Children who are at preschool age are very impressionable and developing rapidly, both physically and mentally. As a diligent parent, there are some things you can do to help your preschool-aged children develop and improve before starting the school years. Let’s take a look at some tips and ideas of what can be done.
#1 – Always Read To Children and Encourage Them To Read
Reading is by far and away one of the greatest ways to learn things. Most of us have learned so much over the years through reading. Always read to very young children and encourage preschoolers to read often. Reading also helps a child learn how to spell words by constantly seeing them in print and reading helps to expand the mind and promotes positive brain development.
The more a child reads, the better they’ll begin to understand the concept and process of writing as well. A child that reads often will grow up obtaining much knowledge.
#2 – Task Children With Simple Household Chores
Every member of the family needs to do their part in maintaining the home and everything that goes with it. Tasking a child with some simple household chores teaches them to be responsible, organised and to not be lazy.
The more tasks and chores a child does, the more independence they’ll develop, something that will serve them well for the rest of their lives.
#3 – Playtime and Socialising
Kids need to spend time with other kids around their own age in order to develop their social skills and communication skills. It’s one thing interacting with parents but it’s entirely different when a child is interacting with their peers.
Children need to be able to learn how to interact with other children as well as adults. Playtime with other kids will also help develop their physical fitness if they are engaged in physical activities.
Most of all, in order to be well-rounded and develop on every level, children need to have fun.
#4 – Enrol Your Child In a Preschool
Preschools or early education centres are fantastic places for preschool-aged children to attend. Not only do they get to mix regularly with other kids, as mentioned in the point above, they will also get a grounding in academic basics, participate in activities for physical and mental development, improve their communication and social skills, learn about good nutrition and healthy eating and prepare in every way possible to be ready for the school years ahead.
Finding an early learning centre near you is as simple as searching online for your area. “Dural childcare” is one example of what to search for if you’re living in Dural NSW. “Dural preschool” is another.
#5 – Balance Praise and Constructive Criticism Or Correction
If your child does something well, even if it’s the simplest of tasks, praise them. Praise, where praise is due, is always a positive thing and everyone needs to be praised to develop a good self-esteem. Likewise, children also require constructive criticism and correction and should receive this when necessary.
Don’t over-praise a child, as they could end up developing an over-inflated sense of confidence that’s not actually based on anything real. In other words, if they need to improve, let them know and instruct them on how they can improve and where.
#6 – Teach Your Child How To Cook
They don’t necessarily have to learn how to cook an entire meal all by themselves, but they can certainly assist with the cooking and learn the basic skills. Kids love things like cake, so teach your child how to prepare the mix, bake the cake and then decorate it once it’s cooked. They’ll have a lot of fun and learn some important life lessons.
#7 – Encourage Them To Do Educational Puzzles
These could be actual puzzle games in the form of a physical game, or educational puzzle games that can be downloaded onto a device. You can choose from math games, word games, brain training games and many more. Puzzle games get a child thinking and brain development is the result.
In Conclusion
There are many things that parents can do to help their preschoolers develop in a positive way. This article has just highlighted a select few.
