Tips for parents in sending kids to preschool

JAKARTA (JP): It is still a month until school admission begins in July, but anxious parents are in the midst of weighing their children's education options.

For the concerned parent, the selection process begins in preschools and lasts until their offspring are safely ensconced in a university many years down the line.

Mothers are usually nervous before sending their children to preschools and their attitude, including their approach to telling them what to do inside the class, can unnecessarily stress the child.

Here are several tips parents can use in selecting the right schools, preparing their children for school and becoming involved in their studies.

1. Even very young children have the ability to socialize themselves at an early age. A study in California showed that nine-month-old infants can communicate and socialize themselves in their own way if exposed to contact with others.

2. When they are three years old, children need to socialize with others. Give them opportunities to play with their peers and develop friendships.

3. Playing is not only an entertaining and relaxing process for children, but also a means for them to learn, intellectually and emotionally.

4. To reach their learning goals, give children a special area to keep toys and books. Make sure that the room is designated as their own, where they can play and untidy it as they wish without earning their parents' ire.

5. When children can draw or create, parents should encourage their children's creativity by displaying the works in a special place, such as the family room.

6. Find a non-denominational day care center or one which teaches according to your religious affiliation.

7. If parents prefer to enroll their children in playgroups, they have to be sure a simple but regulated curriculum exists aimed at helping develop motor skills, language, socialization and discipline.

8. Make sure that the teachers have an adequate educational background in teaching children. They should be high school graduates at least.

9. Determine whether children receive lessons about morality, ethics and religion at the day care. Make sure children are taught to do simple prayers.

10. Parents have no reason to worry about their children's interaction with others when they join a playgroup or preschool. Children have more chances to socialize and cooperate with others. The experience will help them in building relationships when they grow up.

11. Learning language from poetry and songs will help children develop their imagination.

12. Parents whose children join play groups or preschools usually give more attention to their education in the future. Ask them simple questions about their day -- what did they do at school, how were their friends and how do they like their teachers and friends. These questions encourage children to discuss their problems.

13. To develop closer relationships with children, parents can take them to the nearest bookstores or libraries and encourage them to love reading.

14. Be aware of your child's appearance. Teachers prefer to have clean and well-dressed students, and will be more likely to consider such children brighter than average. There is the likelihood that teachers also treat these students better.

15. Do not expect too much from children. Overly high expectations could be impossible to attain for the children, with failure cutting into their self-confidence. Children lacking confidence will do everything their parents or teachers tell them, and fail to develop their own individual interests.

16. Parents who treat their children as independent individuals, let them express themselves and do not criticize them too often will provide them with bigger opportunities to succeed in the future.

17. Giving rewards, credit or small presents to children for their hard work will be of more benefit than punishing them for their mistakes. Children will be more motivated if their parents respond positively to their work.

18. Communicate with your child's teachers on their children's progress inside and outside the classroom, focusing not only on studies, but also on relationships with their peers. (yan)