The Benefits of Nursery for Your Child

From the moment you become a parent your world instantly changes, no longer is it about you but instead providing the very best life for your little one. As rewarding as parenthood can be there are many decisions you need to make, and every one is fraught with different emotions.

One decision is whether and when to send them to a nursery and you will ask yourself questions like, what is the right time? How will it impact family life? How do you find the right nursery? Is nursery right for my child?

In addition, the thought of ever handing over your parental responsibility can be a daunting one but the transition to nursery can be a very positive experience for your little one and have multiple benefits.

Why Send Your Child to Nursery?

The decision to send your child to nursery starts with sending them to the right nursery. Finding that nursery, where you can work with the nursery to develop shared relationships and shared goals so your child thrives in the setting, is an absolute priority.

Nursery should be an extension of the family home, where children are free to play, learn and explore; forming lasting friendships and learning early life skills. The relationships that your child forms at nursery allow bonds to be formed and memories made where parents are confident in leaving their child to explore new environments, develop relations and experience the world.

A parent is a child’s first educator and the nursery should recognise and develop a shared passion for experiencing joy, celebrating milestones and a commitment to see every child achieve.

The Benefits of Nursery

Early years experts highlight that a nursery environment can help children’s confidence and development. These are skills that we want our children to continue to develop throughout their childhood and into early adulthood to enable them to thrive in an ever-changing world.

When the time is right you may want to consider what benefits a nursery environment has to offer for your child, or children. Here we will explore each benefit and how they will enhance your child’s development.

Social Development

Nursery will provide a dedicated and accessible environment to children with activities and resources specifically chosen to enhance development. Sharing the environment with children of a similar age has many social benefits including:

• Turn-taking and learning to share
• Forming friendships and establishing connections
• Playing within a group and independently
• Learning from their peers, copying and helping one another

Communication Skills

Experiencing social interactions with peers and practitioners will support communication and increase vocabulary through a range of contexts.

Learning how to understand and communicate their feelings will help them regulate their emotions and enable them to face and overcome challenges when presented with new experiences.

Interacting with peers at nursery provides an opportunity to gain a greater understanding of other people’s feelings and to show empathy.

Independence and Confidence

Being at nursery may be the first time your child has been away from you, and this provides an opportunity for your child to have the freedom to explore, build relations and become independent, all of which are critical for their long-term well being.

An increased independence will allow your child to develop their own personality, explore who they are and discover more about life outside the family home and the world around them. Learning and completing basic tasks and taking part in activities will build the foundation for school and life on the outside.

Learning New Skills

Nursery offers a wide range of activities, with resources, experiences and an ever-changing environment to stimulate, inspire and engage young minds.

Having an environment dedicated to enabling children to discover and explore will mean your child is constantly learning new things and developing valuable new skills.

Routine and Structure

Nursery provides a routine and structure to your child’s day, including sleep and meal times. A routine has many benefits, it enables them to feel secure within their environment and allows them to have control over their feelings and play an active role in their tasks as they know what is expected of them and what’s coming next.

Building Immunity

Whilst coughs and colds and nursery bugs are par for the course, having interaction at nursery with children and adults will support the development of a healthy immune system and help to keep children fit and healthy.

Read more: Signs of Fever in Children

Ready for School

Learning new skills, encouraging critical thinking and positive self-awareness along with the routine and structure of nursery life will help to prepare your child for school and aid a smooth transition when the time comes.

Find the Perfect Nursery

Nursery can help to build the foundations of your child’s future but whatever form of childcare you choose, the most important thing is that it is right for you and your child. Choosing a nursery should be a positive milestone and the right nursery should feel like an extension of your family.

At Abbey Wood Grange Day Nursery and Preschool, we have spent the last 30 years building our nursery near South Croydon to develop the skills children need for later in life.

If you would like to book a visit to see if our nursery is right for your child, get in touch.