Ok, I hope you’re ready for an unpopular answer (based on the other responses I’ve read).

If you can teach her at home, then I would HIGHLY recommend that you do not put her in preschool.

Most of the other respondants cited reasons of socialization for needing to place a child in preschool. I would have to highly disagree. My child has never been in preschool, day care, or even Sunday school. Yet, nearly ever time we go out she is complimented by adults on how mature and polite she is. She knows how to speak to adults because she is around adults. She knows how to act appropriately in public because she is in public, around adults, not discarded into a room full of misbehaving, whining, mean children all day. I don’t what her to learn behavior from other children who are misbehaving or making poor choices. I want her to learn from me and her father what is acceptable behavior and show her (through our example) how to appropriately respond to situations that come up in life. In fact, she plays better with kids who are older than her (8 yrs and up) because the kids her age don’t understand how to interact with another person, how to socialize.

If you feel like she must have contact with other children then I would suggest smaller venues such as gymnastics, dance, or music classes. These are often available at her age as “mommy & me” type classes. Story time at the library or Sunday school class are also good opportunities to be around other children without having to subject them to hours around inappropriate role models (other small kids making poor choices).

You can not only teach the same things at home, but you can teach more and better.

Best wishes!

Of course you can teach them many of the same things at home, but there are some things that only social, structural settings will be able to teach. You can teach your child the academic stuff… as long as your child does not have any delays or learning problems, they will naturally progress academically. However, preschool settings can encourage participation in a group, cooperation, problem solving, emotional management, and prepare your child for future school experiences. Preschoolers learn to share (not an easy task), follow directions and a schedule, gain empathy for others, pre-literacy skills, develop their gross and fine motor skills for pre-writing, and develop social skills. All these are crucial for setting up a positive school experience once a child reaches school age. Children who have attended quality preschool will have between one year up to as much as a five year advantage, over children with no preschool. That means in kindergarten, you will have some children who have never attended school of any kind that will not be able to tell you their own name, name any colors, be able to cut a line, or recognize letters. On the other hand, a child who has attended a quality preschool may be able to do all these things and much more. While academics are important, it should not be the reason you place a child in preschool… you can teach a child academics. What you can’t teach is the information that is gleaned from their peers in a quality preschool setting.

The most important things about preschool are not academic. A good preschool helps a child learn to get along with others, work well in a group, take turns and delay gratification.It does all this through a curriculum that is primarily based on play. It helps children learn to separate from Mom and Dad. It provides a number of interesting experiences and activities that make a child excited about learning. It helps children learn to make choices . It makes sure that they have the readiness skills for formal academics. Children in a good preschool are read to frequently and have lots of opportunities to explore books on their own. This makes them naturally excited about reading .

All of this is a long-winded way of saying that no,you do not have to send your child to preschool but there are some real advantages. I am not an advocate of mandatory preschool but I think all kids need at least a year of some kind of early childhood program before kindergarten. My children and grandchildren did just fine with a traditional three morning a week nursery school and I think that is enough for most kids.

Those programs usually take kids 2 years before they start kindergarten. A 2 1/2 year old may enjoy some kind of play group or Mommy and Me (or Daddy and Me) program but it is not absolutely necessary.

Both are okay but I recommend you to bring her to preschool because she’ll probably learn what you’ll teach her at home there with the opportunity to make new friends and become a very social person. The only con there is that you don’t really have control on what they’ll answer or learn there in preschool. But if ever you don’t like anything there you could always just transfer schools or complain to the teacher/ principal.

I agree with conway. I am a kindergarten teacher. Contrary to what others have said, children who go to preschool are not necessarily more adjusted than those who stay at home. Some of my best students did not go to any type of preschool.

Don’t push your child to grow up. Let her be a toddler/preschooler and learn about the world from a loving relative watching her at home.

If you think she needs to be socialized put her in a mother’s morning out program for two-three days a week when she is 4. That will be enough time for her to get used to being around others.

Worth what? Pre-school can be a good experience for some children and others are not ready at her age. Parents are a child’s first teacher and being home with a parent is the best option for very young children. If you are talking about a two to three hour program for two or three days a week, this could be a good learning experience for your child. It will give her an opportunity to be with several other children her age and to learn more about getting along with others. It would give you and opportunity to get to know other parents and arrange play dates. Only you can decide if your daughter is old enough for these things.

Children do learn a great deal in pre-school. Children will learn a great deal anywhere that they are exposed to a variety of new experiences. Children are learning machines! They learn all of the time.

You can teach them everything they need to know at home, except socializing and getting along with their peers. This is an extremely important issue. Kindergarten teachers can point out which kids went to preschool and which kids didn’t just on there social behavior.

I have no doubt that you can teach your child however preschool not only teaches your child it also makes them more comfortable with school in general. If you just take your child to kindergarten and leave it at that they may be uncomfortable with their surroundings and be more likely to act up. If they are introduced into it slowly they will learn what behaviors are unacceptable earlier and will be less likely to have behavior problems when they are required to behave. Not only is it a behavior thing. I sent my daughter to preschool when she turned 3 so that she could interact with children her age(she is an only child) so she would be more comfortable when she enterd school and would not be too shy later in life.

preschool is more about socializing your child than it is teaching them. They learn they have to live by rules and get along with other, take turns, etc. Its important. You certainly can teach them colors and numbers and letters and art, but you can’t teach the socialization part unless you have many children at home.

preschool is a sturdy thank you to enable your infant work together with others her age and locate out a thank you to share toys. till she has a brother or different young ones in the community that are her age that she would be around a lot and could effect her, i think of preschool is well worth it.