Socialization is a crucial part of childhood development. Social interaction fosters a “sense of self,” an important developmental milestone that influences one’s perception of the world. Socialization facilitates other life-long skills like confidence, communication, and problem-solving.
Encouraging preschoolers to socialize during a pandemic might seem counterintuitive. However, enrolling your child in a reputable COVID safety protocol-compliant environment provides the aforementioned socialization benefits with limited risk.
Language Immersion
Incorporating your child into a physical language immersion environment, where preschoolers learn a language like Spanish in a classroom setting, serves two purposes:
- Kids can interact with other kids in a COVID-secure learning environment, which nurtures friendship, promotes purpose, and boosts engagement.
- Kids can immerse themselves in a new language and soon develop the brain patterns of a native speaker.
These dual benefits — socialization and language acquisition — provide preschoolers with a range of life-long skills, such as improved executive function, cultural tolerance, and better chance of success in the future.
School Preparation
Research shows that kids who attend a high-quality preschool are more prepared for school than kids who did not attend preschool. A study conducted by the Learning Policy Institute (LPI) found that children who attend good-quality programs experience significant learning gains that extend into elementary school.
“When participants are compared to very similar students who did not attend preschool, the benefits of participation are found to be substantial,” says the LPI. “Both preschool and elementary school quality also make a difference for the strength of ongoing effects in terms of achievement, school progress, and attainment.”
But why? Perhaps it’s the social environment of preschool learning. By the time kids enter elementary school, they’ve spent several years in a classroom setting, which potentially provides them with a learning advantage.
Vocabulary Development
Children who enroll in a good-quality preschool have better vocabularies than children who don’t, says research from the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD).
“Children in high-quality settings were found to have broader vocabularies,” says The Harvard Gazette, citing the NICHD research.
Also, these children are more likely to have stronger early math skills.
A high-quality language immersion preschool, where children gain a new understanding of their own language (as well as learning a new language), should further strengthen vocabularies. Socialization could be fuelling these broader vocabularies. In a classroom setting, kids in early childhood development exchange information, collaborate on projects, make friends, and cooperate.
Sure, times are tough right now. But, with the right precautions, there’s no reason why children can’t prosper in a safe, COVID safety protocol-compliant learning environment.
KSS Immersion Schools welcomes kids aged 2-6 in the San Francisco Bay Area with COVID-secure Spanish language immersion programs. Learn more here!
