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. 

These are just some of the most frequent phrases that parents use to blackmail their children, they use punishment as a form of extortion in order to make them behave appropriately. Of course, this is not a good educational strategy, although it should be clarified that punishment in itself is not negative, on the contrary. It all depends on how it is applied. The punishment, appropriate to the age and in proportion to the damage caused, can be educational, but disproportionate punishment coupled with physical or verbal violence can have profound psychological consequences.

To apply punishment correctly, it is not enough to forbid the child to carry out one of his favorite activities or to ask him to do a task that is not to his liking. If we apply it in this way, the punishment is only a corrective. However, its main objective is for the child to understand his mistake and reflect on it. Only then will it have an educational effect and will be transmuted into good behavior habits.

Likewise, punishment should be just one more educational strategy, not the only way that parents use to teach the child, otherwise it will lose its effectiveness. In fact, if the child is punished frequently, he will end up getting used to this method. Therefore, punishment should be used only when other strategies, such as reinforcing positive behaviors, reflection, and calling for attention, have not worked.

Before the age of 5 the child is not able to reflect much about his behavior because his notions about what is right or wrong are very diffuse. Therefore, it is useless if you punish him for several hours, a short and concrete punishment will work much better. In the same way, you should not postpone the punishment, but it should be used immediately after the inappropriate behavior, otherwise the child will not understand the connection between his behavior and the corrective one.

To punish a child of this age, it will be enough to remove a toy, especially if it has been related to negative behavior. Another alternative is to ask him to go to a quiet place where he cannot do any activity so that he can think for a while. To get their attention you must use a serious and firm tone of voice, young children are usually very sensitive to the tone of the voice and manage to capture through it what they cannot understand with words.

At this age the most important thing for the child is play and socialization with his friends. Therefore, you can be punished by banning video games, surfing the Internet or going out to have fun with your friends. However, contrary to what many parents think, the punishment does not need to extend over the entire week.

When punishment is properly applied, one day is enough since at this age children have developed good reasoning skills and have acquired a series of moral notions that allow them to reflect on their behavior. In fact, it is recommended that before applying the punishment, you explain why he is being punished and what he has done wrong.

At this age the child is almost an adolescent and, although punishment continues to work, it must be complemented with other educational techniques, which tend to be much more effective, such as negotiation and dialogue. As at this age the most important thing is autonomy and the relationship with friends, punishment should be aimed at limiting these activities.

However, in adolescence it is essential to explain the reasons for the punishment, how long it will last and its rules. It is also essential that, once applied, it is fully complied with, if the adolescent realizes that the punishment is flexible, they will not respect it.