The previous Great NEWS post shared Parenting Principles for Preventing Problems Part 8 – Toddler Challenges and today we continue the series with Part 9 – Preschool Parenting Challenges. Parenting preschoolers involves some creative parenting to deal with the rapid advancement in development and learning. Parents can benefit from help during this bridge period before starting school full time. Parenting Principles for Preventing Problems – Part 9 will cover the preschool basics for parents.
As a child moves from toddler to preschool it is important to set an even strong foundation for: activities, communications, confidence, cooperation, curiosity, eating, exercise, fun, learning, play, reading, self esteem and values. It is very important for both parents to coordinate and cooperate as a terrific team. It is tough enough for a couple and single moms face an even bigger challenge with a preschooler. Extra support from family and friends is very important to provide additional perspectives and resources. Parenting a preschooler requires a strong support network to help deal with the enhanced activities and expanded learning environment.
How your preschooler starts out with this giant transition into the private or public education system can impact them for life.
Preschoolers are communally known as Pre K and kindergarteners. How your preschooler starts out with this giant transition into the private or public education system can impact them for life. Many parents choose to home school them for this and many other reasons. The optimal strategy may very well be a combination of both approaches where you and a more formal program team up to provide an overall enhanced synergistic process.
A child’s desire and enjoyment for learning and school sets the groundwork for lifelong education which will impact their future happiness, progress and success as an adult. As a child reaches age seven most of their behaviors, beliefs, personality, traits and values will be well established for the rest of their life. It is up to the parents to set a preschooler up to love learning and win at the game of learning and life.
Preschoolers are normally quite active, curious, engaging, energetic, inquisitive and wild. This requires parents to up their game and parenting skills to that of a cheer leader and teachers aid. Learning to read, speak, spell and write are key skill sets so helping the preschooler look forward to the principles and process for accelerated learning is vital. Even if you had your own issues around school and teachers it is essential that you help them love school and love learning. EFT has been found to be highly effective with improving learning and recall and reducing anxiety.
Preschool Parenting Challenges
Common sense will tell you that a parents inhibitions can be easily transferred to a preschooler and influence their behavior with groups, school and sports.
Separation anxiety can impact a preschooler’s enjoyment and fun for learning. Parents might want to consider planning a year or two in advance of preschool to help insure the child feels calm, comfortable and confident without a parent being nearby. Many times a parent is the cause for a child to feel afraid, shy and withdrawn when it comes to school and other situations.
Common sense will tell you that a parents inhibitions can be easily transferred to a preschooler and influence their behavior with groups, school and sports. If a parent still has unresolved issues regarding bullying, homework, learning, public speaking, reading, school, self conscious, teachers or self worth it is important to focus on resolving them and helping your preschooler to avoid modeling the same beliefs or behaviors. Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT) is great for helping adults and children deal with emotional blockages and upsets.
Parents who are life long learners set an example for their children to help encourage them to enjoy learning also. Pointing out the advantages and benefits from learning and school go a long way towards instilling a love for learning. Parents and preschoolers can set the stage for the transition into school by attending church school classes, visiting Brownie and Cub Scout meetings, playing on school playgrounds, visiting libraries and schools.
Too many parents today allow the computer, television and video player to be a babysitter, educator and entertainment center for preschoolers. They believe that a preschooler can learn faster by themselves without the connection and interaction with other students. Most children love interacting and playing with other kids at gatherings, mother’s day out, outdoors events and playgrounds. The more chance a child has to be creative, curious, explore, interact, make believe, pretend, try new things and uncover new discoveries the more they develop calm, confidence, courage and curiosity.
Parents often overlook excellent activities and resources. Libraries and summer reading programs are a great resource to instill the love of learning in young children. While you may think that libraries are outdated and computers rule the world, children still need the transition time in a friendly people oriented learning environment.
Reading and walking early may be great as long as the parent is not manipulating the child’s world to force the child to become too competitive or grow up too fast in order to accelerate past other kids.
Parents often want to push their child to walk sooner and rush past the crawling stage. They also want to push their children to read too soon. This often results in a child missing out on some keep foundational skills development and important learning stages. Overly zealous parents often get carried away with pushing kids versus encouraging them gently. Reading and walking early may be great as long as the parent is not manipulating the child’s world to force the child to become too competitive or grow up too fast in order to accelerate past other kids. Preschoolers need time to adjust and adapt to the education process without the excess pressure that will come soon enough.
