numbers

--Multiplication and Division

--Square and cube roots

Our cultural area is full of puzzle maps, where children learn the different countries of the world.  What's more important in this area is the cultural aspect of it.  So if a child is really drawn to this area, we make every effort to incorporate an understanding of the world and  the diffrerent cultures.  Children who really are interested in this area of the classroom really walk away from it with a more empathetic worldview and tend to think more clearly about how their actions have an impact on others.

With regards to language specifically (since it's the academic area you mentioned), I remember 2 Kindergarteners I had in the classroom who were similar to you - they learned to read earlier than some of the other students.  There was one day they got together, took out a rug, and took the movable alphabet to the rug.  The movable alphabet is a box of cut out, wooden or plastic letters.  There are about 7-10 of each letter in the box.  They started writing this really funny story (I took a picture of it, but have since lost it in a computer crash.  I wish I could remember what it was about).  They ran out of room on the rug and had to get another one.  Then they ran out of letters, so they went and got another movable alphabet box.  By the time they were done, their story was 4 rugs long and it took up 2 movable alphabet boxes.

I had never seen a child quite do that before, but I see other discoveries all the time similar in nature to that.

Of course, I teach at a different type of school called Montessori.  Your question of whether I could make your preschool experience a good one, I'd say I could figure out a way to, since that's my job.  The stock answers of "it helps you prepare for kindergarten" or "to learn how to read" or "to learn how to socialize" ALL assume one thing:  That what they're saying they offer the child is what every child needs and it simply is not.  Every child needs what they need, not what the class needs.  It is the teacher's job to see what that is and how they can help.

Answer 2

Preschool started out for those "at-risk" and has proven benefitial for all children...as others have already answered..for social reason, Kindergarten expectations are higher and the transition into "formal schooling" is easier.  Do all children "need" it?  Not really, though I recommend it to all.  Not every family is involved as it seems that yours was...especially with many families having 2 working parents.  The "foundation" is not often in place when these families send the kids to school because there are many who think...why teach them it now...they'll learn it in school. They don't have the socialization that preschool can provide.  I bet your mom made sure you were around other people too, along with teaching you basic concepts and the reading.  Be proud of your mom :-)  She gave you a head start all on her own.  Some families can't or won't provide it.

Answer 3

Well for children that are getting ready to go into the school system the parents somehow think that Preschool will give them some kind of advantage over other students. Sometimes parents use a Preschool because they work and need a place that will take their child fulltime.

I worked in the Preschool setting and believe me there is no advantage regardless of what the government tells you or parents try to tell you.

Answer 4

Preschool is very important now more then ever.  The expectations that kindergarten has has greatly increased in the last couple of years. Children need the social skills necessary to function within a school setting. They need to know how to interact with same aged peers but also they need to know how to interact with their teacher.  Kindergarten has a heavy emphasis on academics, and less on the social aspect.  Children previously were allowed to play and learn how to interact with each other. There is not a lot of time for that now.  So it is important that children meet these social prerequisites before entering elementary school.  Children who are not socially mature will have a difficult time learning the academics of kindergarten.  They may not be held back in kindergarten, but if they never catch up they could be held back in second or third grade.  So preschool is very important.

Answer 5

Some children need preschool and others don't.  I think it's an important stepping stone that prepares children for 'real' school.  They are slowly introduced to being away from mom, they learn some early socialization skills, and they enter into kindergarten with a knowledge of letters and numbers.  I can usually tell which of my kindergartners have been to preschool and which of them haven't on the first day of school.

Answer 6

It's okay if you disagree - I must say that kindergarten has changed much since you went to school. The things I learned in first grade are now being taught in kindergarten and children are being left behind without a preschool background.  Preschool is for kindergarten readiness and learning appropriate times to talk and to listen - for sitting still and sharing.  Lots of social skills are brought into the equation.  Most kindergarten teachers will say they want their students socialized before they enter their care.  That's what preschool is for!

Answer 7

well preschool is a way to teach young children how to get prepared for school. my sister for instance is extreamly smart because she has been going to school since she was about three... she is now 5 and is going to school in september. she is extreamly smart, she knows her numbers, alphabet, and a million different songs. i enjoy hearing her sing. as an older sister, it is very satisfying. it also took the stress away from my mom that she taught my sister that she can be in school, and not forcing my mom to stay with her. so it takes away all the stress from her kindergarden year.

