I can remember for years watching eager parents look through the school windows to observe how their children were performing in class. It’s natural to be interested in how your child operates and learns in a classroom. After all, they are dealing with peers in a slightly challenging way. What we need to understand is that all children will respond differently in a classroom setting. Some are talkers and hand wavers for every question. Some just ask questions to be noticed. We call them attention seekers. Others will sit back quietly and observe the others. Some children will disengage quickly and learn to shut down. Often first children in my experience are more cautious, while the second child, more boisterous and interested in engagement with the class and teacher. And so, the variance in the classroom goes on. The question is do some children interfere in the learning of others or are less noisy and engaging children missing out?

The answer is simple. It all comes down to the awareness and skill of the teacher. They understand how their children learn and recognise how each child reacts to them in the classroom. It was common professional talk amongst staff about how to deal with the shifting dynamic of children in their room.

There is no research that I am aware of, that suggests which child will learn the most effectively in a classroom. Different personalities are the order of the day. Teachers will work their class to suit the individual needs of the child. They recognise that some children will need encouragement and guidance in communicating their needs to the teacher. Others need guidance in learning how to control their questioning out loud, so that everyone gets a fair share. I believe that being a quiet or loud child in the classroom does not necessarily mean that they will learn better. Children process and learn in different ways. Also, their relationship with the teacher will have an impact on their confidence in expressing themselves.

Every child will have their unique style of engagement in a classroom.

I suggest:

Talk to your teacher about how your child responds in class.
Ask the teacher are there any encouragements I can give them to operate more effectively. Is their style of learning effective?
Notice how your child operates in the family. Are they quiet, do they listen well or are they the loud and dominant one? I do believe that the order of the child in the family does have an impact on how they respond in a classroom. You certainly see this in your own family.
Accept that all children will learn differently and your child, over time, will develop their own style of learning. If there are concerns the teacher will inform you.
Allow your child to be themselves. There is some truth I believe in …. what you see is what you get. A louder more vocal child enjoys having a strong presence. Quieter children learn from observing others and reflecting on how they will respond.
The only concern worth noting is when a child perhaps through shyness or lack of confidence is not questioning enough and is not exploring their learning. This needs a chat to the teacher as we know that developing an inquiring mind is how children learn. We do not want them shutting down disengaging from learning. If they close down this can become a habit that is hard to break. When you hear from your child, “I am bored’, beware! This is a sign that their learning is under threat.

Every child will have their unique style of engagement in a classroom. It keeps developing as the child gets older. It is often affected by their success in the learning process and of course positive reinforcement by the teacher.

After building a strong relationship with children, the teacher monitors their responses to learning situations. They weave their way carefully around all children, respecting and enriching their learning style, monitoring children’s response to their teaching and planting seeds where necessary.

“Education is not the filling of a pail but the lighting of a fire.”

— WB Yeats

How many parents worry themselves considerably about this matter when they are dealing with their pre-schoolers. On many occasions, I was asked by young parents if putting your child in a childcare before they go to school disadvantages them. Parents worry about whether staying home with your child before school gives them more nurture and sets them up to cope better with school. And so, the question is posed in different ways and parents question their decisions in their child’s early years.

How many parents worry themselves considerably about the matter of childcare when they are dealing with their pre-schoolers?

What I can tell you from my experience is that whatever mix the preschool child has, is more about providing them with balance and quality of care, be it home or childcare. There are clearly more opportunities with language and social development in a child care and kindergarten run well. Given that they are exposed to various families and hearing and using language all the time, a child will quickly adapt and use language with ease. Therefore, I can say that you can notice how children who have been to kindergarten and childcare centres have more social and language experiences.

However, those children who attend kindergartens and remain at home with a parent also appear calm and steady and have learnt a great deal from simply being with their most important model, the parent. Kindergarten gives the child many social experiences and they also learn how to engage with a variety of people.

After a few months settling into school both children who have had more time at home and those who have spent more early years at child care appear to show very little difference in their response to school.

We sometimes underestimate how adaptable our young children can be when given challenges. Teachers in the first few months in the first year of school, work on setting up routines and patterns in the classroom which the children are keen to follow. They are busy, full days and the differences between children’s preschool experiences fade as the months continue. Also, the first year of school is a time for children to find themselves socially and begin their focussed intellectual journey with formal reading, writing etc.

Of course, helping your child before starting school with reading stories, counting etc., is also supported at early childcare centres and Kindergartens. All early learning is gratefully appreciated and valued by the school. A child’s formal learning which begins at school, puts them under a different pressure and whether your child has had more years at home doesn’t make a great deal of difference, once the child is settled at school. It may of course mean a great deal to you in being the supportive parent. That is a different matter.

This article is born out of my own observations and experience of many years observing children as they start school. What is important is that pre-schoolers have a balanced life with stimulus coming from parent input and other influences such as extended family, kindergartens, childcare etc. They need plenty of rest, tempered with challenges that engage them in a variety of ways. They need an environment where they can question, feel safe and challenge themselves. A combination of many experiences is the key to setting up your child for a successful start to school.

“A child’s life is like a piece of paper on which every person leaves a mark.”

— Chinese Proverb

Is your child actively engaged in the classroom?

Child care verses home care before school commences for the child