As a parent or guardian to a young child there will probably come a time when you decide that you want your little one to start spreading their wings and attending nursery. But how can starting nursery affect a child’s development? Let’s look at what you need to know.
How Can Going to Nursery Affect Your Child’s Development?
Now we’re going to preface this by saying that we’ve met more than one parent or guardian over the years who has expressed a little trepidation about sending their child to nursery, and that’s only natural!
However, the benefits of nursery and preschool education for children can’t be emphasised enough. The impact of nursery on child development is an overwhelmingly positive one, with toddlers learning to become more independent and improving their social skills.
Let’s break it down.
The Impact of Nursery on Child Development
Is your baby or toddler ready to start nursery? Are they displaying signs of independence? Are they able to mix well with other children and can they cope with being apart from you? If so, it’s time to start building on those attributes.
Starting nursery can affect a child’s development in a number of different ways. Here are 5 of them.
1. It Will Improve Their Social Skills
Going to preschool will allow your child to make friends and help them learn how to form connections with others. It will also teach them how to take turns and share toys, books or other items.
At Little Angels, we encourage both group and independent play, which is crucial in helping children understand friendship, as well as showing them that they don’t need other people to be able to have fun.
Other social skills learnt include listening to others, particularly grown-ups who aren’t a parental figure, as well as peer-based learning such as copying others and helping each other figure things out – like a new toy.
2. It Will Give Them Independence
One of the most important aspects of starting nursery and child development is the independence your toddler will experience.
And with independence comes confidence, as they start to forge their own personality and thoughts outside of the family home.
At Little Angels we believe in fostering an independent attitude, which is why we offer fun and educational extracurricular activities such as yoga, French lessons and sign language. This encourages children to discover more about the world and develop their own interests.
This burgeoning sense of independence, confidence and love of discovery is just one of the ways nursery impacts on child development and prepares them for school.
3. It Helps Develop Communication Skills
While we encourage quiet downtime and love nothing more than seeing our children quietly reading in our cosy book corner, one of the most valuable ways that starting nursery can affect a child’s development is to help them communicate more effectively.
Whether they’re playing, eating lunch (cooked by our in-house organic chef) or taking part in a cooking class, they’re increasing both their vocabulary and their communication skills.
Socialising with a wider circle of people than just their parents, siblings or other close family members will help little children learn to communicate in different scenarios and contexts.
Interacting with both other children and our nursery staff and activity leaders is a crucial part of child development at nursery and it also provides the perfect opportunity for little ones to understand the feelings of others – a good example of how starting nursery can affect a child’s behaviour for the better.
4. It Instils a Sense of Structure
Nursery provides structure, and structure is important in helping to get your child ready to start school. At our nurseries we have set meal and snack times and we plan your child’s time with us around three age groups: babies, toddlers and preschoolers.
All of these things help provide stability and routine to your child’s day, as well as the entire time they spend at Little Angels.
This is important because when young children have a routine, they typically feel more confident and secure. They know what to expect and this in turn helps them to regulate their feelings.
This sense of ‘knowing what to expect’ also allows children to become more of an active participant in activities and tasks. For example, we wash our hands after we’ve played outside and before lunch. We put our books back on the shelves after we’ve read them.
5. It Helps Develop Motor Skills
Motor skills are a vital part of child development and going to preschool will prove to be tremendously beneficial in this area.
The wide range of activities offered by a good nursery will enable your child to play, experiment and problem solve – all using their motor skills.
When there is a plethora of new and exciting things to discover and play with, your child will be learning new skills and becoming increasingly dexterous, almost by the day.
For example, Little Angels nurseries offer messy play, arts and crafts, music making and sensory areas, all of which have been designed to engage your child and develop their skills, talents and interests.
Child Behaviour and Development When Starting Nursery
When your child starts school, they’re going to need to be able to cope with a longer day, more routine, and greater physical stamina, which is why the impact of nursery on child development can’t be understated.
But for this to happen, your child needs to be attending the right nursery in the first place.
At Little Angels, we take your child’s care and development seriously which is why we’ve made it as easy as possible for them to settle in and transition between the age groups.
We also work with trusted partners who are as invested in your baby or toddler’s development as we are. For example, Stretch-n-Grow holds a weekly class at Little Angels which helps instil a love of physical activity in your little one.
Meanwhile we also enjoy introducing the children in our care to the outside world to expand their horizons and fuel their development and our outside play and our trips to Borough Market, the library, and of course the playground always go down a treat!
Child Development at Little Angels
We hope we’ve provided you with some insight into how starting nursery can affect a child’s behaviour and life skills.
Now, if you’d like to know more about how our nursery can positively impact your child’s development, why not download our brochure or book an in-person or video tour of our Perkins Square nursery today.