WHAT IS THE RIGHT AGE FOR A CHILD TO ATTEND PRESCHOOL
Mitch tagged me to share my thoughts on the appropriate age for a child to be placed in preschool here. Right timing, while browsing the net on great casserole recipes, I happen to have stumbled upon an article by Chris Ashman, a parenting expert, which is but fitting to this tag. 
Here’s sharing:
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Your child is three, and it’s school time, must be time for preschool, right? Not necessarily. Not all three-year-olds are ready for preschool. At this age, children do need some social activities. They enjoy playing with others, and are beginning to learn to make friends. However, a structured academic preschool may not be appropriate for all children. Some children need an extra year of unstructured play. It allows them to learn social skills, without the added stress of learning new routines and academics. There are several factors which will help you determine if your three-year-old if is ready for an academic preschool program or if he or she needs a less structured, play group environment.
The first factor to consider is your child’s previous experience. Has your child been in daycare or cared for by a relative? If not, you should consider how easily your child separates from you. What is your child’s experience with other programs? Has your child attended structured programs, such as story time at the library? Consider whether your child sits for story time? Does he like to participate in group activities or does he play own his own, near other children? At this age, it is very important to determine if your child would benefit most from the structure of a program or from its social aspects.
The next factor to consider is your child’s personality and interests. How active is your child? Will he or she sit for a short period of time, if interested in a task? How well does your three-year-old share? Does he or she like to hold books and look at them? Does your three-year-old engage in pretend play? Like to sing songs? Has he or she begun to recognize colors, and shapes? These activities will all be part of a structured preschool program.
Finally, consider your child’s level of development. How understandable is her speech to people outside of the family? Are there any other developmental issues? If you have concerns about your child’s development he or she should be evaluated by your pediatrician who will help you find the most suitable program for your child.
Children benefit from being in a simulating environment at an early age. However, not all children are ready for a structured academic program at the age of three. The parent is the best judge of which type of program is appropriate for his or her child.
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Thanks for the tag Sis. It brought back memories of those times I was seriously considering enrolling Nico in preschool at quite a very early age. He started joining a playgroup at age 2.9 years old and then come June of 2007 (he was 3.2 years old then), we decided to enroll him in Nursery. The school we enrolled him is semi traditional though and regretfully, it didn’t work right for him. 
We’re glad to have found a good school for him this year and he’s so loving it there. 
Tagging the FMB Mommies: Cookie, Cess, Chats, Lynn, Teacher Julie, and Wenchie. Hope you can share your thoughts.
12 responses so far
Thanks for sharing your thoughts. Medyo kabado nga ako next year, pero by that time 3.5 y/o na si Deye so siguro okay na saka sanay naman na sya dito.
Mitchs last blog post..Right Age To Go To School
wag kang kabahan Sis. am sure Deye will have fun in school. enroll mo na sya next school year.
This is a great post Feng. I enrolled Yohan in Nursery when he was a month short of turning 4. Based on his assessment, we could have enrolled him in Kinder right away. However, hubby and I thought it best not to let him skip Nursery so he could adjust well to the school and his classmates. Yohan has always been shy. If we enrolled him in Kinder right away, he might have a little difficulty adjusting since his classmates have experienced a year in Nursery. We wanted him to be comfortable in class at his own pace. I think we made the right decision.
Rach (Heart of Rachel)s last blog post..The Philippine Blog Awards 2008
you definitely made the right decision, Rach. iba pa rin pag nag start on the entry school level ang bata. some may not be that emotionally ready yet while others are mature enough to attend school.
It all depends on the kid din, but of course,it helps if the pre-school is child-friendly, meaning, the kids do not just sit down the whole time they are there. Torture yun sa kanila
Nico’s former school in Nursery was kinda like that. yung sit down and listen while the teacher is talking. na bored yatang masyado ang anak ko sa ganun.
Readiness is really the key in knowing when the child is prepared to go to school already. When I enrolled Gaby she was only a year and a half and she did really well right away. Adi, on the other hand, started school at 2 and a half because her development wasn’t as swift as her Ate’s. Still, the moment she set foot in school she also thrived in the school setting.
Thanks for the tag. Will get to it asap
Cookies last blog post..Litratong Pinoy : Itim at Puti
Cookie, Gab and Adi’s preschool story only proves that kids develop at their own phase. it’s a good decision that you enrolled Adi later than her Ate Gab. wala naman ibang makakapag judge if and when our kids are ready for school, tayo lang mga parents.
i agree, i think the child will exhibit signs that he/she is ready to go to school. in my daughter’s case, she is more than ready
ako lang ang hindi, hahaha!
you have 9 more months to prepare, Cess. am sure by that time, you’re ready na. sige na, enroll mo na si Dora. excited na tons of homework!
I guess it’s us parents who are pressured to enroll our kids early. I plan to homeschool my son because of a lot of factors, the main one is the financial part (hehe). But then I get a lot of criticisms, like magiging abnormal daw sya, etc. I have no idea actually, if I’ll be making the right decision. Kaya I’ll be lurking around to see how the “expert moms” have done it, hehe.
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hi Lisaflor! tama ka, tayong parents ang mas pressured. bakit ba naman kasi nung panahon nating, hindi pa uso yung ganyan. basta Grade 1 na agad, okay na yun.
re: homeschooling, it has it’s advantages and disadvantages. I guess what would work is that the pros weighs over the cons. goodluck on your schooling decision. anyway, Lex is a little younger pa din naman, so you still have months to think and decide about it.