Many parents in developed countries treat preschool as an academic academy and cut throat competitive sport instead of a fun and supportive environment to adjust and transition from toddler into future super star student. This is a time for developing their creativity, imagination, play and social skills rather than their advanced academics accreditation. Preschool is all about becoming comfortable, confident and curious for life long learning.
Clingy parents create clingy preschoolers. Many children have never been far from their mother’s side and sight. If your child cannot be allowed to stumble, fall and get back up on their own then how will they function in the real world when you are not there? Over protective parents can unknowingly limit and even suppress a child’s eager and natural curiosity for adventure and to explore the world with confidence.
Learn to cut the cord early. Allow and encourage your preschooler to discover the world and treat it like a giant playground full of wonderful and wondrous mysteries to uncover. When the child starts to create, design and invent ideas and things it develops a foundational operating system and software system they can maintain and sustain for the rest of their life. Teaching children how to push their own buttons and be free thinkers rather than robots is one of the greatest gifts you can give them.
The First Seven Years
During the first seven years of a child’s life the majority of all their self esteem, self support, skills, strategies and systems are developed.
During the first seven years of a child’s life the majority of all their self esteem, self support, skills, strategies and systems are developed. This foundation helps program the hardware, operating system and soft ware which will control and direct the majority of their behaviors, habits and routines for life. During the preschool phase of these first seven years it is cruciall for the parents to invest the energy, love, time and unwavering resolve to help their children be happy, healthy and in harmony with life.
My personal experience and those shared by many other parents reinforces the belief that preschool sets the standard and structure for all the education years ahead. Parents and preschoolers will benefit from making smart choices when it comes to those first preschool experiences. A good start leads to a great finish at graduation.
Parents often create the school problems they deal with for 12+ years and even beyond. It is not the preschooler who has education and learning problems it is the parent that missed the boat in helping the child start off on the right foot to set sail smoothly in stormy seas. It is important to separate learning from specific incidents and interactions with books, classes, parents, students, teachers, teaching styles and upsets. We can have challenging situations around education and still love learning.
When an adult has not resolved their issues with parents, siblings and teachers it is easy for them to pass the root causes of these challenges on to their preschoolers. Resolving these issues through coaching, counseling, EFT, Family therapy, Neuro Linguistic Programming, parts integration, therapy, timeline therapy or other modalities will help prevent the failures, fears, flops and frustrations that parents and preschoolers often have to deal with. Unresolved negative emotions from childhood and school years cause parents to behave like the children they were while still trying to get their needs met and issues resolved.
Preschoolers will model the behavior of the parent whether they are resourceful of unresourceful. A parent can be the greatest champion or biggest looser when it comes to being a great role model for their preschooler. This is where some 360 degree feedback is handy to help you see your blind spots and warts.
It is easier to lead by example than constantly lecturing and telling a preschooler what to do. Kids are a great gift to help their parents become better people.
Due to genetics, imprinting, role modeling and training preschoolers will emulate their parent’s attitudes, behaviors and beliefs when it comes to learning and school. Therefore one of the first things the parent should focus on is setting a higher standard for themselves. It is easier to lead by example than constantly lecturing and telling a preschooler what to do. Kids are a great gift to help their parents become better people.
Just like a computer needs a hard drive, operating system and software a preschooler needs a healthy body, strong set of values and guiding principles and rules to live by at home and at school. For our preschoolers to be super stars we need to be great role models when it comes to learning, reading, speaking and writing. Show them what it is like to be doing art, math, projects, puzzles and giving speeches. They need to see us balancing a checkbook, reading books, solving problems, writing papers and much more.
Healthy Wealthy and Wise
Your preschooler needs healthy food and snacks. It is up to you to investigate what they are eating at friend’s house, parties and preschool. Continue to review and revise what your shop for and allow in your home always looking for ways to raise your standards.
Parents must be very diligent to avoid the temptation to let preschoolers eat fake foods, fast foods, junk foods and processed foods. These cheap manufactured products disguised as food use excessive amounts of harmful additives, colorings, preservatives and sugars which are detrimental to your preschooler’s health and well being. Unhealthy foods may also impair your child’s school, social and sports performance. Many children’s behavior problems can be traced back to unhealthy beverage and food choices.
