Best Preschool Activities for Toddlers' development

‘Education is a natural process carried out by the child and is not acquired by digging into books but by experiences offered by the environment.’

Ever since the early childhood education programme (which focuses on experiential learning) has come into picture and been adopted by many preschools nationwide,  the curriculum of the top preschools have curated certain domains for toddlers’ development. The domains include physical & motor, language, cognitive and socio-emotional development. Here’s where play school activities become imperative for the children so that they can equip themselves with the basics of education in a fun-filled manner. If they are not given enough freedom to learn and grasp at their own pace, the education process will never intrigue them. Whereas, fun activities can broaden their horizons and increase their thirst for knowledge. 

The top preschools in Delhi have established a set of activities which work on the respective domains of development of the toddlers. Some of the preschool activities mentioned below can also be conducted by parents at home. Read through:

1.    CONCEPT LEARNING - INTELLECTUAL DEVELOPMENT SESSIONS

These days all top preschools in Delhi have introduced intellectual development sessions wherein the children are involved in activities like building towers, solving puzzles, etc which enhances their memory & observation skills. While the letters and numbers could be taught through fun activities such as matching and pairing of numbers & identifying letters.

2.    ENHANCING COMMUNICATION - CIRCLE TIME

Long before preschool activities were considered a crucial part of the curriculum, the main priority of conducting activities was to embellish the communication skills of the toddlers because that was something a classroom environment couldn't not teach enough. Nowadays, the concept of sitting in a circle and sharing thoughts has proved to be extremely fruitful for the kids.

3.    BUILDING IMAGINATION – STORYTELLING

Only kids can add life to the extinct dinosaurs! Their imagination at this age, knows no boundaries and that is exactly what all top preschools in Delhi should foster. By conducting story-telling sessions where the teachers can hear the tiny tales of children & recite stories to them that have a moral, they can learn good values & develop an understand about the world.

4.    HONING CREATIVE SKILLS - ART & CRAFT

One of the most common yet beneficial preschool activities include drawing, painting and craft. Children learn a lot when they are given the freedom to put together, cut and paste objects to create something unique. This provides a fresh set of creativity skills to them and also boosts their grasping power. Afterall, every art piece of toddlers is a masterpiece!

5.    ENCOURAGING SELF-BELIEF - STAGE EXPOSURE

The initial years are the most pivotal for a child’s emotional development. Thus, giving them proper guidance towards developing confidence and self-belief is of utmost importance. Most top preschools in Delhi organise many stage shows such as fancy dress, poem recitals, etc. for the preschoolers to become confident about interacting with a large number of audience.

6.    OBSERVING SURROUNDING – PICNICS

Little minds are the most inquisitive and curious! Preschool activities should always inculcate a balance of indoor and outdoor activities because by organising picnics or excursions, children are exposed to newer experiences wherein they can observe and learn about their surroundings, bond with their peer group and strengthen their socially acceptable behaviour.

HOW TO OPEN A PLAY SCHOOL IN DELHI

Play school and preschool play a very significant role in developing a child’s personality. The environment provided at good play schools nurture the children during the most initial years of their life. The fundamental concept of admitting a child in a play school is to lay the basic foundation of education before entering the primary school. Not only does a play school expose the children towards academics but also enhances their social skills through diverse activities that encourage learning while playing. In today’s time, parents in metropolitan cities are increasingly getting reliant on play schools for providing their tiny tots formal training to face the world that is lacking in the comfort zone of home. Therefore, the demand of preschools is ever growing especially in Delhi. Opening a good play school in Delhi can prove to be a fruitful venture. However, it is essential to initiate this play school business in a dignified manner, keeping in mind all the ethics of opening a school. If you wish to open a play school in Delhi, the steps below will surely sort your all dilemmas:

RESEARCH & LEGALITIES

The first step is to research about the leading preschools and play school franchises in Delhi. Conduct a competition analysis, learn what the parents are most likely to opt for, think about a USP and a unique name. Once clear, check on the legal matters. Setting up & running a good play school in Delhi does not require any license from the education department, but, you may be required to obtain certain other licenses such as MCD, labour department, tax department, etc.

INVESTMENT

To start a play school you need a minimum investment of Rs.5-6 lakhs which will serve as capital investment of the venture. It is crucial to prepare a proper budget which includes monetary usage during business research, rentals, equipment purchases & marketing. In case of purchasing a play school franchise in Delhi, the amount would differ as per the requirement of the respective brand. You may as well visit a preschool consultant who can guide you in this regard.

