According to a study by Harvard University, the first five years are critical for the development of children, both in body and mind. And often, as parents, we wonder if we’re doing enough for them.
The fact is, life gets busy, and while you might be running around doing grocery shopping, trying to get work done from home, or even cleaning the house for hours on end – you may feel as though you are not able to dedicate enough time to your child’s development. That’s where childcare comes in. In the time that you spend driving around town or doing chores, your child could be getting valuable learning at a local childcare centre – and when it comes to their learning and growth, it’s highly beneficial.
Here are some of the ways childcare can help your child’s development:
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Develop Greater Social Skills
A university study found that children who attend daycare are better behaved and more socialised than those who don’t. Childcare teaches children how to work as part of a team, including sharing and taking turns; and how they should communicate in order to work and play well with other children and adults.
Children can improve their language abilities from an early age and dramatic performances, story time, and casual chats will help them to do so. Childcare teachers are also trained to recognise if a child has any learning or behavioural problems and ways they can help to overcome these. And daycare helps children learn more about their emotions and how to keep control of them.
Promotes a Love of Learning
It doesn’t matter what age we are; we’re always learning. From babies learning to grasp a finger to toddlers learning to walk. Children learning to speak and spell, teenagers learning to drive, to adults learning a new job. And, not surprisingly, a love of learning begins when we’re young – and according to some studies, the younger we start learning, the better.
Childcare centres in Australia are centred around the Early Years Learning Framework, which promotes learning through play. This gives children the chance to use their imagination, with toys and make believe, arts and crafts, music and dance, to learn – and it shows they can have a lot of fun and laughs doing so. This makes them curious and gives them a happy association with learning new things to take through the remainder of their lives.
Teaches Them Literacy and Numeracy
Let’s face it. If you can’t read and write, and don’t know basic sums, you won’t get very far in the 21st century world. And research has found that children who attend daycare perform better for literacy and numeracy when they hit mainstream school.
Childcare centres begin teaching children about literacy and numeracy from the money they enter daycare. As babies, teachers might sing to your child, tell them stories or play songs about counting. Toddlers will learn how to put blocks together and learn to distinguish words from pictures in books, and of course Kindergarten aged children are taught how to count and to read the alphabet.
Gets Them Ready for School
This is one of the major benefits of childcare, whether you live in Sydney and are looking for Leichhardt childcare or elsewhere in Australia. When aged between 4 years old and 6 years old – depending on which state you’re in – your child will need to go to mainstream school. Attending daycare centres helps them prepare for this – getting children used to routines, interacting with other adults and children around them, and introducing them to activities that promote learning.
When choosing a childcare centre, ensure you understand their policies on play-based learning, and don’t be afraid to ask for details about the programs they offer. You not only want your child to learn the skills they need to succeed in life, but you want them to have a whole lot of fun doing so.