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For parents of young children, one goal that emerges through early childhood is ensuring that their little ones are ready for kindergarten. While one of the most obvious ways to prepare a child for an educational environment is to enroll them in preschool, preparedness starts at home, too. Find out what you can do to get your child excited about the prospect of learning below.

A Parents’ Guide to Kindergarten Prep

What Is Preschool?

Preschool is considered the entire time before kindergarten, including all of the ages from birth through Pre-K. As such, preschool isn’t just for three-year-olds. It takes place no matter the child’s age or level of development. Even from birth, children are constantly learning. From interactions at the grocery store to play time at home or in a day care center, learning happens across many different environments.

How Can You Prepare Your Child for Kindergarten?

Parents should prepare their children for kindergarten through child-guided, teacher-directed, and play-based activities. At such a young age, children don’t need to be put into didactic-style learning environments. To set a context for learning formal concepts, children should engage in play-based learning.

preschoolPlay-based learning invites children to answer questions, make discoveries, and solve problems by using their imagination. While children engage in their surroundings, teachers and parents can present questions to encourage deeper thinking. For example, if a child is playing with blocks, you might ask them what would happen if a block tower should get too tall, or which color blocks are being used.

This unique style of learning teaches children to embrace their curiosity, introduces them to the worlds of physics and math, and also hones their self-control and communication skills. It can lay a foundation for problem-solving, art, science, pre-language, and pre-reading skills. A child who has these strong foundations will naturally learn to read and write when they are ready; by engaging in the world around them, they begin to understand the purpose for words, numbers, and learning concepts.

 

If you’re a parent in Maricopa County seeking a preschool where your child can explore the world through play-based learning, turn to The Preschool at Discovery in Gilbert, AZ. This child care facility is overseen by highly trained staff with more than 50 years of combined experience. Their intentional approach to play ensures children can express their curiosity while being guided by teachers in a faith-based environment. Find out more about their philosophy towards learning online or call (480) 999-4245 for additional information.

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