If your child is starting school in September this year, they might already go to pre-school. But if they don’t, or you are not sure if it would be the right thing for your child, we have put together this short blog of what we believe are some of the most important benefits for children to attend a pre-school setting.

It certainly is not compulsory that your child attends a pre-school, but we believe it’s an important part of growing up and children learn valuable lessons whilst being there.

We all know that play is fun but when children are playing, they are also learning all sorts of skills, and carrying out other tasks, which will set them up for life.

Here are just a few of the many benefits of attending pre-school:

Building Relationships

It is important for children to have the ability to build relationships not only with children, but also with adults other than their family members. Pre-school allows children to interact with children and adults in a safe and secure environment which helps to nourish and grow them as people.

Children learn to play together and start to form stronger relationships with other children and become friends. Building on those relationships will help each child to grow and learn which will help other key skills to develop.

Communication

Communication skills are crucial for young children, they determine their powers of thinking and understanding. They also make them feel good about themselves and the two things are strongly linked – feeling good about yourself and feeling confident enough to develop your thinking and understanding.

Socialising and communicating are key for the development of young children. Learning to interact with other children will not only help them in the preparation for school but it helps develop those skills for their adult life.

It will also help with other things such as learning to share and making friends which go hand in hand. Children can begin to understand what sharing is and how to deal with it by communicating and experiencing those new feelings.

Getting ready for School

Research shows that spending time in pre-school or nursery education, enhances a child’s development and puts them in good stead for starting school.

Sunny Days Children’s Nurseries, just like all early years’ education providers, follows the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) Framework which sets the standards we must meet to ensure children learn and develop well and are kept healthy and safe. This framework is followed through into primary school and gives children the knowledge and skills they need to help them progress through school life.

At our pre-school and nurseries, we have a routine and structure to each day. This is great as it provides the children with a sense of security and helps them to predict their days. They know what to expect, and with that they will become more confident in their learning settings.

Whilst pre-school is less structured than school, it still provides them with the understanding that there is a time for learning, time for lunch and a time for play and helps them to understand the concept of before and after – play time will be after lunch time etc.

Learning Through Play

Young children learn through play as it encourages them to explore, be creative, use their imagination and show interest in new things.

Every child should have access to a wide range of different play activities. This includes messy play, outside play, quiet time with books, arts and craft, role play, creative play and many more.

Learning through play will also help with sharing and understanding other people’s needs and desires instead of only thinking about themselves. They learn to consider other people and include them in their play which helps to develop relationships and friendships further.

Additional Funded Hours

Childcare cost can be a concern for parents and carers but all children in England aged three and four are eligible for 15 hours funded childcare, meaning all families qualify for the scheme. Some two-year-olds are also eligible. The term after your child is three years old you get 15 hours funded childcare or early education per week for 38 weeks of the year (during term time) .

This comes to a total of 570 hours over a 12-month period. An additional 15 hours funded childcare per week is available to working parents and guardians.

More information can be found at https://www.childcarechoices.gov.uk/ or If you would like to discuss your personal childcare needs for any children from baby until school age, we would love to hear from you.

You can call us during office hours on 01249 815307 or email admin@sunnydays-nursery.co.uk and we will contact you.