A preschool-age child is at a point of brain development where they can absorb a vast amount of knowledge. The average age for a child to start preschool is three to four years old, according to Kokotree. Not only can children learn a great deal academically during this time, but now is also the time for them to be learning important social skills such as communication. Let’s look at how preschool-level New Orleans education will help foster your child’s communication skills.
Communicating Outside the Family
Most children come to preschool having spent the first few years of their lives surrounded primarily by their families. Parents and siblings typically make up the extent of a preschooler’s social circle. Although this helps to foster strong attachment and connections, there are limitations to what children can learn when only interacting with relatives. Families tend to develop communication shortcuts, which some refer to as family shorthand. This type of shorthand is heavily depended upon when interacting with very small children and toddlers. In some families, toddlers don’t need to communicate very clearly because the other members of their family understand their body language and non-verbal communication.
Although family shorthand is perfectly normal, it doesn’t help the child learn to communicate on a larger scale. In order to do that, children need to be around people who communicate with words and sentences. They will experience this at preschool when they start interacting with their teachers and other students.
Communicating in Cooperation
One of the most important things that preschoolers can learn in New Orleans early education is communication in cooperation. This means learning how to communicate with others in order to get something accomplished either for oneself or for the group. This is a very important skill for young children to learn, and it’s difficult to master within a family setting since they are only communicating with people who already have an emotional attachment to them. Communication in cooperation teaches children how to talk to others clearly, make their requests known in a reasonable way, and show others why they should cooperate.
Now that you know how preschool helps to foster your child’s communication skills, it’s time to enroll them in quality New Orleans education. Contact NOLA Public Schools today to learn more about our programs. We look forward to speaking with you!