What Your Little One Will Learn in Preschool

Take the Learning Home

As back to school season starts, lots of folks suddenly feel overwhelmed with questions about their little one’s education! Since the introduction of preschool at home through virtual preschool platforms, these questions about curriculum have only multiplied in number. Don’t worry — it is wonderful to be informed and involved in making decisions about your little one’s preschool experience; because of how important the preschool experience is in the development of your child’s emotional, physical, social and intellectual development, we encourage it!

So, Playgarden Online has accumulated a list of things you can and should expect your little one to be learning at preschool at home, in person, or in a totally new setting! Additionally, we’ve added some ideas for how you can aid your little one in applying these important skills to learn at home!

Though it may seem obvious, one of the most important tools your little one will develop at any preschool at home program or in-person learning program is their ability to read letters and sounds! Though it may be a bit too tricky for them to have a grasp on lowercase letters, they will definitely begin learning their uppercase letters. Additionally, they’ll begin to build connections between letters and words, starting to be able to spell out simple things such as their own name, or “mom” or “dad”! Preschool programs should help them find connections between the letters and sounds as well.

So how can you help your little one work on these skills at home? The good part about language development is that we are constantly surrounded by words, so there are plenty of opportunities to bolster your little one’s language skills that are being worked on in in-person or virtual preschool. Reading for at least ten minutes a day can instill a love for reading in your little one as well as build that relationship between sounds, letters and actions! Additionally, when you run errands, a good idea is to introduce them to the words that make sounds in your everyday life. For instance, when you go to Whole Foods, be sure to point out the “h” sound and the “f” sound at the beginning of each word-it’ll work wonders!

Another really important skill your little one should be learning at preschool at home or preschool in person is their numbers and counting! Similar to how it worked with letters and sounds, your little one should be building a relationship with numbers and how they sound when spoken. Counting can be a bit trickier since it is more memorization based, but as your little one gets older, they’ll also realize the ways in which numbers and letters correspond. Similar to letters and sounds, the best way to engage your little one in a conversation with numbers is to show them how to apply those skills to daily life! When walking up a flight of stairs, ask your little one to count with you. Ask them questions about how many cans are in the pantry, how many crackers they have for snack or anything of the short!

Outside of numbers and counting, a key skill your little one should be taught in preschool at home or in person is their colors, shapes and objects! This is one that is really well-applied at home, since most folks have a variety of items with various colors and shapes and objects to be identified. Combining language learning with this, you can ask your little ones questions about the pictures in books, such as “which hat is green?” or “which car is orange?”. When your little one gets dressed, you can ask them about the items they wear and the many shapes or colors they see on their clothes. You can also play “I spy” types of games asking about where things are; this can help them learn about the world around them as well as their own body!

As your little one works on developing their fine motor skills, their preschool at home or preschool in person should be teaching them how to cut and draw! As their skills develop, their abilities will grow in both areas; doodles and scribbles will begin to be replaced by better formed images, and they will have better hand-eye coordination. At home, what you can do is supply them with a variety of items like jumbo markers and crayons, chalk, and lots of places in which they can draw! You can also encourage play with play doughs or clays, since squishing and squeezing will help those fine motor skills even more!

Finally, something that is very important for your little one to learn that is less concrete is how to socialize and share! Preschool is a very good place for your little one to develop social skills, and they should be learning how to share with their peers, work together, participate in group settings, follow directions and more by the time they are ready to go to kindergarten. This is an area that it is really important to work on at home in order to build consistency. Be certain to arrange playdates for your little one, and take them to playgrounds, whether indoors or out. It’s also important to set simple and consistent rules for your home space, since it will encourage them to follow the rules at school!

Contact us and let your child learn from home today!

Though it can seem daunting trying to pick the best preschool for your little one, these are some great criteria to look for to make sure you’ve chosen the correct one, and Playgarden Online is here for all your preschool questions and more! Try Our Online Preschool for FREE! Playgarden Prep offers numerous educational videos from real teachers, and numerous DIY projects that support early learning and development