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Preschool education and brain development
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The brain: copyright Photoxpress.com
Early childhood education is getting lots of attention these days. With the latest legislative news about President Obama’s $10 billion Early Learning Pledge, many are wondering if it is “worth it”. Some critics see early childhood education as nothing more than (in some instances) “high priced daycare”. Some ask, how are children learning when they play all day? The proponents for early learning are adamant about the value that it has for children. Research has even proved that early learning is worth it; given it is quality learning.
For the doubters out there, who think that early education has no value. For the parents wondering if it is worth it to send their child to preschool (given how much it costs and recent job cuts) or should they just keep them home. Here is an excerpt from an article in Scholastic Parent & Child by Alice Sterling Honig, Ph.D. [April/May 1999] that describes some ways a preschool education can help brain development in young children.
Morning Greeting:
Whenever an adult speaks directly and personally to a preschool child, cascades of impulses go through the child’s neurons (nerve cells), which are connected to one another by synapses. The repetition of these kinds of positive early interactions actually helps the brain reinforce the existing connections and make new ones.
Fingerplay:
By a couple of months of age, babies can process the emotional contours of language (prosody), which means they tune into the emotional variations in your voice. (In fact, toddlers can memorize nursery rhymes because rhymes have prosody!) As the preschool teacher raises her voice an octave and draws out her vowels, the child’s brain responds by sending even more chemical and electrical impulses across the synapses.
Storytime:
Early childhood teachers are careful to have small groups for story time so that preschool children are able to get involved and process information. Young children need real interactions in order to learn.
Free play/ Work time:
During free play, preschool children interact with one another. As they communicate, whether through beginning language or more sophisticated use of words, the neurons in their brains are making more connections, critical for reinforcing learning.
Snack [or Mealtimes]:
Further opportunities for communication lead to the repetition of impulses sent through the brain. The more repetition that goes on, the more the brain grows sure in its understanding. Repetition of language sounds is crucial to brain development
Circle time [Review time]:
As the early childhood caregiver focuses her attention on each individual child in the large group activity, the child must think about the topic for the day. The child’s brain will be active as he/she retrieves from memory something special in her own personal history that she has learned. Each day children reap the benefits of preschool education.
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