We made the decision to send our daughter to preschool this fall. At home, I try to encourage her interest in anything and everything. I want my daughter to have a thirst for learning. When I was sent the book The Smarter Preschooler: Unlocking Your Children's Intellectual Potential by Renee Mosiman M.A. and Mike Mosiman, I couldn't wait to start reading. As parents, we are always striving to help our children get on the right path even before they start school.
Ever seen Nursery University on television? Ironically, it is on as I am writing this. Shelling out 10s of thousands of dollars for preschool is not unusual in NYC. We planned on shelling that out for college, not preschool. Do we really need elite preschools and tutors to give our children an edge?
The answer if your wondering, based on research, seems to be no. They have us, their parents, to educate them. We are their role models.
Th authors behind The Smarter Preschooler have done copious amounts of research and given the practical applications of this research for parents. It is us as parents who help influence our children's intellectual, emotional, and social development long-term.
It is a very down-to-earth book full of ideas of things that we do as parents daily to teach our kids. First and foremost, it is about how we as parents can get our kids on the right path to being lifelong learners by fostering our children's curiosity when they are with us.
Here are some things I learned:
*Children are more socially adjusted later if parents are involved in choosing their companions as preschoolers.
*What children can learn from computer software may be beneficial but its benefits are limited at times and may have a negative impact.
*The relationship between a child and his or her mom makes the most difference in their literacy skills.
*Quality time is any time where you are engaging with your child.
*Read with your child at least 30 minutes a day (not necessarily consecutively).
*If your child has a larger vocabulary than they will have better reading comprehension in grades 1-6.
*Talking about past events will improve your child's memory skills.
*If your child begins to learn a second language after the age of seven, their ability to sound like a native speaker decreases. When they reach 15 they most likely will not sound like a native speaker.
*There are 4 types of play: pretend, practice, construction, and game play.
*When at home, your child learns from cooking, gardening, laundry, mail, and chores.
*Listening to music has short-term benefits while music training may have long term benefits in preschool and elementary age children.
*Have set snack and meal times (and eat at the table) to help teach self-control with food and to decrease nibbling.
*There are positive and negative aspects to sending your child to preschool.
This book is a must-have for any parent with preschoolers. The authors used everyday language so the book did not read like a textbook and it was an enjoyable and quick read. They also offer lots of realistic and easy to do activities and examples of toys to use with your child.
To purchase the book, visit their website or Amazon. Follow The Smarter Preschooler on Facebook or twitter.
*I was provided a copy of this book in order to write a fair and accurate review. No other compensation was or will be received.
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