Welcome to our guide to help you support your preschooler’s development In an effective and enjoyable way! At Butterfly 3 preschool, we know how important it is to provide children with the best conditions for development. Therefore, we have prepared for you a set of practical tips to help you support your little one on a daily basis.
Why is it important to support a child’s development at preschool age?
The preschool period is a time of intensive development of the child in all spheres: physical, emotional, social and cognitive. This, how to support preschooler’s development, is of great importance for his future. Proper support during this period can significantly affect:
- Development of social skills
- Shaping self-confidence
- Developing creativity and curiosity about the world
- Building a foundation for learning at school
Key areas of preschooler development
Before we get into specific tips, it’s worth understanding what areas of development are particularly important at preschool age:
- Physical and motor development
- Emotional development
- Human development
- Cognitive and intellectual development
- Speech and communication development
We make sure that our activities that support the development of the child in the kindergarten include all of these areas.
Promoting physical and motor development
Preschooler development in the physical realm is extremely important. Here are some ways you can support it:
- Encouraging physical activity through cooperative movement games.
- Organizing a trip to the park, playground or swimming pool.
- Experimenting with different forms of movement: running, jumping, climbing (under supervision, of course).
- Additional activities in the kindergarten and introducing small-motor development exercises such as plasticine sticking, drawing or bead stringing into daily activities.
Supporting emotional development
Supporting the social-emotional development of the child in kindergarten is one of our priorities. Here’s how you can do it in your home, too:
- Talk to your child about feelings, name emotions.
- Be patient and understanding when your child is experiencing difficult emotions.
- Praise your child for trying to deal with his emotions.
- Read books that deal with emotions and teach empathy.
Remember exercises to support emotional development can be simple and fun. For example, you can play with your child to guess emotions based on facial expressions or tone of voice.
Supporting emotional development through play
Play is an excellent tool for promote emotional development preschooler. It gives the child an opportunity to learn how to deal with emotions in practice. Here are some ideas for games that can help in this regard:
- Mirror play – You mimic the child’s facial expressions, and the child mimics yours. This exercise teaches you to recognize and name emotions.
- Books about emotions – Reading books that deal with feelings can be a great way to understand and discuss emotions. After reading, you can ask your child how the character felt and why.
- Box of emotions – Prepare a box with various objects (e.g. photos, toys, everyday objects). Ask the child to choose an object and tell what feelings it evokes in him.
- Circle of emotions – Create a wheel with different emotions. The child can spin the wheel and talk about a situation in which he or she felt a particular emotion.
Remember exercises to support emotional development should be adapted to the child’s age and abilities. At Butterfly 3 preschool, we strive to make our activities to support the development of the child in the kindergarten were always tailored to the individual needs of each toddler.
Supporting the social development of the child in kindergarten
Supporting a child’s social development in kindergarten is extremely important because:
- Teaches cooperation and sharing with others
- Develops communication skills
- Helps build self-confidence
- Prepares to function in a peer group
In kindergarten Butterfly 3 we place great emphasis on fostering the child’s social development in the kindergarten, offering a variety of group and individual activities.
How to promote social development at home?
Here are some practical tips on how you can support your preschool child’s social development:
- Organize get-togethers with peers – invite classmates to your home or to the playground.
- Teach your child to share toys and wait his turn.
- Encourage help with simple household chores, which develops a sense of responsibility.
- Play games that require cooperation, such as building a joint structure with blocks.
The role of play in social development
Play is a natural way to Supporting a child’s development in kindergarten. Here are some suggestions for social play:
- Store – playing salesman and customer teaches social interaction.
- Theater – role-playing develops empathy and the ability to empathize with others.
- Cooking together – preparing simple dishes teaches cooperation and planning.
Communication as the key to social development
Effective communication is the foundation of good social relations. Here’s how you can foster it:
- Encourage your child to express his thoughts and feelings.
- Teach active listening – show the importance of listening to others.
- Model correct communication in everyday situations.
- Praise your child for trying to resolve conflicts with words.
Supporting cognitive development
Preschooler development is also cognitive development. Here’s how you can stimulate it:
- Ask your child open-ended questions, encouraging thinking and expressing opinions.
- Introduce new words and concepts during daily activities.
- Encourage experimentation and discovery of the world with all senses.
- Read books and discuss their content, developing imagination and critical thinking.
The role of parents in the process of supporting the development of the preschooler
As a parent, you are a key person in your child’s development process. Your involvement and support make a huge difference. Here are some tips on how you can effectively support preschooler development:
- Be present and attentive – give your child your undivided attention every day.
- Praise the effort, not just the result – this builds intrinsic motivation.
- Create a safe environment for exploration and learning.
- Be patient – each child develops at its own pace.
- Cooperate with the kindergarten – the program to support your child’s development at the kindergarten will be more effective if you continue it at home.
Remember that each child develops at his own pace. It is important to adapt the forms of support for the child’s development in the kindergarten to the individual needs and interests of the toddler.