When it comes to education and learning, you don’t have to wait until your child or children have reached school age for them to get started. From the moment they can walk and talk they can start to learn some basics that will give them a head start even before they commence going to school.
In this article, we’ll take a look at some tips and ideas that will have your child school-ready, confident and ahead of the curve when it comes to learning and education.
#1 – Encourage Your Children To Read
Learning to read at a very early age can really set the stage for your child’s advancement through school and well into adulthood. Not only is reading an essential skill but your child can learn so much from reading books and other material.
If you were to talk to any successful person, you’re bound to discover that one of the hottest tips they could give anybody when it comes to success in life is to read a lot.
It’s educational, it’s an important life skill and reading is often fun; especially for young children.
#2 – Organise Social Activities for Your Kids
A key element to positive development is self-confidence, and much of this is derived through social interaction. Organising playdates and get-togethers with other kids around the same age is an effective way for your child to develop important social skills and build their self-esteem.
Playdates ultimately should be mostly about fun, but they could also be educational. Kids could get together for a group learning session, or to be taught a new skill, such as drawing or painting.
The important thing is that kids will learn how to interact with each other, as well as appreciate the skills and talents of their friends as well as their own.
#3 – Learning Another Language Can Help Brain Development
Most of us are aware that the easiest time to learn languages is when children are really young and their minds are highly receptive to languages. A perfect example is a child from mixed cultures where one parent speaks fluent English and the other speaks fluently in another tongue. By the time the child is 4 or 5 years old, they’re proficient in both languages.
No matter what language you might choose for your child to learn, it’ll give them confidence and will also assist in brain development, and cultivating a love for and deep understanding of languages in general.
Learning a second language is a positive developmental tool at an early age and it also gives your child an attribute that’ll serve them well for the rest of their lives.
#4 – Enrol Your Child In An Early Learning Centre
Early learning centres present a fantastic opportunity for children before they embark on their school years. The main purpose of an early learning centre and their curriculum is to get children school-ready.
Most early learning centres teach children the basics when it comes to education, including subjects such as mathematics, science and learning about computers.
Many centres also have a firm focus on healthy living, which includes how to eat a balanced diet and even growing some of their own vegetables at the centre itself. On-site chefs prepare delicious meals that include nothing but nutritious ingredients, and the home-grown vegetables that the children had a hand in producing.
Most major metropolitan areas of Australia will have a selection of quality early learning centres. Just do a search online.
As an example, if you’re located in the Kariong region of NSW, just type into Google phrases like:
- Early learning centre Kariong
- Kariong child care centre
You’ll see a list of centres to do further research on.
#5 – Music Therapy
The really interesting thing about music is a person uses both sides of the brain when listening to it, as compared to the predominant use of the left or right side when performing other activities. Music therapy is fantastic for your child’s brain development. In turn, it leads to an enhanced ability to learn and comprehend.
Right across the country music therapy is being practised as an integral part of the healthcare profession, and many early childhood centres and preschools have adopted music therapy into their curriculum.
Anything that helps personal and brain development in your child at an early age will give them more confidence going forward and a head start in life.
