Why Early Childhood Education So Important

Early childhood education is usually referred to the learning process that takes place in a child from his/her birth to when he/she starts school and this varies in different countries till the ages of two to five to eight. In early days, a child started his/her education at home, but nowadays, both parents being working, children are being sent at times to the care of a guardian of sorts or being sent to pre schools to be taught skills which would help them grow later.
These early years are the most critical ones when foundations are laid for future development. Research has shown that formation of later behaviour and values are developed during this time and neglect can lead to defects in the child which may not be rectified later. Early child education plays one of the most important roles as they help in the social, emotional and mental development of a child. A child at that time hasn't yet realised his/her identity and should therefore be brought up in an environment that allows him/her to grow freely without any restraints and inhibitions and explore his/her interests.
These five to eight years are the years of informal learning whereby a child automatically learns with the help of games, songs, dance and by listening to stories. Though, with the passing of time, this learning process is being changed and is now becoming much more orderly and structured, yet the basic factor of learning through play remains the same.
Mental and physical abilities grow at an incredibly fast rate at this period and so it is crucial that a child receives proper nurturing. Play with the help of adults help a child to learn responsibility, social skills, values and ethics. It should be kept in mind that social values and behavioural patterns once learnt at this stage cannot be easily changed later and hence care should be taken. A little older child now starts learning individuality as well as cooperation and begins to think and reason in a proper manner, again the medium being play. Play also helps them to learn to express themselves in a better way and hence leads to emotional and social development.