Parents of some students in my early childhood class complain and some even move on to other schools because, as they say, “we don’t focus enough on writing the letters of the alphabet.” They want their 3-4 year old child to be writing letters before they are ready. Many students at that young age have difficulty holding crayons and pencils. They need more time to exercise their fingers and work the fine motor muscles in their hands. It is difficult to explain that concept to parents who want their children to be more advanced than they are.
There is more to early childhood education than reading and writing. Many students need to work more on social skills and the academic skills will come in time as they mature in all areas of early education.
Oh, yeah…There is one more R that is ultimately important as well but many parents dismiss it as “fun” time and has little significance to early education. Read about it here.
Check out this article on How Teachers can impart social skills.
