What are the top things your kids have learned at preschool?

My kids just turned 2 about three weeks ago and they are like sponges wanting to learn everything and explore the world. I feel so badly because I take them to our family owned portrait studio every day and after they nap I have a sitter that is with them while I work. They seem so incredibly bored and the sitter isn't exactly a "teacher" to them, so they aren't getting the mental stimulation they seem to be looking for. I've looked at several preschools and at their age they would go 2 days a week for about 2 1/2 hours each day. They seem to offer story time, play time, and other things that sound fun, but is it too early? I am truly blessed I don't have to take my kids to be taken care of by someone, so I don't have to put them in a preschool, but I want to do what's best for their growing minds. They are such fun and social kids, I don't want to stop them from enjoying every moment possible! Any advice/experience you can share with sending them so young?

 

Cameron learned the alphabet and a ton more words. He's also now very good with puzzles and matching.

Kiefer can now put Legos together and is talking a ton more than he used to. He's not as clear as Cameron with his words, but I can tell his confidence has increased a lot!

They both also like to put things away, throw things out, or placed back to where they found them.

 

The most valuable think my girls learned, one especially, was self-confidence. She was a timid baby and toddler. She has always had a cute personality, but didn't want to talk to anyone she didn't know well. They went to the same pre-school for 3 years, and getting the love & nurturing along with the lessons really helped her to blossom.

 

We are sort of in the same situation as you. I didn't necessarily have to put the girls in preschool, but I felt they are at the point where they need more than I can offer them. Dh and I just felt it was time that they begin to have a more formal educational setting to learn in, and since they didn't make the cut-off for Kinder, we felt preschool was where they needed to be. You know your children best, if you feel it's time for something more for them, then I say go for it.

 

At that young age I wouldn't put them in preschool. Mine just turned 3 and I am not this year. An alternative would be to purchase something new each week that would be a learning "toy" and take it to the studio for them to play with. That might help the sitter to have soemthing to do. It would be fun for them to have something new each week. It would cost but would be way cheaper then preschool. Buy them each a puzzle, art supplies, megablocks, gears, plant seeds, books, stamps, stencils, ect. That might be a good compromise so you feel like they are learning new things.

 

My two are in daycare and have learned a ton, not just numbers and letters, but how to share with people NOT their twin, follow instructions, pick up toys, sort toys by type, shapes (including counting the sides of a polygon and determining whether it's a hexagon, pentagon, septagon, octagon, decagon), how to count items (not just memorization of the numbers), days of the week, weather, Alice is learning how to help in the kitchen (long story), Royce has gained a LOT of self confidence not being around Alice 24/7. It also lets your children be around other children and other adults. Oh and Alice has finally learned some compassion. (hahaha)

If you can afford to do it, I would do it.

 

As we dont have family in the city where we live, we enrolled our two in nursery when they were 15 months old. DD used to suffer a lot of stranger anxiety (it was extreme when she was a baby!) and nursery has helped her to overcome that. She still doesnt like strangers getting too close (I don´t either!) but she´s much better. She also started walking there!!!

Here´s my list of the benefits I´ve noticed:

they are more independent
they eat better at nursery
communication started and improved
learning names and sounds of animals, colours, etc
interact with other children well
learned to tidy up
social skills are starting
their motor skills are great! (shape sorting, shape recognition, etc)

and above all, they come home tired, happy and worn out which means they go to sleep well! The benefits are endless. The only draw-back of nursery IMO is the illness they pick up whilst there. Mine caught everything under the sun last September and I did too but I guess they have stronger immune systems due to it!

I would recommend you trying daycare if you´re thinking about it. GL!

 

I think a few hours a couple days a week for this age is fine. Mine started when they turned two and a few hours are just enough...especially since they were home with me or the nanny. They seem pretty wiped out after a few hours and I can still bring them home in time for their nap.
One thing that has been beneficial for us is that they learned to be dropped off somewhere and now know mommy is coming back. We've never dropped them off at grandmas or anywhere else for the day. Also each one has benefited in their own way. Lauren already knew her A,B,Cs, some numbers and was talking in 3 word "sentences" at that point. However, she is the shy one and has learned to play with others. My Julia maybe had 5 spoken words at the time and now is really taking off! Not sure if that is just her age or school but she seems to really be excited to be in the new environment (besides home). They’ve also learned to follow additional directions like putting away their books and throwing away their food when their done (they do this at home already but not voluntarily!)
I think at this age they sometimes don't learn things in obvious ways like A,B,Cs and 1,2,3...it’s the little things that add up to a huge amount of fun for them.

