Which Is the Best Age of Kids for Preschool?

My kids went to preschool two afternoons a week when they were 3, then three afternoons a week when they were 4. When they were 5 they attended kindergarten every day in the afternoon. They both enjoyed preschool and I liked that I liked the way they gradually increased the days they attended.

My kids both started at age 3 and went three mornings a week. They went for two years before Kindergarten and both kids loved it. They did all kinds of interesting things at their play based preschools and learned a lot of social skills just being around the other kids in such a nice setting.

best for what?
every situation is different.
my kids didn't go to preschool at all but they did go to daycare. we did both home-based and institutional. they did fine in both, but in neither case did my KIDS need preschool, their dad and i did because we had to work.
so........best age to make friends? to learn how to read? to overcome separation anxiety? to 'socialize'? to figure out how to stack blocks?
yet another no-context impossible-to-answer question.
:/ khairete
S.

It depends what you are looking for. Please edit your question and add more details so subsequent members responses will be more on target.

If you need day care, then you start as early as needed - but it should be play-based.

If you want them to have socialization and learn to be in a group and separate from Mom & Dad and bond with another caregiver, then 3 is a good age. Usually 2-3 days a week to start, and usually for a morning (just a few hours).

If you want them to get academic preparation because you want them to learn all the state capitals and the alphabet and so on, then never. That's not what preschool is for.

It should be play-based only, with a variety of activities including fine motor skills (like puzzles and simple crafts), gross motor skills (playing outside or doing things like parachute play) and some learning about transitioning from one thing to the next (so anything that moves them from open play to story/circle time to art to snack time is good). Some parents do this sort of thing at home, or they go to children's museums so their kids can interact with other kids. They need the experience - it doesn't matter where they get it. But I do think that things at the museum or the library where they learn to connect with another adult (teacher, activity leader, etc.), or a play group with other parents is really important.

Each kid is different but this is a pretty good rule of thumb:
2y8m -3.5years - 2 days a week
3.5 to 4.5 years 3 days
4.5-5.5 5 days a week (a real PreK).

I like play based schools. You may want something different.

If you are a stay at home parent you can create your own structure and activities.
Library time
Playdates at a park
Science experiments (any cause and effect activity)
So many more activities, but I don't have time to list them.

More info (like what are you looking for) would be helpful :)

My kids were in daycare because I worked. Part of that was considered pre-school once they hit a certain age - I think 3 up and they were in the preschool room. They didn't focus so much on learning but it was play based. But cutting, coloring, painting, getting along with others, sharing, etc.
My kids all loved it. In fact, when I was off ill - I still sent my little one part time because it was fun.
My mom taught kindergarten for many years. As she got older, she switched and ran her own pre-school. It was part days so either mornings or afternoons and just for a few hours. It was a lot of play dough, paint and imagination. They had to be potty trained that was her only requirement. But I believe they started around age 3.
Good luck :)

Without knowing why you ask, we don't know if we're giving helpful information. Are you a mom wanting to know if or when to enroll your child? Are you thinking of starting a preschool and looking for what works best in a preschool? Are you wondering if a specific preschool has reasonable expectations? Etc.

About 3 1/2 yrs old (or once they are potty trained) until kindergarten.
Because of the age cut offs to start kindergarten (had to be 5 yrs old on or before Sept 30th to start and our son has a late Oct birthday), our son was in preschool from 3 1/2 to 5 3/4 - in kindergarten he was 5 for about 2 months before he turned 6.
It was perfect for us!

My kids were in daycare, which integrated a "pre-school" curriculum for ages 3 & 4. For kids with an at-home parent, it can be a nice way to add some structure and socialization to the day if it works for the parent and child, but it isn't necessary for everyone. My mom was at home when my siblings and me when were small and with 5 kids in 6 years, we got plenty of social skills and she taught us what we needed to be well prepared for Kindergarten. The only sibling who went to formal pre-school was one who had learning disabilities and benefited from the formal speech and language therapies offered there.

The answer to this depends on so many things - the age/maturity of the child, the personality of the child, the purpose of sending him/her to preschool to begin with.

First of all, know that there is a vast body of research out there that supports a play-based approach to early childhood education. Preschool should not be about academics. It should be about exploring, imagining, moving, and learning to get along with others. If you are able to provide these things on your own, preschool isn't really necessary. But it still might be useful and enjoyable for the child if you can afford to make it happen.

My daughter was a wild child, and young for her age. I didn't send her to a preschool until she was 4 and developing the ability to participate meaningfully in group activities and follow directions. It was a half day 3 days a week program. She LOVED it and benefited from it. She learned how to function in a group and honed her social negotiation skills. And she enjoyed all the opportunities to play with other kids. To this day (she is 14 now) she is the sort of person who thrives with a wide and varied social circle, and who learns best by getting right into the middle of things.

My son, on the other hand, determined at 18 months that he wanted to go to preschool. He went into the same program his sister attended soon after turning 3, and he thrived. Waiting any longer to send him would have been pointless - he was ready and he was motivated. He, too, loved it, but the benefits for him were different from those for his sister. He was a very shy child who learned at preschool that other people are not scary. At the beginning of preschool, her would talk to nobody but the teacher, who he already knew. By the end he was able to get up in the middle of a circle of his peers and lead a song or activity. In the end, I think preschool had a more significant impact for him than for his sister. It opened him up to a wider world.

Three yo is when kids typically start. My girls were more like 3 1/2 because they had February and April birthdays and school didn't start until September.

