The Importance of Being Little: What Preschoolers Really Need from Grownups {Book Review}
Cynthia received a copy of “The Importance of Being Little” ($28.00 Value) in exchange for this post. Any opinions expressed here are honest and her own.
Years ago, most parents didn’t give much thought to preschool. Some kiddos went, some didn’t and that was that. The parent made the deciding factor whether their youngster was ready or not. Fast forward to the present day and who would have thought that early childhood education is being discussed more than ever. Some states want to mandate preschool for all kiddos and also be in on the deciding factor on curriculum. Some parents have HIGH learning expectations of preschool; other parents are looking at the social aspect of preschool. What’s right? What’s wrong? Good question!
The book, The Importance of Being Little – What Preschoolers Really Need from Growups by Erika Christakis covers EVERYTHING you ever thought about preschool and more as she seems to think outside of today’s box. In this day and age, society is really pushing parents to think that kids need to be educated at an earlier age at all times and with states wanting to mandate the kid’s education, where is there room for actually getting what the children REALLY need?
I know when my little guy was starting preschool last year, I was very apprehensive because this was his first episode of actually being in a classroom besides at home. I was actually reluctant to send him because he was only four. But theres this push from society (in the media) about Kindergarten is the new 1st grade and how to ready your little ones for school, kind of makes the parents think they should be enrolling their little ones as young as they can or they won’t make the cut. I know because I felt that way myself.
Well, society isn’t all what it’s cracked up to be….kids need to be just kids and Erika does a great job relaying that in her book. Just day to day learning engages our little ones to be prepared. Preschool wasn’t intended for high-stakes academic curriculum and crazy structure. Early learning was intended to be social and parents and educators need to keep out of the way of children, so they can make discoveries on their own. Children have learning and growth ability within them at home and at school….they just need the time to be able to do it.
If it’s preschool time for one of your little ones, I would highly recommend this book to get you thinking about your little one’s needs above everyone else’s. The Importance of Being Little – What Preschoolers Really Need from Grownups can be purchased at Amazon, Barnes & Noble and anywhere books are sold. Get your copy today!
About the Author
Erika Christakis is a Lecturer in early childhood education at Yale University’s esteemed Child Study Center. An honors graduate of Harvard College, she has a MPH from Johns Hopkins; an MA in communication from the Annenberg School (University of Pennsylvania); an M.Ed. in early childhood education from Lesley University; and she is a Massachusetts-certified early childhood teacher (pre-K through 2nd grade) and licensed preschool director. She wrote a TIME.com “Ideas” column for two years and her work on children and families has appeared in numerous outlets, including CNN.com, the Washington Post, the Atlantic, the Financial Times, the Boston Globe, and ABC’s Nightline.
