Learning Through Play
Each human grows through many stages in his life and each stage is uniquely important. Infants who are not touched, such as those in poor orphanages, will die. It is essential that they feel love and bonding at this time. Toddlers begin to learn independence and separation as they say "no." That is their job.
The preschool years have important tasks, too. Those tasks DO NOT include learning to read or do paper and pencil workbooks. I am a reading specialist and I know that some children do learn to read at 3 and 4. Generally no one has taught them, they just figure it out by being read to. They don't use phonics to read (I'm a big believer in phonics, but not for preschoolers). Very early readers have brains that are wired to learn to read easily. Like any other gift, it can be delightful, but other children cannot be held to this unique standard.
The tasks of preschoolers are centered around the building blocks of life: language, social skills, and self-control. None of these will be perfected at this age, but all will grow by leaps and bounds. For an incoming elementary aged student to have begun mastery in language, social and self-control skills is far more important than knowing the letter sounds. Any teacher can teach the letter sounds. But the preschool skills need time to mature and are much harder to develop at a later time if they are missed at ages 3 and 4.
In fact, I've often wondered why the direct teaching of academic skills in preschool seems so important to many people. Some children walk at 9 months, others at 14 months.They all walk fine at age 3. It's the same with academic skills. Except for a few extremely gifted students, by grade 3 you can't discern the early reader. The rest of the class has caught up.
This is why PCPO talks so adamantly about developmentally appropriate practices (DAP). It's important. Your child is a preschooler only once. Three and four year olds have work to do - it's called play. It's learning to share or wait for a turn. It's using imagination. It's telling a teacher, "When I grow up, I want to be a pony." Who could possibly want to trade a dream like that for a worksheet?
I've gone on and on about DAP and I've barely scratched the surface. But I do want to Include one more important word: belonging. A co-op gives a family a place of belonging. A child has a sense of security knowing that this is his preschool and that it is important enough for Mom or Dad to stay sometimes and help.
Kathy Ems, PCPO President
Excerpted from "President's Corner" PCPO Connection, April 2006