Preschool facts for kids

Kindergarten children in Malaysia exercising

A preschool is a special place where young children learn and play before they start primary school. You might also hear it called a nursery school, pre-primary school, playschool, or kindergarten. These schools help kids get ready for bigger schools by teaching them important skills and how to get along with others. Preschools can be run by the government or by private groups, and sometimes the government helps pay for them.

What Do We Call Them?

Young children in a kindergarten in Japan

The names for these early learning places can be different depending on where you live. For example, in some European countries, "kindergarten" means a formal school for young children, and it might even be required before primary school.

Here are some common terms you might hear for schools that teach young children:

• Pre-Primary: This can be for children from about 6 weeks old up to 6 years old. It's a childcare service before primary school.
• Nursery School: In the UK and US, this is for children from birth up to 5 years old. It includes preschool programs.
• Daycare: In the US, this is often for babies and toddlers (from birth to about 2½ years old). It's a childcare service.
• Preschool: In the US and UK, this is usually for children aged 3 to 4 years old. Kids learn social skills and how to communicate through play. Being potty-trained is often important for starting.
• Pre-K (Pre-Kindergarten): This is for children aged 4 to 5 years old. It helps prepare them for kindergarten, teaching more than just colors and numbers.
• Kindergarten: In the US, this is usually for children aged 5 to 6 years old. It can be part of a nursery school or an elementary school. In many other parts of the world, it means the first steps of formal schooling.

A Look Back: How Preschools Started

Early Beginnings

Long ago, schools were mostly for children who already knew how to read and write at home. But some people wanted to help children whose parents worked all day, or orphans.

• In 1779, J. F. Oberlin and Louise Scheppler started a place in Strasbourg to care for and teach young children.
• Around the same time, in 1780, similar places opened in Bavaria.
• In 1802, Pauline zur Lippe opened a preschool center in Detmold.

Spreading the Idea

Samuel Wilderspin, who helped start preschool education.

• In 1816, Robert Owen, a thinker and teacher, opened what might have been the first infant school in the world in New Lanark, Scotland. He wanted children to learn good morals and be ready for work. His schools helped children become obedient and learn basic reading and math.
• Samuel Wilderspin opened his first infant school in London in 1819. He started hundreds more. He believed play was very important for learning and is even said to have invented the playground. He wrote books about his ideas, which became a model for infant schools everywhere.
• Countess Theresa Brunszvik in Hungary was inspired by these ideas. In 1828, she opened an Angyalkert (meaning 'angel garden') in Budapest. This was the first of many care centers she started for young children.
• Friedrich Fröbel in Germany opened a "Play and Activity" institute in 1837. In 1840, he renamed it Kindergarten, which means "children's garden."

Kindergartens Around the World

A Kindergarten in Germany in 1954

Women trained by Fröbel helped open Kindergartens across Europe and the world.

• The first Kindergarten in the United States opened in Watertown, Wisconsin, in 1856. It taught in German.
• Elizabeth Peabody started America's first English-language kindergarten in 1860.
• The first free kindergarten in America was founded in 1870 by Conrad Poppenhusen.
• The first publicly funded kindergarten in the US was started in St. Louis in 1873 by Susan Blow.
• Canada's first private kindergarten opened in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, in 1870. By the 1880s, they were common in big Canadian cities.
• In 1965, the Head Start program was created in the US by Lyndon B. Johnson. This was the first publicly funded preschool program for families with lower incomes.

What Kids Learn in Preschool

Globe Toters-A Birla Preschool,Indore India

Making a robot at preschool

The early years of life are super important for learning. A child's brain grows fastest when they are very young. Good teachers and preschools can really help kids, especially those who might be facing challenges.

Preschool education helps children grow in many ways. Here are some common areas they focus on:

• Personal and Social Skills: Learning how to get along with others and understand feelings.
• Communication: Learning to talk, listen, and express themselves.
• Understanding the World: Learning about their surroundings and how things work.
• Creativity: Developing imagination through art and play.
• Math Skills: Getting an early start with numbers and counting.
• Physical Development: Improving movement and coordination.
• Health: Learning about staying healthy.
• Play: This is a huge part of learning! Playing helps children make decisions and control their emotions. It also teaches them how to share, negotiate, and make friends.
• Teamwork: Working together with other kids.
• Self-Help Skills: Learning to do things for themselves, like getting dressed.
• Reading and Writing Readiness: Getting ready for reading and writing.

Many high-quality preschools use "play-based" learning. This means children learn best by playing, rather than just sitting and listening to lessons. Through play, kids learn to take control of their own lives.

Preschools use different ways of teaching, like the Montessori method, Waldorf education, Head Start, HighScope, Reggio Emilia approach, Bank Street, and Forest kindergartens.

Images for kids

• 

  A Kindergarten in East Germany in 1956

• 

  A 19-month-old girl after her first 9 hours at preschool

• 

  Numeracy task completed by a three-year-old at nursery in the United Kingdom during the 2000s.