How Meaningful and Stimulating Engagement Drives Early Childhood Development

“The first five years have so much to do with how the next 80 turn out.”

– Bill Gates

Investing in early childhood development is among the smartest thing a parent, society, or a country can do. A child’s initial years lay the foundation for all future learning and development. It hones a child’s learning abilities, cognitive, and social development.

90% of critical brain development happens in the first 5 years of life.

                                                                                                  -First2000days.org

A child’s mind is like a sponge. It absorbs all that happens around it, good, bad, or ugly, stimulating or boring. It then processes this information and shapes the child’s thoughts, behavior, aptitude and attitude for all further learnings.

Therefore, engaging them meaningfully at this stage of their lives will help in igniting a lifelong love for learning while ensuring the holistic growth of the child.

early childhood development

Children learn the best when they are nurtured and not pushed too hard when they are given the space to be and express themselves. 

This a collective effort of the parents, the play school the child goes to, and all other influential people in his/her life. They together create the experiences that go a long way in shaping the child’s personality.

Early years education is primarily for children in the age group of 3 to 5 years and is referred to as pre school, play school, day care or nursery school. 

Despite the different names, they should all be united by the same purpose – to engage the kids in meaningful activities lovingly. Activities that help in giving them a head start for their future.

A vital aspect of early childhood development let’s understand how early years education benefits a child in the long run.

 

8 Ways Quality Early Years Education Positively Shapes a Child  

1. Ensures Holistic Development

Early years are critical in building a child’s emotional, social, mental, and physical faculties. The more enriching the experiences at this stage in life, the more well rounded the child will turn out to be.

Trained and empathetic educators play a crucial role in ensuring that a child gets all the necessary stimulation for his/her overall development.

2. Boosts Confidence and Self Esteem

Positive interactions with peers and teachers help a child develop a positive view about themselves, boosting confidence and self-esteem.

The sense of wellbeing and positivity further spurs the child to explore his/ her varied talents without any hesitation.

3. Sparks an Enthusiasm for Lifelong Learning

Kids engaged through fun and exciting activities develop a keen enthusiasm for learning.

This eagerness and positivity encourage curiosity and sets a momentum for all future learnings and are crucial to positive early childhood development.

4. Builds Social Skills

Engaging in exciting activities with other kids through role-plays, team activities, etc. helps in building the kids’ social skills.

These skills, in turn, are crucial as they go forward and helps them connect with people from other cultures, personalities, and domains easily.

5. Promotes Adaptability

Early years is the time to teach the kids that they must share, cooperate, adapt, take turns, etc. 

All these are vital for them to co-exist in harmony as they grow older.

6. Encourages Team Play

While interacting with other kids through varied childhood development programs, children learn to become team players, an important aspect of early childhood development.

They learn to listen, be patient, respect others’ opinions, and work as a team.

All these qualities help them in all their future dealings, be it as students or adults.

7. Enhances Brain Development

The eclectic and stimulating childhood development programs, of pre schools, with professionally crafted activities, strengthen the development of the brain. 

Specially devised logical and analytical activities further help in sharpening the kids’ reasoning and cognitive skills.

8. Exposes to Diversity

The world is becoming smaller and closer, drawing people of different nationalities together.

Stimulating early childhood development programs expose the kids to varied activities through interaction with a diverse set of kids from different towns, cities, and countries of the world. 

Being highly impressionable, every new experience in play school shapes a child into the person he/she will turn out to be.

Therefore, it is crucial to choose a play school that focuses on the holistic development of the child. 

A place that understands that each child is an individual and needs his/her space to blossom.

As summarized so beautifully by the eminent child psychologist, Haim Ginott, “Children are like wet cement. Whatever falls on them makes an impression.”

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