I watch Logan several afternoons a week while his mommy works. We love rocking and singing and cooing. It's pure heaven.
When my daughter arrives to pick him up he's usually snoozing in his swing. She tiptoes over and gently switches off the button. He slowly opens his eyes, takes a moment to focus and then explodes into a huge smile as he recognizes his mommy. They then cuddle up together, blocking out the entire world, as they reconnect.
Watching this scene play out reminds me of falling in love. Remember when love was new and your heart would skip a beat at the sight of your beloved? When you could barely stand to be apart?
This same feeling is playing out in our classrooms. Now before you all become alarmed that your children are pairing off into couples, hear me out. Young children who make a friend for the first time exhibit the same giddiness as a couple in love.
When the children entered our classrooms in September they did so with some apprehension and anxiety. For many this was a first group experience and the first time they had been left with someone other than family. What if I don't like it there? What if I miss my mom? What is school really like anyway? I'm sure many of these thoughts entered their precious little minds.
But now, a mere seven months later, so much has changed. These children now happily separate from their parents and rush to the sensory table. They know how to sing the clean up song and where the doll clothes belong. They know how to sit crisscross applesauce at circle time and that it's not okay to push someone. They've learned that we always sing the bunny song before the goodbye song (and they'll remind me if I forget!) and then we go home. They have also learned the thrill of making a friend.
As new friends squeeze next to each other on the rug for group time they can barely contain themselves. The look at each other and giggle, wrap their arms around each other and grin. They have favorite toys they play with each day and favorite books they cuddle up with together. Certainly not as strong as the mother/child bond but the feelings are similar. I feel the same way when I spend the afternoon with a dear friend, catching up during a walk. It's just good to connect with other humans.
When you wonder if the money you've invested in preschool education really pays off, think of these experiences. If your child never attended preschool they would learn the alphabet and colors and how to count because you would teach them those skills. But what they might not learn is how to venture off into a scary new territory, take a risk and make new friends. And it is precisely these experiences that will prepare your child for future challenges down the road--like the big yellow school bus that will one day drive them off to Kindergarten.
Cheryl Hoover is the Director of Northampton Christian Preschool in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio.
