The first three years of life are crucial in a child’s development. During this period, he learns to stand and walk, to sit properly, to interact with others, to communicate, and to develop basic cognitive skills. Obviously, the child does not achieve these advances on his own, he does it with the help of his parents.
Later, in order to continue their development, the child will need to be inserted in school, a space where they will not only find professionals who will educate them but will also be able to interact with children their age. This new environment stimulates other capacities, not only cognitively but also socially and emotionally.
Unfortunately, there are still parents who question the effectiveness of nursery school and think that it is a place where children only have fun and where the chances of getting sick increase. However, it should be pointed out that the benefits of kindergarten or nursery school far outweigh any disadvantage that can be attributed to it.
It is true that in nursery school the child will spend a large part of the day playing, but it is not just any game, like the one they can play at home, but educational games that enhance their motor skills and stimulate their psychological and social development. In fact, during the first years of life, play is the main source of learning for children and the best way to discover the world.
The main advantages of going to nursery school are:
- Create new spaces for interaction with children of the same age and with contemporary groups that enhance their development.
- Stimulates verbal and extraverbal communication through play and other group activities.
- Strengthens emotional ties with people and stimulates empathy, causing the child to abandon the typical egocentricity of the first years of life.
- It contributes to the achievement of children’s independence and autonomy, as well as the formation of well-structured life habits.
- Stimulates emotional self-control and assertiveness in conflict resolution. In fact, the nursery school is the place where the seed of Emotional Intelligence grows.
- It strengthens the child’s self-esteem and self-confidence, as he becomes more independent and acquires new learning.
- Develops fine motor skills, mainly through games and drawing. In addition, it also stimulates motor coordination from those games that involve physical skills.
- Teaches the child the basic rules of coexistence and respect for others, as well as the rules and limits that must be met.
- It develops their creativity and imagination, mainly through stories and role plays.
- It favors the development of language and the acquisition of new words, which considerably expand the child’s vocabulary.
- It promotes the acquisition of complex cognitive skills and stimulates the development of thought.
It is worth clarifying that it is normal for you to have doubts and that, in your desire to protect your child, you want to postpone the separation as much as possible but remember that, sooner or later, he will have to enter school.