A Mother’s Role in Preschool Teaching
Teaching does not always mean classrooms of a school or college. As such, we learn something every day of our lives till the day we die. Since learning is a continuous process, teaching too does not stop or is limited to classrooms; you will find new experiences in each and every aspect of our lives from birth to death; experiences that we learn from, that shape our character and the way we understand and relate to things.
The First Role Model and Teacher of A Child is the Mother
The mother plays a very important role in shaping her child’s character right from birth. Initially, the child sees the world through his or her mother’s eyes, and perceives dangers and pleasures the way the mother sees them. The bond that the mother establishes right from the first time the baby is breastfed is later translated into a teacher-pupil relationship where the child copies everything the mother does and learns through the process.
This is why the mother has a very important role to play in kindling within the child the yearning to learn, to investigate, to experience, to question. This thirst for knowledge will come from the preschool teaching the child experiences at home, and at his or her school. This preschool teaching need not be formalized into lessons and pen-and-paper things. The child can learn a wealth of knowledge just by participating in the day-to-day chores.
How to fold a tissue, how to fill a glass of water, how to put toys in their place, how to fix things ach and everything of real life can become the child’s preschool teaching. All children – each love to “help” their mother around the house. Usually the mothers discourage them because it means they have to do the chore all over again. However, if the children are encouraged and engaged in “helping” around the house, this can make the best possible preschool teaching.
Children should be encouraged at all times to seek answers to the questions they have in their mind, without worrying about the propriety of the matter at hand. When parents curb this curiosity with discipline and imposed limits, the children tend to adopt these limits to studies as well, and hence do not look beyond what is taught in class.
It has been observed that children who participate in daily chores are more observant, independent and capable of learning faster. Exposure to this type of preschool teaching makes them more open to classroom teaching later on in life. This is why it is important that parents kindle this innate curiosity of the child as early as possible in life.