When you have kids who are in school, it is important to do everything you can to help them with their educational goals. All too often, people think that they can help a child through school by doing things like putting them in the best classes, when the fact of the matter is that the choices you make at home with your kids are crucial for their success.
On this website, check out great information about education to start working towards a resolution you can be happy with. In addition to learning how to manage your kids and when to start, you can also find out more information about mistakes to avoid along the way.
What Do You Need To Know About Preschool Programs And Social Studies?
Early literacy, math, and science aren't the only subjects preschool programs tackle. Along with these academic areas, most pre-k programs also include plenty of social studies content. If your child is new to preschool, take a look at what to expect from early childhood social studies lessons and activities.
What Is Social Studies?
You may have vague memories of U.S. history, government, or civics classes in middle or high school. In general, social studies is exactly what you remember—the study of social systems. This can include anything from your immediate community to the country or an entire culture.
While classes for older children and teenagers typically cover complex or sophisticated social systems (such as global conflict, the economy, or domestic and foreign governments), social studies in the early childhood classroom will typically start with the basics. Read on for more information on how preschoolers explore social studies concepts.
What Is Pre-K Social Studies?
Your preschooler is curious and ready to learn about themselves, their neighbors, and their friends from around the world. These ideas are exactly what pre-k social studies lessons and activities focus on. Instead of delving deep into the intricacies of the global economy, world war–level conflicts, or American history, the pre-k version of social studies creates a foundation to build on down the road.
Think of pre-k social studies like early literacy or math development. These lessons and activities focus on easy-to-understand concepts that are already familiar to the young child, such as the community around them (neighborhood) as well as world cultures (similarities and differences).
What Are Pre-K Social Studies Activities?
The answer to this question depends on the classroom, the ages/developmental levels of the students, the teacher, and the school's curriculum. Again, pre-k social studies content typically focuses on the community around the child and the exploration of cultures (both like and different cultures).
Classroom social studies activities may include a variety of creative play ideas. More specifically, the young child may do the following:
- Read books about other cultures. These could include both fiction and non-fiction stories. Unlike books for older social studies students, these stories often include photos and illustrations as well as stories that directly apply to young children.
- Paint or draw community helpers. After discussing community helpers, the children may paint or draw pictures of police people, firefighters, nurses, doctors, crossing guards, or other people who help in their communities.
- Play community helper dress-up. These activities include dressing up like community helpers and acting out neighborhood scenes.
While these are general social studies activities, your child's preschool may offer other lessons or types of classroom content. To learn more about what your child will explore in the social studies area, talk to their teacher or consult the class/school curriculum.
To learn more, contact a preschool near you.