Many members of my mother's generation did not even attend kindergarten. Many members of my generation did not even attend preschool. With my son's generation preschool has become a necessary part of preparation for formal education. In fact for most children, formal education actually begins with preschool. That does not mean that preschool education begins the first day of preschool. In fact, if you want your child to successful in preschool and beyond then you must prepare your child for preschool. What are some of the things you will need to teach your preschooler?

First and foremost you must help your child become as independent as possible. This means toilet training and basic hygiene as well as the ability to dress themselves. Prepare your child mentally and emotionally for the idea of independence from you and other primary caregivers. Preschool teachers are obviously caring and helpful but they will not be able to give the same level of attention many children are accustomed to from their primary caregiver.

There are also some basic concepts that children must learn. These lessons will be solidified during preschool but if a child grasps them before preschool that is even better. This includes knowledge of colors and shapes. Do not spend a lot of time drilling this knowledge into your child, but instead casually introduce it to your child through daily life. Name the colors of the clothes your child will wear that day. Point out various shapes during the day or even cut food into a shape of the day.

Begin working with your toddler early to introduce the letters of the alphabet and then as those are mastered begin introducing the beginning letter sounds. Again, make these lessons fun and casual as you go about your daily routine. Similarly, begin working on counting as you cook, clean and dress.

Why must you prepare your preschooler for preschool? As I pointed out in the opening paragraph, the educational bar is continually being raised. Kindergarten is no longer about preparation. Real education goals are set and children learn reading and math. They begin learning several reading concepts and are expected to count to 100 in kindergarten. First grade students are reading and performing complex math and money problems. Children can enter preschool without any knowledge of independence, colors, shapes, letters, and numbers, but a head start can help them be more successful in preschool and then later in formal education.

A child who starts kindergarten not knowing these concepts will be behind and may never get caught up. Even worse, this late start will destroy the child's self esteem and confidence as well as cause the child to hate school and learning. Some children can overcome these challenges and go on to become successful but all too many children continue to fail throughout school and life. Which would you rather for your child's future? If you want your child to succeed in preschool, formal education, and life then you should work on the key concepts long before schooling starts.