Socialization Benefits of Daycare

Learning social skills is an ongoing vital process that continues throughout life. Laying the right foundation and proper initiation of the process well in time is an important part of growing up. Daycare is where socialization begins. Leaving the security of home can be difficult for children, but they soon learn to adapt.

The home environment has little scope for the development of social skills, as there are fewer people to interact with. It is in daycare that children learn to interact, play and share in groups with their peers and adults as well, who are not part of the family. Learning socialization skills is one of the biggest benefits of daycare that needs to be encouraged and fostered.

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Communication and compromise

Communication and compromise are the major tools of adult success. Learning to play with others, taking turns in activities, sharing, being part of a problem solving process in a group, and developing friendship with peers help develop these skills in a great way. A good daycare environment helps children learn how to:

•   function as part of a group and perform in both team and leadership roles

•  develop the art of making friends with adults as well as children of different age groups

•  fine-tune their communications skills

•  cooperate and get things done

•  work together, give space for others in their activities and show an appreciable understanding of the difficulties of others

•  deal squarely with the natural anxiety they have when dealing with adults who are not family members

•  accept the uncertainties that go with new situations and learn how to manage them

• respect the views of others, both peers and adults and adapt to schedules and routines outside home

The beginning of formal schooling inducts children into a new and unfamiliar world. Those who have had daycare exposure to acquire socialization skills will do much better there with greater ease than those who haven’t had that opportunity and experience.

Daycare and development

It is immaterial whether you send your child to daycare out of necessity or as a matter of choice: intense feelings of guilt will assail you for having sent the young child away from home. Remember that the new environment is one that is good for your child; it will help mold the little one into a stronger and more well-rounded person who will learn the basic skills of living, necessary to work and succeed in the world outside home.

It paves the way for a modification of behavior and attitudes to achieve a balance between personal needs and interpersonal or societal demands. With the right daycare, your child will experience and enjoy a happy and pleasant initiation into this vital learning process.

Finding the right daycare is, therefore, of critical importance. The systems, cultures and atmosphere can vary considerably from one daycare to another. No one knows your child as well as you do, and no one is better equipped to decide on which daycare is the right one for your child.