A lot of people in today’s age are still sceptical about sending their kids to school at an early age. They believe that education only includes the formal education of mathematics, science, social sciences and languages. They are also under the impression that exposing children to the world at the young age of 2 or 3 years will have a lot of negative effects on them. They couldn’t be more wrong. 

It is essential to understand for parents that early education is not necessarily a bad thing. It forms a very strong foundation for the children not only for the further years of formal education but for their entire life. A study conducted by the National Institute for Early Education Research states that four-year-old participants who attended regular preschool have greater improvement in early language, literacy and math development.

These are not the only reasons that Early Childhood Education is important. Here are some more reasons why education  in the early years is not only important but also beneficial:

1. Academic Learning:

The main aim of a preschool is to provide elementary education to young children upon which they can build their future lives. At the age of life, where children have the highest grasping power they are introduced to pre-maths and pre-writing concepts. 

Academic learning also involves understanding the language and numbers. Preschools are ideal places for this kind of academic learning. This is because they are equipped with the tools to hold children’s attention long enough to teach them something. 

The academic concepts are taught to young children through the method of storytelling or activities. These methods are specially designed to make the children better understand the different concepts. 

2.School Readiness:

The preschool environment introduces children to a structured environment. Students are expected to follow the norms of a classroom like sitting appropriately, not running around, and following instructions. These things help students develop their behaviour for the upcoming years of formal schooling.  

One of the determining factors of quality for any preschool is when they help resolve the continuous questions and endless curiosity of the young students, especially through the methods of exploring and experimentation. It also allows children to get a little detached from their parents and enter social settings. This proves to be very beneficial when students join an educational institute.

1. Social and Emotional Development:

Preschool exposes your child to an environment other than the one received at home. When they come in contact with other kids of their own age, they develop a sense of identity. The shared environment also helps them develop a sense of self-confidence. 

This is the time when they learn the important social values of respect, sharing and compromising. Most preschools have special circle time set aside for the children where they are encouraged to share their thoughts and emotions. Even though this is a small exercise, it goes a long way in the development of a child’s emotional quotient and makes them more articulate about their feelings.

1. Cognitive Development:

The setting of a preschool is very different from a normal school. This is to encourage the child’s cognitive development. Many studies have found that young children learn without being subconsciously taught. And that is exactly what a preschool setting does.

Through repeated visual and sometimes tactile cues the development of the child’s senses as well as their brains takes place. This cannot be done in the environment of a formal school.

1. Independence and Belongingness:

When young children are exposed to a shared environment with their peers, they develop a sense of belongingness. They understand the concepts of friendship and learn to share the teacher’s attention in class. They consider themselves part of a group.

Preschool also helps your child become independent. In a class, the children are taught to sit and eat with their classmates and friends. They are encouraged to do small tasks like keeping and removing their tiffins, taking care of their belongings and washing their hands before and after meals. 

These small activities develop in the young children a sense of independence which forms a very strong base for the latter years of life.

1. Phonics:

A lot of parents fail to understand the importance of the development of phonics at an early age. Phonics are the sounds made by each individual letter. This is very different from the normal learning of ABCs. For instance, the name of this symbol ‘c’ is cee, however in a word it is pronounced as ‘k’. The latter is what we call phonics.

Phonics are very important for the literary development of a child. These help them understand words and letters in those words based on their sounds. This is essential when they try to read new words by themselves. The knowledge of phonics also helps children write down words.

These are only a handful of reasons for the importance and necessity of early education. Learning is the journey of a lifetime and a sound early education is its foundation.