How can you best prepare your preschooler for success in education? We all want to make the most of our child’s gifts and cultivate them in an environment where they feel happy and secure. But how do we do that?
With a wealth of educational approaches on offer, sometimes it’s hard to find the right option. And you don’t want to waste these valuable years on a curriculum that suits neither you nor your child.
Use this guide as your starting point. Here, you’ll discover the most popular types of preschool curriculum.
Montessori
The Italian educator Maria Montessori founded the first Montessori school in 1906. Montessori education prioritizes teaching children through the sensory environment.
It is physical touch, according to this method, that children use to develop those early connections in the brain. They learn through feeling. And so, touch is where a child’s education should begin.
A Montessori environment includes specially-designed educational resources made using natural materials like wood. The objects help a child learn about core principles to further foundational subject knowledge.
Take math, for example. Children will use long wooden sticks to help them grasp early concepts like counting. This blog explains how to find an excellent Montessori preschool.
Waldorf
At Waldorf, the central theme is learning through play. That might include imaginative role-play or a creative activity such as art, storytelling, or movement.
Waldorf places great emphasis on the educational benefits of the outdoor world too. Forest school activities such as gardening, woodwork, and craft-making are popular in Waldorf.
Children might learn about topics including the Earth, insects and other animals, music, and color. Waldorf exposes children to a natural but rich environment of stimuli. And that helps develop their curiosity.
Regio Emilia
The Regio Emilia preschool curriculum encourages children to be self-guided in their learning. They see children as intelligent enough to play an active role in shaping their education.
Activities in a Regio Emilia curriculum might include dance, drama, construction, art, and writing.
Teachers act as observers rather than educators. They will watch children interact in the classroom. Using that observation, they’ll guide them towards enriching activities that match their curiosity.
Bank Street
Another child-centered approach, Bank Street’s curriculum covers the four corners of early development. Those four corners are emotional, physical, social, and cognitive.
Children in a Bank Street preschool learn through the environment. The method creates an engaging and stimulating classroom for kids. That might include learning blocks, books, and puzzles.
Bank Street also uses field trips for children to learn about a topic in other environments. So if learning about food, the children might visit a local farm to see where the food originates.
Four Reputable Types of Preschool Curriculum: Which Is Right for You?
Your child deserves the best. And with the right affordable preschool, you are giving them the best start in life.
Start with these four leading types of preschool curriculum. Use this guide to shape your decision about what method will be the right choice for your child.
Before you go, visit our reviews section for our latest educational toy recommendations.