Answer 8

-Not everyone has has the same upbringing many children who do not attend preschool are just left infront of the TV,  onthe computer or stuck in a buggy all day-they are unstimulated and will perform badly in schools ,relationships and careers.For most children rpreschool is a chance to be stimulated, cared for, meet friends and learn skills they otherwise may have never had opportunity to learn!!!

-To allow parents to get back to work, college, spend time with their other children-gives parents a bit of a break!

-As others have said preschool is a social experience that provides a speciliased education framework that will support children in their years at first school...it ensures that they have had access to the skills needed to make them confident, boast self-esteem and have social skills (I mean sharing, turn taking, empathy etc not just having friends).

PS: That 'colouring in books at nursery' comment---thats a very offensive comment- in my preschool and many many others there is a structured education system based on the heuristic nature of children and the method called 'learning through play'...colouring in IS a fun and stimulating way to teach children fine manipulative control needed to learn to read and write, it begins talking about colours and differentiation, it brings in maths-shapes and spacial awareness, social skills-sharing the crayons and books with others, and communication-talking about what they are doing.

So despite you thinking colouring in is useless it is ACTUALLY an important learning tool...and is one of many learning tools us QUALIFIED STAFF use in day to day practice

Answer 9

Some parents think this will get their child 'ready for school' or givie Lil Suzy 'social skills'. Actually, by fourth grade there is no difference in skill knowledge from either group. And there has been some new evidence from upper elementary teachers that say kids who DID NOT go to preschool actually behave BETTER than there preschool-attending counterparts.

Answer 10

"Three- and four-year-olds are naturally very curious about the world around them, and they are capable of learning a great deal about its workings: how seeds sprout, how water flows, how clay feels when its pushed and pulled, how colors change when paints mix, what makes one block tower balance and another fall over, and so on. Good preschools give students plenty of hands-on opportunities to explore their world.

More fundamentally, children in preschool learn an approach to learning itself; in other words, they learn how to learn. Depending on their preschool experiences, they can come to view learning as creative exploration, or as dull memorization. They can begin to see school as a place where they feel comfortable and safe, or one in which they always need to be on their guard against being made to feel dumb."

SOURCE

http://www.drspock.com/article/0,1510,57...

Answer 11

It is sad to say, but now a days most parents just see Pre-school as a facilitator while they go about their normal lives. If as parents we see pre-school as a means to an end then most of our children would be doing better in school.

Pre-school should be a support for parents to help set the foundation for further integration into society.

Answer 12

Preschool is a great way to introduce children to social skills, team work, manners, rules and other people's feelings and thinkings.

Aside from that it provides an enriching base to the academics that all children need to be successful in their future.

Your question is good, but some people may be put off by it because your wording is a tad arrogant sounding.  I'm sure you didn't mean to come off that way.

Answer 13

Preschool I believe is for children to go there so they can get used to learning from teachers, getting along with classmates, how to behave in school (like the part when they actually start learning something) and stuff like that

Answer 14

So just because it did not happen to you. You cannot see the point of preschool? A smart person would be able to see beyond their own experience.

A good preschool lays down the building blocks for learning. Teaches social and emotional skills for parents who do not have the time or skills to do this.

Answer 15

To develop socialization skills for children, as well as basic but vital knowledge such as colors, cutting, counting, a familiarlity with the alphabet, and sometimes how to write your first name.  Preschool prepares children for kindergarten and beyond and is the first step towards college.  In fact, children who attend preschool are much more likely to go to college.

Answer 16

Preschool is very important to many kids. It helps them socially...learning to share, wait their turn, etc. They also learn some basics and get their first chance to learn and create.

It's not essential, but a lot of fun and helpful to many kids. More than anything they have fun, make friends and get a lot of fun experiences that many parents don't have the time or energy to provide at home.

Answer 17

i used to think the same thing honey, But when my child was a baby, they demaded me to have him put in pre school, Do you know why? Because, its to Get the kids to get to know what to expect when they go to kindergarden, its to help get them aquainted in an evironment that they can go with out there parents and basically get them ready for kindergarden, its not to see how dum or smart the kids are, Its to have them adjust to a world of new maturity so when they get to kindergarden, they are not so scared to leave there parents for a couple of hours, they know what the teacher will teach them, and how ell they act, i know because i didnt go to pre school either, and but i went to nursery school, and i screamed and carried on soo bad, because i left my momma, so come kindergarden, i was ok