There are often mixed emotions around children going to nursery, childminders and playgroups. It can feel scary when the time comes, especially as some children attend nursery from a very young age due to their parents returning to work. Some, however, may not start nursery until they are 2 years old, when they are well into their toddler years.
For the parents of children who haven’t started nursery, they may find that when their little ones reach 2 or 3, they are eager to spread their wings a little more and are keen to socialise or experiment more with playing and learning skills. Of course, not all children are the same, and some are very happy staying home with parents.
The decision around taking your little ones to nursery is one that needs lots of thought. It has to suit the child, but it has to suit you as a mother or father, too. The good news is that there are so many benefits to your child attending a nursery, which is refreshing for first time parents to hear, who may feel a little anxious about the transition.
Here’s some of the reasons listed below:
It builds confidence
For some children, they may not have spent any time away from their parents when starting nursery. However, although the first few days settling in might be hard, they will soon pick up a new found independence from spending their days in nursery. This time spent away from parents and around other children means they pick up a confidence they may not have found before either, as they learn to explore without their parents guiding them.
As with most things in life, branching away from your own ‘norm’ can be a great thing. When a child goes to nursery, the surroundings are different. The toys are new, their playmates are different. The food is not going to be what mama has been cooking up, and these differences can teach your children to adapt to change and grow with them. It widens their horizons, and most parents who have children at nursery agree that attending nursery has certainly helped their children’s confidence grow.
They learn new skills
Being a parent is the most rewarding job, and watching your little one learn a new skill is up there as one of the most joyous moments. However, it can be hard to constantly be teaching new skills, as sometimes it takes your child to see someone new or go to a different place for stimulation and pick something new up that way.
This is exactly what nursery can do. Babies like to copy, and even the skills such as earning to hold a pencil correctly can be picked up from copying others, or the guidance of a nursery nurse. When they are in a different learning environment, your little one is very capable of rapidly expanding their skill set once they start nursery or pre-school.
Even skills such being responsible for washing their hands, hanging up their own coat and tidying things away can sink in well when in a nursery environment.
Something to consider when looking at nurseries for little ones is the approach taken from the nursery to deliver skills and practices. For example, Angels by Day in Nottingham has incorporated The Curiosity Approach into their practices, which is a method to engage children in thought provoking activities to encourage them to explore the options of everything presented to them. It was set up by two nursery owners who have a love of all things natural, who chose to use more ‘real’ tones and textures. It teaches children to handle and respect their environments, and break away from the bright coloured plastic play they might have gotten used to at home.
It prepares them for school
Being at nursery is a very useful way to get your child in the transition to starting school, which for some can seem a little daunting. School has more rules and routines than nursery does, but nursery is a great stepping stone towards education. School becomes less of a shock after socialising with other children and learning new skills in a nursery and pre-school setting. Some say that nursery can teach discipline too, so that they then go onto school understanding and respecting teachers and those around them.
Some nurseries are part of a primary school, in which they share the same grounds and facilities. This is another great way to ease your child into the transition, as it will feel much less daunting. It’s likely they will move up into pre-school and reception with the same nursery friends they had. Others go to a nursery and pre-school that is private, which opens up the choice to move onto a school of choice after, or private education. It completely depends of the preference you have for your child, but if private education was an option you were considering, you can see what’s available in your local area, like private elementary schools jacksonville fl.
They make friends and grow social skills
We’ve talked about confidence and learning new skills, but a childs social skills are extremely important too. This is where nursery allows the perfect opportunity for your child to start forming those first friendships. When they are around children of the same age every day, they feel familiar with them, and want to play more, and start to feel happy with the little routine they form.
Being around groups of children of the same age is ideal as they are surrounding themselves with tasks that are achievable to them, and not what is achievable to older or younger children. Being around the other babies/children is also perfect for creating new opportunities for play.
It creates a routine
Although nursery isn’t as regimented with times as school may be, it does add lots of structure to their day. Most nurseries have set meal and snack times, along with play sessions, sleep times, and of course, drop off and pick up times.
Sometimes little ones can start to get upset towards the end of a nursery day because they know the day is coming to an end and it’s pick up time. This again teaches them that it is ‘home time’, which is then followed by either a meal/bath, and then bed. It creates awareness of tasks associated to certain times of the day, such as tidying up, wagging hands, getting coats ready, etc etc…
‘Me’ time
Last but certainly not least, even if your child is attending nursery or preschool just for a few hours a week, it can provide some extremely valuable time you need as a parent to get some much needed ‘me’ time. It’s hard to get tasks done with a toddler or baby, as well as juggle work and other things. At nursery, they are picking up vital skills and are in safe hands, so parents can relax without worrying.
The best place to start is by researching nurseries in the area and get some reviews
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