Whether they’re first-time parents or not, most people tend to see their little one as someone who needs to be protected all the time. While there’s nothing wrong with this, it sometimes leads to the idea that babies must always be tucked away in a shell of safety without any chance of exploring the world around them.
This doesn’t need to be the case. Remember that children’s physical, social and emotional development directly affect their chances to become happy and healthy adults.
Believing that even babies should be offered an opportunity to learn and explore the world at a very young age, early learning institutions offer baby nursery services. In these classes, teachers not only look after your child but also encourage learning within a safe and secure facility.
In this article, you will learn the five benefits of baby nurseries, and why you should not forgo early learning for your little one, even if your child is still an infant:
1. Better Social Skills
While your child has yet to learn how to express themselves through words, enrolling them in early learning courses can help boost their social skills. In these classes, children are engaged in a loving manner. Teachers and caregivers reinforce positive relationships with play-based teaching methods. Babies are exposed to continuous interaction that may not be possible at home due to parents’ or guardians’ divided attention.
2. Emotional Development
Before a child reaches their first birthday, their emotional development depends on their level of attachment. Aside from parental attachment, they must also form relationships with other adults in a safe environment like what is offered in baby nurseries.
Remember that a quick response to an infant’s needs is crucial for them to develop healthy emotional attachments with people. In baby nurseries, children learn about the world around them and establish a feeling of safety even if they are not at home because they are given consistent, loving, and immediate care.
3. Introduction to Communication and Language
While they may not be able to use words yet, babies start communicating the day they are born. But instead of words, they use gestures (e.g., pointing, moving legs to show distress or excitement), expressions (e.g., smiling, eye contact, grimacing), and sounds (e.g., cooing, squealing, crying) to express sleepiness, hunger, or joy.
This effort to communicate then develops into better language skills when adults respond to babies’ non-verbal messages. Nurseries fully understand this, which is why they focus on making sure that all children are attended to.
They also educate parents on how to support their child’s language and communication learning. Parents are advised to respond to their babies’ cues, no matter how small they may be.
For example, a baby who puts their arms around their mommy means they want to be picked up. In response, the mommy should pick them up, offer them a kiss, and verbalize the action by saying, “You want up?”
It is important that only the simplest words be used in dialogue. Consistency is also a key factor in helping a child learn. Doing so will encourage them to develop their communication and language skills.
4. Physical Development Through Play
Playtime can be an avenue for a lot of things. From lifting and building to looking and hiding, children discover that they can perform many types of actions.
When they clap their hands, roll, crawl, and take their first steps, children become more mobile and develop a better awareness of the different parts of their bodies. A reliable baby nursery knows and is fully prepared to accommodate these actions while ensuring the safety of your child.
This is also the reason why nurseries incorporate plenty of activities that would ensure that their pupils are constantly engaged. Of course, there’s always time for rest as nap time is incorporated in baby nursery programs.
5. Preparation for Formal Education
While it may seem too early to prepare for elementary school education, studies underscore the strong advantage children get when given an early introduction to formal education. This is why nurseries are considered as a great foundation and pacesetter for children’s upcoming advance years in school.
In fact, research shows that children who undertake daily preschool perform better when they enter kindergarten compared to others who only attended half-day programs. With more time to practice and learn, your little one – even as a baby – would be given the early years learning advantage with a solid learning foundation. This can help make learning more advanced concepts easier later on.
Children, especially those between ages zero to three, are like sponges – they absorb plenty of information based on what they pick up with their senses.
So if you truly want to give your child a brighter future, take advantage of this fact by getting them engaged in early learning. After all, this is the most ideal time to help them learn all the skills that they need to thrive and live a happy life as an adult.
