How Can Busy Parents Get More Involved In Their Child’s Preschool Education?

December 22, 2022

Research has shown that the influence and support of a parent or caregiver can play a vital role in a child’s personal and educational development. As such, parents and caregivers are the child’s first educators and will thus have an opportunity to nurture their growth while acting as an advocate for education. This blog will thus explain what parental involvement is, the benefits of being involved in your child’s preschool learning, as well as the ways you can support your child’s learning journey.

What does Parental Involvement Mean in Preschool Education? 

For some parents, being involved means dropping off and picking up their child from school or asking if they have completed their homework. While these things are still helpful and positive actions, the American Psychology Association shares that parental involvement when it comes to preschool education is somewhat of a shared responsibility – parents and school staff working together to support and improve the learning and development of children. Depending on schedules, parents can help their children by participating in school events, obligations or even improving their schoolwork.

Becoming more involved in your child’s preschool learning helps extend teaching outside the classroom to create a more positive experience for them. Parents also need to support the learning that happens in the preschool as well. By being more in tune with what is happening at school, you can establish a connection between what is learned at school and what happens at home. This connection is vital to your child’s development and perception of further learning.

Tips for Encouraging Parents to be More Involved in Their Child’s Preschool Education

We understand that many parents in Singapore hold full-time jobs and cannot be fully hands-on in their child’s preschool learning journey, as such we have come up with simple tips for parents to become more involved.

1. Learn together and make every day activities educational

For a child, they might feel less inclined to do their homework alone, knowing that there are other people around them having fun. Hence, sitting with your child as they revise their homework can transform this “boring task” into a bonding experience.

Just because the school day and homework are done doesn’t mean learning has to stop. Everything you do at home can be educational without seeming like “homework”. For instance, you can encourage your child to learn to count by taking measurements while baking or challenge them to build the tallest structure with building blocks.

2. Read to and with your child

Research has found that reading storybooks to children is one of the most important activities for developing the knowledge they require for eventual success in reading. Reading activities for preschoolers have also been proven to promote language growth and development. In addition, reading to children also stimulates them to read books independently even when you are not around, further developing their cognitive skills.

3. Communicating with your child’s preschool and prioritising parent-teacher conferences

Communication is crucial for successful parental involvement in education. This can take many forms – in-person, via email or paper. For instance, reading the school’s newsletter can help keep you updated on everything happening.

You can also send notes to your child’s teachers to find out more. Keeping open lines of communication between families and teachers help strengthen relationships and the ability to understand your child’s moods and behaviours in school.

From work to parenting and everything in between, it is understood how busy life can get for you. Try to make time for parent-teacher conferences since these are one of the best opportunities for you to ask questions and raise concerns. Make the most out of each session by taking note of all the important things your teacher shares – this helps improve your stay involved in your child’s preschool education and learning journey.

MindChamps Preschool Keeps Parents Involved in Their Child’s Education

Parental involvement has immense benefits for both parents and their child – children have a higher chance of developing a positive attitude towards learning and progress further in their educational journey whereas parents have an opportunity to better understand what their child is learning in school and bond with them.

Here at MindChamps Preschool, we recognise the importance of having a love for learning in each child. While our mission is to provide every child with high-quality preschool education and individualised care, we also encourage parents to be present at every step of their child’s learning journey in preschool. For instance, before a child is enrolled into our preschool, we invite you to tour the preschool to learn more about the educators, curriculum, activities and learning environment your child will be exposed to.

Book a tour of any of our centres and learn more about our unique pedagogy and preschool activities today.