My kids all went the fall they turned 3. So anytime after 3 when the school year starts.

My 2 year old went two days a week. At 3 and 4 she went full time. Loved it!

It depends ...

When my oldest was 3, I was a SAHM. Preschool was less about academics and more about socializing with peers and being away from Mommy. He went to a play based preschool 2 mornings a week when he was 3 and 3 mornings a week when he was 4. It was exactly what he needed to prepare for kindergarten.

My youngest was in daycare full-time, so that type of socialization wasn't my concern. He had other needs, so we turned to our school district's PreK program. That probably did help him quite a bit, but we have since discovered he has Aspergers. Turns out his needs aren't quite as simple as the right preschool or the right PreK program, but we're working on that now.

You have to consider the needs of the child, not just the age. Are there academic concerns? Any developmental concerns? Looking for socialization? Once you know what it is you're looking for you can begin to answer the question of when and at what age and eventually begin to think about where.

In child care a child moves into a preschool style classroom the day they turn 2 years old. The toddler room is less structured, they might not sit down at a table and do anything like color or do work more than once per week. They play more and just don't have a "lot" of structure.

When they turn 2 and move into the preschool style class they might start the day off in circle time. Learning about colors, shapes, numbers, weather outside, learning songs, poems that help with memory things, get to play with musical instruments: like drums, maracas, triangles, things they can bang and not destroy. They might hear stories, learn about animals or activities of the month.

In the 2 year old classroom they also do table work every day. Some days they might even do it for a few minutes in the morning and then again in the afternoon. They do take from 1.5 to 2 hours for nap. They eat snacks and have a noon meal. Often they'll start work on spelling only their first name. They won't likely be able to learn to do it well until they're 3 but starting out they can trace the letters in sand, make spaghetti letters, string letters, etc...crafts with a purpose.

They will also have outdoor time. Our state requires that every child go outside unless the weather poses a potential health hazard. According to our licensing worker that meant either lightening might strike them or the tornado would sweep them away. Some parents got really upset when we'd take their kids out in freezing or steamy hot weather but it was take them out or lose our license. We also did not allow kids to stay inside. If they're too sick to go outside in the fresh air then they are took sick to be in child care. I didn't have staff to sit inside with that child. So I told the parents they'd have to go home if they couldn't go outside.

At age 3 a child in a preschool sort of classroom should be working diligently on writing their first name. Some will be able to do it and some will struggle. It's not a necessary achievement but it is something age appropriate to be working on it. They should recognize a few colors and shapes and letters when shown. They should have 4-6 piece puzzles to play with, dress up clothes, house play items, outdoor play time and things for outdoors, and lots of variety in their play areas.

They should be spending some time each day sitting at the table and working with a pencil in their hands. It helps develop their fine motor skills. They should be "writing" in a journal (This helps them associate writing down their feelings and emotional stuff plus it helps them prepare for writing that will come with time), they will be spending more scheduled time on learning activities. They might even play games online on a computer or other device meant for preschool learning.

When they are a full 4 years old and the fall school session comes around they should be in a school supervised pre-K classroom. This way they will be sure to be ready for Kindergarten when they are 5.

I think the standard age to start traditional preschool is 3, with some kids starting at age 4. Those who attend younger are often in programs that are more like daycare and have less of the structure of a preschool.

Where I live, most kids go 2-3 mornings a week beginning when they are 3 years old, if they have a stay at home parent. Obviously, if both parents work, they will have more days and longer hours. My kids and the majority of their friends typically attended preschool for two years prior to starting kindergarten.

ETA: I also strongly recommend a play-based (or developmental) preschool. There is a ton of research out there that shows that young children learn best through play. They really do not need academics and shouldn't be doing worksheets. They should have the freedom to choose from a variety of activities, along with structured group time and outside play. Preschool is all about teaching socialization and following instructions, which kids can really do well through typical play.

depends on what is done during the preschool...
teaching your child about the world starts at birth and continues in a logical building way
if you mean a place where they have to sit in a circle and do calendar, listen to books, do a lesson and art project - that part of preschool - then from my experience it's about 22 months when a child can do that for a short period of time, like a 5 minute lesson with no calendar, a newly 3 yr old can do all of it for about 10 or 15 minutes and a 4 yr old can do it for as long as half an hour
if you mean doing worksheets - well, 4 yrs old is really the youngest I feel that is appropriate and most research shows it has no positive effect before age 5ish
if you mean interacting with peers and learning how to play, then again, since toddlerhood for that as well
preschool does not have to be done at all, but a child must be able to do certain skills before they start formal schooling so as long as those skills - including separation from the parent - are learned then all is ok
for me personally i do not believe that kids should be in afternoon preschool before age 4 since naps are so important for development

My daughter started preschool when she was 2 years and 9 months, going 3 half days per week. When she turned 3 a few months later, she started going everyday, but still half days. She loves it! Never had an issue of her not wanting to go to school or problems at drop off.

Their second birthday is not their automatic transition to preschool, that is daycare. Granted, I didn't study early childhood development 35 years ago. That was the the time of not using seat belts, bike helmets and little parental supervision.

So many of these (letters, numbers, shapes, interacting with other children) can be taught at home with their parents, at the park or young classes.

I didn't start my daughter in preschool early. I did the year before kindergarten (they didn't call it pre-K). She already knew her letters, shapes, letters, how to socialize and read pretty well.. By K she was a social butterfly, bilingual and could read and was the youngest student in class. I felt it was my responsibility to handle this.

I guess this is on an individual basis but we handled it just fine.