Did you know daycare has been around since the 1800s? It’s true. Believe it or not, they first started in France way back in the 1840s. However, it didn’t really start to catch on in the U.S. until WWII. During that time, many women had to come to work in the factories while their husbands were off fighting in the war. With many of the women being mothers and widows, the children needed somewhere to go: in came daycare.
Now, we know daycare pretty much started as a way to help out the moms (and dads) back then and gained major momentum after the 70s. Over the many years since that time, many studies have actually been done on daycare. Researchers have studied the effects of daycare on our children throughout the decades and it has become abundantly clear that having your child in daycare can do wonders for their social skills. Let go of that guilt because as research has shown, we’re setting the kids up for success. Below, we’ll go over some of the most important things daycare can do for your kiddo.
School Prep
This one is probably the most recognized benefit of daycare. While your child is in our care, we are getting them ready to head off into the world of school days and classrooms. What does this have to do with social skills you ask? Simply — how to be around other kids. It’s really that simple. In the home, there may be cousins, siblings, or maybe your child is an only child. In any case, having your children in daycare gets them around kids who are outside of the family dynamic.
When they’re not with family members, a different social set is brought into play. They have to learn to share, how to work with each other, and also how to make friends! When they’re with the other kiddos, they’ll learn things like how to communicate. It’s important to use your words! In an environment with other kids of the same development age, they work together on using their words, being kind, and how to behave in a classroom. By the time the kids get into a school setting, having been in daycare has taught them what it’s like to be around other children in that setting. It’s prepared them for being in a classroom. This benefit of daycare alone is invaluable to that kindergarten teacher welcoming your child. It’s a wonderful experience that is set to prepare them for elementary school!
Communication
Above we mentioned how daycare can help kids learn how to play and act with others. Not only is this great for school, but this is also an important step all through life. Learning how to play well with others is something daycare can definitely lend a hand in. While Mom and Dad are at work, children are in a setting with the other kids all day. They’re all in it together. In order to work well together, they must learn how to communicate.
Being around other little kids helps them with their language skills and teaches them empathy. They see and hear all around them, and as we all know, children are nothing if not sponges. Listening to other kids communicate in turn helps them to communicate. While learning communication skills in daycare, they’ll also learn important social skills like interacting with other children, how to share, and cooperation to name just a few. Social skills like these will follow any child all the way through adulthood. Learning how to work and play and just BE with others is a wonderful part of being in daycare, as well as a very important tool to have in life.
Emotions
Continuing on from the subject of communication is the ability to manage their emotions. Sure, there are times when your child may scream and shout, maybe lay on the floor and cry in the grocery store when something doesn’t go their way. That is a 100% normal activity (unfortunately!). Their minds are still so early in development; they are still learning how to cope with life’s frustrations. They’re mad, they’re sad and they need to let it out NOW. Again, completely normal. I’m sure we would like to scream it out sometimes- we’ve all been there.
Daycare helps with these emotional hurdles. When in a daycare class with other kids, our caring teachers will help them navigate those feelings. Your child learns how to communicate their feelings and how to react in the correct way when in daycare. Learning how to manage your feelings, and others’ as well, lays the foundation for friendships and relationships throughout your child’s life.
Basically, being with others helps the little ones learn how to be in a social environment. It’s not just about socializing or playing with friends, it’s learning those social skills that are essential throughout their lives and how to use them in any situation. When in daycare, the kids won’t just make friends. They’ll develop essential life skills such as listening to others, the communication we mentioned, conflict resolution, and problem-solving.
Believe it or not, being in daycare is helping to mold your child into this tiny little adult. It’s not as sad as it sounds! Developing social skills is an essential step in childhood for all children. Not to say that this cannot be done in the home as well. There are so many teachable moments in children’s lives to help them navigate this crazy world where their little brain is advancing and learning more every day. When you are bringing them to daycare, it is our job, our number one priority, to help your child grow. When we team up with you- the parents- the children have nowhere to go but up. The sky is the limit and when we begin with daycare and taking on those social skills, your kiddo will be set for life. Contact us here for information on how to get your child ready for what life has in store.