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Advice with son's schooling .

16

Posts

EW NEWBIE

Latest post on 25 March 2014 - 11:46

Hello ladies.

I would really appreciate your input in this as I am really confused about what to do. My son is two years and a half now and I am thinking about sending him to Pre-school once he is three .I have heard a lot of contradictory opinions about this . Some say that it is totally unnecessary and that your kid will keep getting sick and will not benefit from this . Some say send him to have fun with other kids and learn how to socialize.( I am very active in this , we have play dates and I take him out all the time to play with kids in parks and playgrounds ) . I am a home staying mom by the way and I get even more confused when I meet with home staying mom like me who are sending their kids to nurseries at even younger age. I don't want to be over protective and deny him enjoying his childhood . I don't Know :S

So I am confused now. I have the following questions :
Is it really necessary to a child development to be sent to Preschool ?
I am planning to go with the British system afterwards so is it necessary to take this Preschool year ?

Advice please . Thanks

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458

Posts

EW EXPLORER

Latest post on 04 June 2015 - 15:05

I think pre-school is a very valuable thing. First, the children DO need socialization. It helps them realize that they are not the most important thing in the world - a lesson that comes much harder as they get older. There was a child in my daughter's FS1 class that had never gone to pre-school or nursery and after the first month he had to be sent home because he couldn't cope with not being in someone's lap/getting his way all the time. It was very sad. Additionally, them being sick is the way the immune system builds up resistance. Your choice is to do it now or wait until his first year of school and then have him miss a lot of the first semester while he catches every random virus. I like GMKSME's advice - go for 2-3 mornings a week. It is a great way to ease the child into a new environment while still savoring your time with him. Totally agreed. On Dubai yesterday they were talking about how important it is to get all the childhood bugs in. It even protects in later life against all sorts of things. Hard on mum I know but...very good long term for the child

2

Posts

EW NEWBIE

Latest post on 04 June 2015 - 14:58

Preschool is important as it teaches the child to face the competitive world. At home, they learn things, but in school they learn various new things. The skills and knowledge the child develops in preschool has a great impact in future education. They get prepared for kindergarten, the most important thing is that they become independent. I enrolled my daughter in [url=http://www.callingallkidsagain.com/'>preschool[/url'> at the age of 2. She has learned many new things that I cannot teach her at home. In preschool, she also has enrichment programs like music, guitar lessons, keyboard lessons.

16

Posts

EW NEWBIE

Latest post on 25 March 2014 - 21:04

Thank you all for your advice . It is great to have such a great support system . I think I am going to take the middle road . I would send him before KG1 around three years and few months . thank you so much

kiwispiers15400

2782

Posts

EW EXPERT

Latest post on 25 March 2014 - 16:25

I would add, part of the reason I sent my son at three, was that I had a baby at home and was finding it harder to provide him with social opportunities and still meet her needs. Up until her birth I was able to take him out and about every day and he enjoyed playing and interacting with other kids both in structured and unstructured settings. Even whilst having contractions I was at a softplay date with him. If you have no other children and are committed to it, you can easily provide enough social stimulation (I think three year olds do need to play with other children, a lot more than two year old's and you will see these needs grow over the next 6 months) so probably bigger factor may simply be how scarce reception places are for kids who did not join the school in preschool. You may however also find that it becomes harder to find those playdates and classes after age three, as the majority of his peers may be in school. I can remember looking at schools and nurseries when my son was 2 1/2 and struggling to picture my baby boy in that environment. You will be amazed at how much "older" he will seem by age three.

kiwispiers15400

2782

Posts

EW EXPERT

Latest post on 25 March 2014 - 14:03

There are two things to consider (besides cost). One is your son, only you can know if he is ready, every child is different. My son would not have enjoyed nursery at 2 but at 3 he was excited at the prospect and happily waved me off from the first day, no tears. Secondly is schooling in the future. I did not want to send my son into a 5 days/30 hours a week system at barely 3 (he is an august baby) and I saw the time I spent with him as more valuable. I still feel that way, but I realise now I pretty much killed his chances of getting into many schools as reception spots are all taken already with the existing preschoolers. For us I wouldn't go back and change things, but depending on your thought about future schooling, you might have to do the "wrong" thing in order to do the right thing later on. My son learns things at nursery, but not that much tbh, academically you can teach far more in a one on one parent setting in far less time. I think the bigger advantage is that they get to play with other kids and also become a bit more "school ready" in terms of being used to behaving in a classroom setting. He enjoys going and I get some one on one with my baby in the 12 hours he is away. Doing the school run is a major pain though and I'm in no hurry to increase to 5 days! My son hasn't actually been sick much since starting last September, I think maybe because most kids started at age two and have already gone through the germ factory stage?.

189

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EW NEWBIE

Latest post on 25 March 2014 - 13:23

I would say to trust your instincts as a mother. Do you feel "light" or "heavy" when you imagine sending him to nursery? If you have a "heavy" feeling then I would say it doesn't resonate with you. You know your little one better than anyone else and can judge what they need. Everyone gets a heavy feeling when they consider leaving their child with someone else for the first time! That is not a good reason. It is proven that children that attend some sort of regular, enriching activity before they start school enter with stronger academic skills which can translate into higher confidence. Google it if you want more objective answers..... If you are trading off cost of nursery to the tangible benefit, then I understand the hesitation. But if you are not concerned with the money, it is a good thing to at least try.

45

Posts

EW NEWBIE

Latest post on 25 March 2014 - 12:25

I would say to trust your instincts as a mother. Do you feel "light" or "heavy" when you imagine sending him to nursery? If you have a "heavy" feeling then I would say it doesn't resonate with you. You know your little one better than anyone else and can judge what they need. I know from experience, that living in Dubai away from our families makes it difficult to get a trusted outside opinion and so listening to other parents' advice and experiences can make us feel like we are doing something wrong if we go against the grain. But these parents are doing what is best for their kids and this is not necessarily what is best for yours. I hope that helps!

189

Posts

EW NEWBIE

Latest post on 25 March 2014 - 12:11

I think pre-school is a very valuable thing. First, the children DO need socialization. It helps them realize that they are not the most important thing in the world - a lesson that comes much harder as they get older. There was a child in my daughter's FS1 class that had never gone to pre-school or nursery and after the first month he had to be sent home because he couldn't cope with not being in someone's lap/getting his way all the time. It was very sad. Additionally, them being sick is the way the immune system builds up resistance. Your choice is to do it now or wait until his first year of school and then have him miss a lot of the first semester while he catches every random virus. I like GMKSME's advice - go for 2-3 mornings a week. It is a great way to ease the child into a new environment while still savoring your time with him.

123

Posts

EW NEWBIE

Latest post on 25 March 2014 - 12:06

Why not do a modified schedule of 2 or 3 days a week? In the US many studies have been done to show preschool is a very important part of a child's early education. I think that doesn't take into account, though, proactive parents who are already doing things like "teaching" the alphabet, counting and colors in their daily activities. Depending on the type of parent you are, your work commitments, etc, then do what you think is best. That being said, my girls didn't go to school until they were 4.

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