When you focus on a total body, mind and spiritual educational approach you help extent the family foundation and influence the larger community.
As your preschooler begins the amazing journey of education, empowerment, entertainment, excitement and exploration it is up to you to establish the most appropriate and beneficial programs possible. When you focus on a total body, mind and spiritual educational approach you help extent the family foundation and influence the larger community.
Preschoolers reflect the environment the parents establish at home and at school. When our cities, communities and companies realize the value of investing energy, money, resources and time in life long education our society will take a quantum leap forward for prosperity and success. Harnessing the very best co-creation, cooperation and collaboration of societies will pay back massive dividends forever. The results and synergy created will far exceed the sum of the parts involved. Our children are a direct reflection of the ecology, eco system and environment that we establish so by building a better vision today we create a better world tomorrow.
Continue to review the process and progress you and your children are making towards excellent education, personal development and self growth. We have more resources and role models than at any time in the past so let us deploy those assets where they will do the most good. We must make it a top priority throughout the world to invest in a solid foundation for education with: books, cameras, CDs, communications, computers, DVDs, field trips, gardens, health & wellness, internet, leisure learning, libraries, MP3s, playgrounds, research, schools, seminars, science fairs, teachers, technology, trainings, travel and websites.
We must provide for the optimal emotional, mental, physical and spiritual growth of preschoolers by reducing the hazards to health while increasing the quality of our air, land and water. Our ecosystems, environment and food supply must be one of our highest priorities to insure the health and well being for all communities and countries. Children around the world desire and deserve to be educated, fed, loved, protected, safe, sheltered and treated with respect since one day they will be the leaders and workers running society.
Parents and preschoolers require high quality nutrient dense whole foods providing the antioxidants, enzymes, essential fatty acids, fiber, minerals, phyto-nutrients, probiotics, trace elements and vitamins necessary for peak performance, Our emotional, mental, physical and spiritual well being requires premium fitness, fuel and fun to help insure we can maintain and sustain optimal health.
Avoid the allure and temptations to buy silly stuff and spoil your children with excessive bling and crap.
Avoid the allure and temptations to buy silly stuff and spoil your children with excessive bling and crap. Most people waste money on frivolous things that could be better invested in education and empowerment. When you invest in great education, fitness, health and nutrient dense organic whole foods you are laying the groundwork for optimal happiness, health and harmony for life. What could be more important than that?
Fathers and mothers must both focus on giving a preschooler the attention, love and nurturing necessary to insure they enjoy and excel in learning for life. Parents must learn the skills, solutions, strategies, and systems to insure the preschooler is provided the resources and role models to guide them on the path to fulfillment.
Peak parenting for preschooler’s involves being a great example each day by being happy, healthy and in harmony with your career, community and environment. A loving and supportive family and extended family are vital to the development, growth and well being of a preschooler. It is up to parents to set clear outcomes (goals), create mastery action plans and live empowered lives each day as we create our future destiny. Children learn best when they can emulate the behavior and beliefs of their parents who are walking the talk.
It is important for parents to help manage the preschooler’s energy, focus and time to avoid the many distractions that occur in our ultra modern society full of gadgets and gizmos. Creative times to draw, play, play music, read, sing, talk and write will pay back massive dividends for a lifetime. The first few years of a child’s preschool and elementary school experience sets the foundation for their physiology, programming and psychology for life.
Accessing book stores, libraries and the internet will yield a gold mine of great books, videos and websites available to help you reduce the stress and increase the pleasure involved with parenting. There are so many great references, resources and role models to help you be more effective and efficient as a parent and helping your preschooler enjoy learning.
This Great NEWS post offers Parenting Principles for Preventing Problems by sharing simple steps and suggestions. Parenting preschoolers is an art and a science. With clear outcomes, mastery action plans and calls to action any parent can maximize their preschooler’s development, education and growth while they minimize the challenges and issues. This post on Parenting Principles for Preventing Problems Part 9 is designed to help parents support their preschoolers to become life long learners.
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Next week the Great NEWS blog will share:
Parenting Principles for Preventing Problems Part 10:
Youth Parenting Challenges
[…] previous Great NEWS post shared Parenting Principles for Preventing Problems Part 9 – Preschool Parenting Challenges and today we continue the series with Part 10 – Youth Parenting Challenges. Peak parenting for […]