Advice on Preschool

Hi T., I know this is definately a hard question to ask. I too have been thinking about what to do with my 3 year old (we plan on sending him to pre-school this september for 2 days). I believe that he will be just fine, they teach new things each year and if he's going to 2 different schools that may make a difference too. My niece went to preschool and pre-K at the same school and just loved it! I also believe that this may help with building friendships and social-abilities. I hope this helps.

M.

I think it really depends on the child & their attention span. My first child, we started him in preschool at age 4 & kindergarten at age 5.

My other two kids I started in preschool at age 3 & they did 2 years of preschool & kindergarten at age 5.

I think it is good so they can interact with the kids & also learn a few things before they start kindergarten. My daughter knew quite a bit by the time she started kindergarten so she was a real big helper in the classroom!

Well i had my littleone do two years of preschool it really helped get her ready for school. They are always adding to what the kids need to know so I think that the more time they have to get prepared the better its also very good for thier social skills to have that extra year they're only that much more ahead.

As a preschool teacher my advice would be to send him to a GOOD preschool for two years. Watch out for Daycares mascarading as preschools, i.e. KinderCare, La Petite. He should only be attending a school with a standard and enforced cirriculum that is less than three hours per day. I have never seen a child that didn't love coming to my school and we start kids at two days when they are two years old. They can continue each year until Kindergarten and enjoy every minute. So just make sure that the school he is attending is a good school and he will benefit tremendously.

I am a single mother of four and I have to tell you both of my son's did two years of pre-k and loved it. They weren't bored the second year beacause they had a whole new set of friends to meet and play with. And I think that extra time they got that I wasn't able to to give them gave them a little jump for when they got into school. My oldest is in the 5th grade and things are great. Hope that helps a little

T.,
I think preschool is a wonderful thing! The academics as well as the social influences are excellent for our children. I put my daughter in preschool when she was four (june birthday) and she will start Kindergarten in the fall and holy cow! What a difference I have seen in her. She is even reading books w/ 2 to 3 sentences on each page! He social skills have so much improved as well as her politeness and manners. Not to say that they were that bad to begin with but interacting with other kids and teachers 3 days a week, if only for a few hours, is great for her!
Question, if your son is going to be 5 next summer, why would he be in a pre-K class at the catholic school and not actual kindergarten?
Good luck to you and your son! And remember to trust your gut and your instinct! What ever decision you make will be the right one for your son!

Best wishes,
H. P.

In my experience my kids loved going to pre-school & pre-k, different teachers in our case. My #2 daughter went to pre school at 3yo and pre-k at 4 and now in kindergarten at 5. She loves it.
I also think it is up to the child if they like to be that busy too. 3 days a week is not bad allows for down time. 5 days a week might be a big much, but will also prepare him for the following year.
I had 3 small children when my dd's started pre-school and it got hectic getting them ready and out the door on time. Sorta envitable but it was definatly a huge change.

Good luck
L.

Hi T.,
We had the same dilema with my son. I think preschool is a great experience for them. It teaches them how to play with the other kids, before getting down to business in pre-k. It's really good for socializing them and getting them used to listening to a teacher. This is my son's second year of preschool, and I know that when he starts kindergarten next year at a Catholic school, he will be ready. Good luck!
C.

Yes he needs to go. It gets him ready for life. He will be upset for the first few days of you leaving but he will get use to it. It socializes him. Teaches him to respect among many other things. Believe me he will not get bored. He will be tired when he gets home from having so much fun!
Take Care

I think you should send him this year. Going 3 days a week this year will help ease the transition to 5 days a week next year. I also think it's important to get those socialization skills early.

OK, so where are all of you moms and your boys when we are at the park?? My boy will be 2 in July, and is a runner. We take him to play group, and he does laps around the gym 75% of the time. We take him to the park, and he runs, runs, runs!!!! Thanks for asking this question, sounds like there are lots of us that need advise!
Good luck, J.

We offer a preschool that puts play first. If you are worried about your little guys or gals being ahead of the game what about their social skills and all their developmental stills.
We offer play with a purpose. Our environment is set up to encourage the right development in all the areas of development. We offer studies and a lot of free play, we do developmental check lists on each child so you know where they are in their development. Our curriculum is called: Creative Curriculum. You can read about it here: http://www.creativecurriculum.net/

You can also check out our website http://mysite.verizon.net/littletreasureslc/

I have a friend who put her 4 year old into preschool. He is very intelligent for his age and he did get bored. Luckily the school offered classes up to 6th grade so they bumped him up to kindergarten. He will attend kindergarten for 2 years... Just depends on the kid and how quickly he learns and what he already has learned. Good luck!

I agree with Kristy. I will add that it is highly unlikely that he will get bored. Especially because he's going to a different school with a different focus. I've found preschol teachers to be flexible and teach to the class rather than follow a strict curriculum.

Four year olds have so much to learn about the world that is not taught in books. I've never seen a preschooler bored for very long. They want to know about everything.

I sure wish I had allowed my son the extra learning from preschool instead we started him in kinder at 5 and now that he is in 1st grade he is soooo behind even with the constant help from the teacher and myself. boys are slower at learning so they need all the extra help that they can get. I would totally put him in preschool for a 2nd time and allow him the help, repeating things over and over is the only way for learning to stick. S. D.

I think if you just watch the signs you will know when he is ready. I dont think its a good idea to push kids into a school setting then they learn to not like it. Any way good luck!