LOCATION

The next step is to choose a suitable location for your play school. Get a know-how about all the booming areas in Delhi where your play school can stand out. Make sure the location you choose has calm surroundings as it becomes a crucial factor for any good play school in Delhi for providing a peaceful learning atmosphere to the children. The land you opt for should be a minimum of 2000sq feet in area.

INFRASTRUCTURE

Once you finalise the location, you should begin with its construction work and infrastructure. While you set up the designs, make sure that you keep it extremely vibrant by usage of bright colours and the furniture should be very child-friendly. It should raise the excitement in the children to want to visit the school every morning. However, if you opt for a play school franchise in Delhi, you will have to maintain the infrastructure standards that they behold for all their branches.

CURRICULUM & STAFFING

The government is coming up with some laws to make it mandatory for all the good playschools in Delhi to have a proper curriculum. So, a very crucial step once the school is ready, will be to focus on the curriculum you wish to offer to the students. These days, early childhood programmes are highly preferable so that children can learn through fun experiences. Well-trained staff and teachers play a huge role in imparting good knowledge among the toddlers. During the hiring process, remember that your staff will be the face of the organisation and the success of your play school highly depends on them.

MARKETING

The final step is to loop on heavy marketing. From inviting VIPs during the opening of the play school to conducting diverse promotional activities - online & offline, you should do all that it takes to popularise your school not only in the area, but the entire city of Delhi. Conduct numerous events for the parents such as seminars, workshops, etc, so that they can trust the play school & smoothly begin their journey.

No dream is too big when you have a plan in mind! We hope this guide only gets you closer to achieving your dream of owning a good play school or play school franchise in Delhi.

5 Reasons Why TV Watching Is Actually Good for Your Child

Besides entertainment, the television also has its infotainment quotient as well, which we all often overlook and indulge in seeing TV as something that is simply used to idle away your productive time. TV can be a benefit to your growing child, advice Principal of one of the top schools in Delhi NCR when used properly by parents and children. We often forget that there is always two sides of a story, two sides of a coin. It is a universal belief that watching TV relentlessly makes children couch potatoes and hampers their productive and creative time, explains a senior teacher at one of the best high schools in Delhi. This is true to a great extent but when managed properly, watching television can offer children immense benefits as well. 

Let us today see things in the different light and check out few benefits of watching television, as observed by many senior faculties in top high schools in Delhi: 

1.     Educational content and value: With the rise of a range of channels these days, there is no dearth of educational content which could be of use for learning both at home and in the classrooms, says a senior Vice Principal at one of the top schools in Delhi NCR. The channels let children explore and learn about various subject starting from history, wildlife, travel, geography, nutrition, agriculture, heritage, culture and more. However, it is parents who need to monitor that they do not spend their time watching cartoons and music channels. Tenured faculty in top high schools in Delhi points out that when they watch learning the material on TV they tend to retain the educational stuff in a better manner, for example when they watch a documentary on wildlife on discovery channel, rather than simply reading about it in a book. 

2.     Updated information medium: TV channels are a great source of updated information which is extremely significant to keep updated. Television in this age of knowledge explosion is a good source of updated information with numerous news channels on the rise providing hourly updates on the national and global level. These channels connect your growing child with the entire world and happenings around the globe and they are not anymore ignorant about the rest of the world. It makes your child think like a global citizen right from the very start, says a senior teacher at one of the best high schools in Delhi.

3.     Awareness to social, civic and cultural aspects across the globe: Watching various global channels make your children aware of the society that they are living in and make them aware of the different cultures and societies across the globe, advice a senior teacher at one of the top schools in Delhi NCR. It prepares them for the standards and norms of the society and exposes children to their duties as citizens of a country and of the world.

4.       Good exposure to different languages: To inspire children to become polyglot they can watch channels broadcasting in different languages, says a tenured faculty of linguistics at one of the top high schools in Delhi. In this era, it is important that children learn multiple languages so that they can travel and live in various countries and interact with indigenous people and enjoy their stay, besides doing business with them.

5.     Discussion forums developing logical and analytical thinking:  Discussion and debates instigate their minds to various aspects of a single notion. These debates and discussion are a part of news channels where top professionals come and put across their ideas. Children learn to reason by applying logic and voice their opinion in a correct manner, advice senior English teacher at one of the top schools in Delhi NCR. Even good films can trigger such conversations among peers and at home.

Besides all the above-mentioned points it is good space to unwind and culminate the day with family watching some family entertainment. One should make sure that their children are not becoming addicted to television and watch it as scheduled for them to gain the most of it. Happy parenting!