The average family has changed a lot over the last few decades. Many parents now juggle work with raising children and for various reasons childcare has become essential for many parents in order to be able to survive. Using a service such as Toddle in can help you to find the best day care centres near Hornsby for your little one.
But, childcare isn’t just beneficial on a logistical level. It also has many other benefits that could affect your child’s development for years to come. So even if you don’t work or have plenty of support from grandparents or family friends, here are some reasons you should consider sending your kid to childcare anyway.
Social Development
Early childhood care helps promote emotional and social development. Putting your child in an environment where they can interact with other children of various ages from different backgrounds enables them to build healthy relationship and learn the fundamentals of respect from an early age. This interaction with other children in a safe and controlled environment is absolutely essential to their social development. And whilst your child may get plenty of play time and interaction with you, their grandparents, siblings and other children in their lives, allowing them to explore new people and new friendships in childcare is highly beneficial.
Any good childcare centre will also have the structures and facilities in place to encourage further social development. For example outdoor spaces where the children can explore their curiosity as well as get a healthy dose of fresh air, or fun and engaging indoor play areas where they can learn to share and play alongside other children.
At childcare your child will develop a sense of independence, the ability to socialise, creativity and confidence. These are all invaluable life skills that can be developed under the watchful eye of childcare professionals.
Cognitive Development
Equally important to your child’s emotional and social development is their cognitive development. Again, childcare centres are run by childcare professionals who are well versed in early childhood developments. Everything your child is exposed to at these centres will be carefully chosen and crafted to help their cognitive development in a fun and pressure-free way.
The games and activities your child will partake in at childcare will all help build the foundations required for language skills, maths, reading, writing and more. The best childcare centres will also encourage creativity through music, art and even learning a foreign language. All of this will help your child to build the foundations they need for future learning.
School Readiness
Though it may seem too early to be imagining your child going off to big school, it’s important to begin laying the foundations to prepare them for this transition. But don’t worry, this doesn’t mean forcing maths times tables down their throat. It’s about finding a children development program that gently introduces the soft skills they need to succeed at school.
School readiness is as much about understanding the world and being able to empathise with others as it is about literacy and numeracy. Good school readiness programs will help teach your child about the practical sides of going to school such as using a lunch box and getting used to the transition from home to another setting.
Conclusion
Childcare is a fantastic way to lay some of the essential foundations for later in your child’s life. It teaches basic life skills such as empathy and relationship building as well as the more practical sides of learning such as language skills and numeracy.
When looking for a childcare centre, make sure you select someone with qualifications and extensive practical experience in childcare. This will help ensure that everything your child is exposed to whilst under their care is designed to develop their skills and emotions in a healthy and fun way. The best childcare centres enable children to learn without ever realising that they are being taught.