The basic principles of preschool are simple, straightforward, and not hard to teach. They are the general principles that basically all humanity can and should practice.
You respect one another. You treat each other with kindness, and you spread the joy and love.
I know that may sound a bit hippie-is but it’s true. Unfortunately as we get older, a lot of these basic principles of human decency get muddied and mucked along the way. Things happen, circumstances change, and cause effect really begin molding the perceptions and behaviors of all individuals.
This is a basic human pattern that corresponds to all people. No one is subject to relief from it. It’s just how we learn. It’s not bad or good, it just is.
For example, if your preschooler is told not to touch the hot plate, but then does, and gets burned. They most likely won’t touch another hot plate when you ask them. It’s all just cause and effect.
Now the other thing to remember is that as they get older, no matter how much as a parent you want to protect your kids, you’re not always going to be able to shower them with positive causes. And you shouldn’t want to. Again, this is how your kids will learn.
But you can (and should) start teaching the right thing at a young age and continue on as they get older. Those are the teachings and practices that will help them make sense of situations when faced with a hard problem as the world is facing now.
Because, the world will happen around you. That’s just a fact. But if you have these principles for teaching kindness to all humanity, then hopefully that will be what prospers above all.
And who would have thought, it would be our preschoolers taking us there.
So let’s take a look back to preschool, and see how we can instill these gems in all our kids.
1. Exploration Nation!
The first area that we can start instilling kindness, respect, joy, and love is just through simple exploration. There is no secret formula or any tricks to it at all. And to be honest, exploration is the main tool in learning anything in preschool. It’s the easiest teacher trick in the book!
Allow your kiddos to explore the world around them. Remember, they don’t have bias or prejudice or anything like that. No one is born with that. Not once. Ever. At all.
Right now they are just love bundles full of curiosity. So let them explore! But make sure to scaffold their experiences with diverse materials, environments, and playmates. We’ll get into that next.
But yes, explore! Explore! Explore!
2. Conversation: Time To Have “The Talk”
In addition to providing opportunities for exploring, it’s important to begin having conversations with your preschoolers about kindness and respect.
This is taught from day one when your child starts grabbing a toy. Or when your child starts screaming when you ask them to do something. They don’t know what these two things are, so you need to teach (explain and discuss) them how to be kind to one another. This is done by sharing, showing respect by listening to each other’s ideas, practicing turn taking, etc.
You get the picture. Kindness and respect starts from a very very early age. And in preschool it has nothing to do with what you look like, purple, green, tan, boy, girl, whatever. And it shouldn’t today.
So practice that. And explain, in preschool terms, how we are kind to everyone. We listen, we play together, we laugh together, all the good stuff. Teach that every second you can.
3. Playgroups!
The next tool that we recommend to all parents are playgroups! These are huge in preschool and even before (hello baby playgroups!). The whole point is to begin socializing your child with other kiddos. This is the environment that will help them learn all the things we just discussed above.
Because sure, it’s great if they’re kind at home and listen to you, but if they don’t practice the same with other kids, then it hasn’t sunken in yet.
So use playgroups to your advantage. Practice turn taking, listening, playing calmly together, and having fun. This will help provide all positive behavior examples for your toddler or preschooler. (And also, moms are asked to attend as well to help scaffold only positive rhetoric so no worries there).
This is also a wonderful opportunity to establish a diverse friend group for your preschooler. Make sure other cultures and communities are represented. This is an awesome environment for you to teach your kids all the wonderful people the world has to offer!
Remember, exploration is key, so let the kids explore each other and explore together! It’s all about positive learning and fun.
4. Texts
The next thing you may want to consider is the type of materials, specifically books, you have at home. It is a fantastic idea to offer your preschooler a diverse book collection.
Again, let them explore! This is the age they will start forming some of the opinions and perspectives that they will continue to carry on with them as they grow older.
So include texts from every part of the world! A lot of the texts we use in the classroom are also very fictional in nature and characters (meaning silly monsters or animals) but help discuss complex topics.
Remember, to the preschooler, the color of your skin has much less of an effect than it does on adults. So it doesn’t matter if the character is a robot or a boy, or a plant. They are listening to message behind it, which frankly we should all be doing.
One of our favorites is a book about a little pea that discusses anti-bullying. A Pea!
But yes, diversify your book collection and again, let the kids explore!
5. Diverse Media
This one simply piggy backs off the previous tool. Just as much as you want your preschoolers to have an array of books, make sure to diversify their other media, like tv. They should have a variety of different shows they like with male and female leads, characters from all backgrounds, and more.
Keep the variety fresh.
*Summary
These are the basic strategies that will help your preschoolers begin building a foundation of kindness, respect, joy, and love. They can do so much on their own, but they are relying on you to provide them with the cultural experiences they need.
This is what will lead to an influx of kindness and tolerance as they get older. It always begins with our little ones so let’s make sure we do it right.
I would also just like to make a note that all of us learn by model and example. Especially our kids. So if you provide that awesome example exuding those principles listed above, they will copy. So do that. You got this!
And as always, If you have any questions, comments, or ideas please share them in the comments section below with your fellow parents! And definitely subscribe to the newsletter for updates and ongoing happenings at TylekTeaches.com. The subscription link is just on the bottom of this post.
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