Developing Your Talents

How will a Montessori preschool change your young child? Your three, four, or five-year-old is developing new skills every day. But, you may not know how the pre-k setting can help them to build new abilities. If this is your family's first experience with early childhood education, take a look at the top changes you may see after the first few weeks or months of school.

Social Skills

Gone are the days when your child only engaged in parallel play—playing near or next to, but not directly with, another child. Now that they are entering the pre-k years, your child is ready to make their first true friends. You may notice that your preschooler talks constantly about the other children in their class. They may tell you stories about what another child did at school, mention that another child also likes the same books or characters that they do, or even ask for an after-school playdate.

Along with making new friends, you may also see a change in the way that your preschooler interacts with other people. They may start to cooperate with their siblings or share their toys without you having to ask. 

Emotional Skills

Social and emotional development go hand-in-hand. As your child learns how to cooperate and share, they may also start to regulate their emotions. Instead of yelling, hitting, or biting when they are angry, sad, or frustrated, your child may start to use their words. Your child may start to learn new "emotion" vocabulary, have the chance to role-play different types of feelings, or create art based on their emotions. 

Cognitive Skills

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), by age four, many children can name a few of the colors, talk about what comes next in a story that they already know, and draw people with at least three body parts. These skills, along with an increasing ability to memorize, categorize, and problem solve, demonstrate your child's stage of cognitive development. You can see evidence of cognitive changes in the artwork that your child creates at preschool, the way they talk about their school day, and how they behave at home.

Motor Skills

Gross (large muscle group) and fine (hand and finger) skills change rapidly during the early years. Your three-year-old who toddled around the house last year is suddenly sprinting across the yard. The early learning environment is more than just an academic setting. Pre-k can help young children to develop physical or motor skills. These may include catching a large ball, running, walking up and down the stairs without your help, or even riding a tricycle.

Fine motor skills that your child builds during their school day may include self-care, art, and communication-based abilities. You may notice that your child is able to unbutton their jacket without your help, use feeding utensils in an appropriate way, write their name, or draw simple geometric shapes.

For more information about enrolling your child in preschool, contact a local facility.