 

My kids have all learned so much from their preschool. Lila came home talking about photosynthesis last year (I was shocked when that word came out of her mouth :lol: ) and still talks about it sometimes now. Luke shocked me with his knowledge of the water cycle & words like evaporation & condensation. But really, the most important things that I think they have gotten from their preschool experience are things like how to share, how to interact with other kids, listening skills, interaction with other adults, responsibility for their actions & their environment, and they have learned that Mommy can leave them for a little while but will be back to pick them up & that they will be fine with someone else watching them for that time.

 

We started a 2day preschool last fall (they weren't quite 2, but were placed in the 2 yo class). They are going back this fall for 3day 2 yo class.

They learned stuff last year, but from going through the class one time already, I know they will pickup so much more this time around. The things that were so great for us included:

Independence! It's a safe place for DS to walk on his own, open the door in and out, etc. This was awesome for him esp!
Taking turns (with kids other than their twin)
Walking in line and staying with their group
Listening to adults other than us
Sitting at the table and eating
Arts & Crafts (I am the least crafty person I know so it is good to have this outside influence!)

I'm sure these were things that would have happened anyway, but being around other kids and seeing their example expedited some of these things. I work from home FT and we have PT help from a sitter (nanny type I suppose), but getting away from each other for a couple days a week was great for us. It also wore them out and they nap really well on school days!

I can also say that from reading some of the costs of preschool from other areas, ours is affordable. It is $240/mo for both of them. It is a church based school, but the only places that are not church based in my area are montessori or FT daycare/preschool combo. They do go to a short service for about 30 min/month. They also have a weekly spanish lesson and kindermusic and one field trip per year.

 

Honestly, I don't think they've learned a lick academically. It irks me that when the director went over the "curriculum" for 3 year olds last week, I sat there thinking, "really??? The boys have mastered all that months, if not well over a year ago!" I suppose repetition never hurts, I just wish they'd work on furthering their knowledge. And next year, when they turn four, the year before Kinder, we'll probably look seriously for a more academically challenging school. Those are still a little pricey, and I think they're doing fine with me for now. However, I do think they learn socially- how to act with peers, how to follow instructions from someone else, and just getting ready for participating in a classroom like setting when they do go off to school. Plus, I need a break from them a few days a week!

 

I personally LOVE their daycare, I'd go back to work so they could go if we needed to. They go about 2 times a week and I put them in at 7:30 until 4:30 I figured they might as well be there playing and having fun than bored here at home. I have a younger one too 15 months and she LOVES school too. She was actually getting her school clothes out just moments ago. I find the longer they are there, they make friends and it is comfortable. If it too short or for only one day a week, they sort of forget how much fun it is. Learning is through play and everyday there are new toys and just watching other kids and seeing how they play with the same toy. Amazingly they get along fairly well better than if all those kids were at home. They somehow know all the toys are to share and they learn to take turns. Plus, when I can I like when each of the twins has a day to themselves. I love to go out with just one twin even if I have the baby too, and it is more quality time. Plus I can see the independence in their faces when I pick them up knowing they were at school by themselves that day. I don't see learning ABCs, 123 as a sign of intelligence they can learn those things at any age. There is too much importance put on them -- reading is a higher priority in our family.

You can always try it, and see how it goes.

 

Please keep in mind that the point of preschool is NOT academics, it is social skills. The basic academics they learn are bonus. Mine never went as a 2 year old, but they did go at 3 and 4. One was already reading before he ever started preschool (and that was on his own, I never even did flashcards with them). They learned what many of the previous posters said, about how to be a part of a group, take turns. And yes, they even had to learn how to ask to go to the bathroom. Academically, at 3 they learned colors and shapes--one color and shape per month (and it is amazing how they could spread that over a full month!). As 4's they worked on numbers and letters and letter sounds. BUT, they also learned to cut (I never gave them scissors), they were allowed to paint, and did a lot of fun crafts. They also learned how to make friends!

 

All of this. :good: I did a pretty good job (not to toot my own horn ) at doing the academic stuff with them at home, so they went in already knowing alot but I wanted them for the reason Tina listed above. Those are all things I could not teach them at home.

Don't forget it will not ruin them or anything if they don't go to preschool. It's nice if they can but it won't harm them if they don't.

 

My girls have been in a preschool geared daycare since they were 2 and now that they are in prek you can see the difference between their peers who have been kept at home. I agree with the social portion of preschool too. Just because you have a twin does not mean you know how to share with others