The nursery school is a community of children and adults with whom the child comes into contact just after the contact with the family. It plays a decisive role in child’s life as the child spends many hours there at a critical age.
According to research on brain’s structure and function, from the birth of the child up to the age of 6, brain develops rapidly and during this period brain centers associated with specific functions such as socialization, language, mathematical logical thinking, music, foreign language, etc develop. So this is the appropriate period, the golden age of human, as it is called, when it is necessary that we give the child the appropriate stimuli to fully develop all his abilities.
Most of the time during this golden age, child goes to the nursery school. That is why the influence of the nursery school on the child’s future development is very important. The period during which the child socializes and cultivates his communication skills is up to the age of 3. So it is important for the child to come into contact with other children of the same age. Within a children’s community, the child will come into contact with many children and he will learn to coexist with them. Through the team play he will learn to communicate, share, operate within a framework of rules that govern it. Through frequent communication he also improves his speech and enriches his vocabulary.
The age when the child goes to the nursery school is a very creative period. The child wants to constantly deal with something different and spend his time creatively. It comes into contact with art and expresses his feelings through painting and constructions. He also cultivates his subtle mobility and skills. The child creates, enjoys the process and the outcome.
Also, the child matures emotionally. He learns to recognize his feelings and express them. Moreover, from the moment he is called to detach for the first time from her mother on whom he was dependent as a baby, he slowly learns to stand on his feet and become independent. It is very important to encourage the child to take initiatives and become accountable. So he will become a responsible and free man.
At this young age we also notice that the child wants to learn and discover the world. The nursery school responds to this need by giving to him stimuli that it is difficult to have in the home environment and by widening his horizons. At this age when child loves learning, is the right time to help him learn what he is asking for and put a strong foundation for his subsequent career in school and life in general.
But the way we give the child the stimuli is decisive. The child learns through experience, through game, through experiential activities. Consequently, the stimuli need to be appropriately shaped for his age and they can certainly be provided with the educational material of Maria Montessori, which is world-rewarded for its effectiveness. When the child plays with it, he learns in an experiential way math, writing, reading as well as useful things for his everyday life. Through these activities he also cultivates his concentration, skills and talents.
What interests us, however, is primarily child’s mental health. Only when the child is in an environment where he feels love and security can develop smoothly and acquire knowledge. That is why the environment of the nursery school needs to be calm and secure. It should encourage the child to strengthen his self-confidence and have a good self-image, believe that he can accomplish many things and conquer life. The child shows us how to approach him and help him, as long as we, the older people, get into the Children’s World.
Andromachi Dossa – Kandiraki
pedagogue – owner of the nursery school
