Preschool Milestones

Is your child learning what they should be in preschool? Kate Kelly, Managing Editor of American Baby Magazine, has some milestones your child should be meeting.

In many families, both parents have to work to make ends meet. That means young children often go to day care or preschool. At two years old, your child should be learning simple, self-care tasks. "They really want kids to be showing some independence, moving towards potty training," says Kelly. Your child should be learning to wash their hands and put away their toys. Peer pressure can help a lot. If your child sees other children eating their snack quietly or using their napkin, they're more likely to do it too.

For three-year-olds, teachers and caregivers often put the emphasis on sounds and counting. "Most three year olds... can count up to ten," says Kelly. "The teachers want them to be using numbers in an everyday way - like counting out the spoons for a snack." Your child should also be able to sound out the beginning of words, or at least recognize the sounds that different letters make. Three-year-olds also need to learn that the words in books are the same every time you read them. It can be a tough concept for kids to grasp, but by age three, most kids can reason this out.

Four-year-olds need to focus more on social growth. Teachers, "are hoping that by the end of the year kids can play cooperatively, they're doing fantasy play, they can sort of start their own games," says Kelly. Your child should also understand fairness and the idea of taking turns. Basically, they should be building good interaction skills so that adjust well to the increased level of focus in kindergarten. Your child's attention span should be increasing.

The end of preschool, though, can present parents with some difficult questions: Is your child really ready for kindergarten? Should you hold them back a year? If your child has a late birthday and they're younger than most of their classmates, should you advance them?

The answers really depend on your child. If you have any doubts about your child being ready for kindergarten, Kelly suggests consulting your child's preschool teacher. "The preschool teacher is your big resource here," says Kelly. He or she sees your child in a classroom setting and may be able to help you better evaluate the situation. Kelly adds that, "There are few downsides to holding back, whereas you might regret sending a child who's too young." However, there's no right or wrong time for your child to start kindergarten. Each child's abilities are unique, and in the end, you have to do what you feel is best.

For more information on preschool-aged children, as well as additional parenting advice, click here to visit www.AmericanBaby.com.
By Erin Petrun