With the release of the recent
matric 2019 results, it was again clear that many of the youth that do not
achieve the desired results are the ones who did not have a proper start and
preparation for their formal school years.
For this reason, there is also an increased emphasis on developing the
academic skills of children during their early childhood years.
The early childhood
development system is aimed at preparing children for school by using play and
informal learning to get certain basic skills printed into the inquisitive and
absorbing minds of younger children.
The early childhood
development centre focusses on the young child between the ages of 3 and 8,
where play is used to teach children basic skills in five areas, namely
cognitive development (solving problems), social and emotional development,
speech and language development, fine motor skills development and gross motor
skills development.
In the article “Why Children
Need Play” Deborah J Leong writes that there is a strong belief that there
is a link between play and the development of cognitive and social skills –
both being prerequisites for learning more complex concepts as children get
older. She says that play is linked to
growth in memory, self-regulation, oral language, and recognising symbols. Play has however also been linked to higher
levels of school adjustment and increased social development.
The early childhood classrooms
should therefore provide a unique setting to foster dramatic play that will
lead to cognitive and social maturity. The role play (and friendly fighting over who will be the mommy and who
the baby) teaches children to delay gratification and to prioritise their goals
and actions. According to Leong it also
teaches them to consider the perspectives and needs of other people.
Primary school teachers do not
necessarily expect of the little ones to enter their classroom with complete
mastery of spelling or addition. After
all, it is in the early elementary grades that they acquire these
competencies. However, the teachers do
hope that the children entering their classrooms can concentrate, pay attention
and be considerate to others. These
skills are not developed by using flashcards or computer programs, but through
interacting with peers during play!
It is however important that
the parents form a partnership with the teacher to make the learning experience
fun. Parent
involvement helps extend teaching outside the classroom, creates a more
positive experience for children, and helps children perform better when they
are in school.
You can for instance read to
your child and help him or her develop their literacy, their ability to learn
new words and it is also relaxing. Play
with your child – get drawn into their games and sit down on the floor when you
play with them. Be at their level – do
not look down on them – even when you need to discipline your child.
It is important to also greet
your child when you drop her off at school and assure her that you will be
picking her up later. Try not to be late, and be interested in what they learned during the day. This gives the child a
feeling of safety and makes the learning experience more positive as the child
is not anxious about not being collected at the end of the day!
Child Welfare Tshwane offers
early childhood development centres in Mamelodi and in Sunnyside to prepare young children for school. We believe that young children should be stimulated
and offered the best possible opportunity to develop basic skills that will be
enable them to perform at their best once they start school.
We provide a safe and friendly
learning environment, where the children also receive balanced meals and can
take a nap in the afternoon. We charge a
small fee from those parents who can afford to pay a small amount, just to
cover the basic costs. Most children
however attend the centres for free, but they still get quality education and
guidance.
Children that have left our
care and started school have been performing very well. We follow the Curriculum of the Department of
Basic Education, bringing our children on par with children from higher income
families.
For more information, contact
Ms Hazel Mitas on 012-9437285 or hazel@childwelfare.co.za
