Preschool is important for non-academic and academic reasons. Unfortunately, non-academic reasons are too often overlooked. When I think about the start of the school year in September (what can I say, August still doesn’t feel right), I think:

Social Skills
Empathy
Poise
Transition

“Soft” skills are indispensable and benefit you throughout life. At KidsPark, we are strong supporters of both Preschool soft skills and traditional academic requirements. Both merit our time and attention to cultivate.

Social skills encompass interactions with other children and adults, manners, and the ability to share. These skills are role modeled by parents and need to be learned early for success in group environments.

Empathy refers to a child’s ability to appropriately relate to others’ feelings, even if they don’t feel that way themselves. It is the root of a child’s ability to be kind and compassionate.

Poise gives a child confidence and self-discipline.  They feel in control of themselves. Once they feel self-assured, they will be able to tackle projects and learn new things.

Transition is the ability to adjust to change and take direction from others. Some people breeze through transitions and others are never comfortable. If children are not comfortable with transitions, coping mechanisms can be developed and practiced to enable them to more easily adjust to new situations and be more open to change. Simply put, life!

The focus on both soft and academic skills creates a fully developed person who realizes their potential.  What more could a parent hope for?