Preschool Dilemma

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What's with the letters and numbers in preschool? You have k, 1, 2 to learn the letters and numbers. Kids also have plenty of time -years 3-12 to catch up to the other kids who did learn their ABCs. Don't cut their childhood short.
Kids don't need to know their letters and numbers so young. They need to learn how to play.
I loved big class sizes and we had much older kids in class. So much to learn from them. Teachers were juts facilitators. I remember other kids more than the teachers even though they were always there setting up arts and crafts or getting us dressed to go out.

I am in no way in favor of a rigorous academic preschool, but I don't think it is too much for kids to know their letters and numbers by 4 or 5, although it isn't the end of the world if they don't. We are at a play based preschool. A PP explained very well how play based is different than just playing. I think this is the right balance. They aren't sitting at desks, but the games they play help them learn basic skills, in addition to games and outdoor time just for fun alone. My son is 4 and it seems like most kids know their letters and numbers, can write their own names (at least to a degree), but I don't most are reading - which is more than fine.

They have a lot of fun at school, are excited to go there (if he sees a friend in the hall he will excitedly sprint to class), all while getting the building blocks for academics later.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm a preschool teacher and I vote for P2. A class with 20 kids is much more chaotic and your child may get lost in the shuffle of dealing with the extra behavior problems that could come with a larger class.

I'm a fan of play-based learning. Take a look at their dress-up area and dramatic play. Do they let the kids paint freely or is there always an assigned "craft" that looks more like the work of an assistant than the child themselves? Finally, go with your gut when you are face to face with the director or doing a walk through. You want warmth and caring, versus strict and academic.

Strict and academic works well for some kids like mine who then thrived in school as they were well prepared. The kids who were in play based with any academics really struggled.

Play based learning is different than just playing. Play based learning educates the child in the same areas as an academic/worksheet heavy classroom. Letters (and sounds), numbers and counting, colors and shapes--all those are taught just as well as with a worksheet, but in a way that a child can make connections in their head and using all their senses. The bonus is that they aren't burnt out by worksheets when they arrive to Elementary school. Of course some kids like worksheets, but many don't and those kids can end up with low self esteem if they aren't good at it, setting them up to feel like a failure before they even start K. Play based learning absolutely has structure as well. I think you're thinking of those daycares that are just child-minding (while some daycares have strong curricula, of course). I used to work at a preschool with worksheets and I saw some kids who became dejected when they couldn't trace letters well. There's no reason to have that experience at 3 or 4.

Yeah, play-based is the way to go. My kid is in a play-based program, and they learn the alphabet/sounds, numbers/counting, colors, shapes, sorting, patterns, basic knowledge about their world, etc. They play games, do science experiments and "cooking" projects to learn about making predictions and to observe the physical properties of things, and lots of field trips to museums and children's theater. They also have lots of time for free play, with lots of blocks, a play kitchen, dress-up clothes, dolls, books, puzzles, and drawing materials available. The kids are all well-prepared for kindergarten.

And I checked the crafts at all the places we looked at. I love that the center we are at is decorated with projects that were clearly made by kids--imperfect and quirky--and not by teachers worried about everything looking nice. It was a major factor for me, along with outdoor space and affectionate teachers.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What's with the letters and numbers in preschool? You have k, 1, 2 to learn the letters and numbers. Kids also have plenty of time -years 3-12 to catch up to the other kids who did learn their ABCs. Don't cut their childhood short.
Kids don't need to know their letters and numbers so young. They need to learn how to play.
I loved big class sizes and we had much older kids in class. So much to learn from them. Teachers were juts facilitators. I remember other kids more than the teachers even though they were always there setting up arts and crafts or getting us dressed to go out.

This would be so nice if it were the reality but it's not these days. Within the first month of public school K, my kid was learning how to count by 5s and then 2s. They assessed her on how many sight words she knew before even entering K. Maybe private schools can take it slower but those of us who can only afford to go the public school route are at the mercy of common core curriculum plans.