Ten Roles of a Preschool Teacher

Preschool teachers play several essential roles in your child's early education. In this article we will identify ten of them and break down what they mean.

1. Teaching Your Childen

A preschool teacher is often your child’s first introduction to formal curriculum-based education. As educators, it is imperative that preschool teachers develop a high-quality and thorough curriculum to help children gain a strong foundation for their future education. Some preschool teachers have found that subscribing to monthly curriculum kits from companies like The Learning Box Preschool makes teaching a breeze! They can be confident they are teaching with professionally developed early learning curriculum that is consistent with the 2017 NAEYC requirements and that meets or exceeds state standard alignments. This makes their life easier so they can focus on providing the best experience for their preschoolers.

2. Being A Role Model

Young children learn a lot from watching and observing others. They will pay particular attention to a preschool teacher's behavior since they see the preschool teacher as knowledgeable and respected. With this in mind, it’s vital for a preschool teacher to set a good example for their students.

3. Providing A Safe and Secure Environment

Many children can feel overwhelmed when exposed to a classroom for the first time. A good preschool teacher will be prepared and ready to make sure each of their students feels they are in a safe and secure environment. Some ways they make sure children stay safe are:

• Maintaining rules of respect
• Creating a warm, welcoming, and fun learning environment
• Restricting access to scissors, hot glue guns, or anything children can accidentally hurt themselves with
• Making sure the environment is clean and well-organized

4. Encouraging New Experiences

As children learn more about the world and gain new experiences, they will inevitably run into some struggles. A preschool teacher should help children process or alleviate anxiety and fears, support them in their efforts to try new things. They will also encourage them to pursue interests and hobbies, especially if they are a shy preschooler.

5. Developing Social Skills

Children want to talk and play with other children, and it is another role of a preschool teacher to make sure their students learn to interact with good manners, respect, and kindness. A preschool teacher must make sure children treat others kindly, and that no child is excluded from activities.

6. Facilitating Communication

Preschool teachers help facilitate communication both between and with their students. By doing so, they teach children how to communicate about their feelings or any questions they have and develop their speech, writing, and social skills.

7. Storytelling

Children have wild imaginations, so taking advantage of storytelling encourages children to develop their imagination and creativity. Some ways preschool teachers maximize the experience of storytelling are:

• Introducing children to reading
• Encouraging active participation by allowing children to share their thoughts and feelings
• Using puppets and props

8. Managing Time and Routines

Having a set routine provides a sense of security and structure for children, who know what to expect and when. By managing time and having a schedule, preschool teachers are also helping children develop a strong foundation of time management, which is an important life skill for the future. Children thrive with routine and it can help decrease anxieties when they know what to expect.

9. Observing Your Child's Progress

Children all develop at different rates. While some children are noticeably confident and adventurous, other children may be timid and reserved. By tracking their progress, teachers can learn if they seem to be falling behind their peers and when a child may need additional assistance.

10. Researching

Preschool teachers must play the role of researchers as well—there is always new information and methods that they must be aware of to best help their young students succeed. Keeping up to date and being aware of what is going on in early childhood education is essential. Being a preschool teacher is a vital role that encompasses many roles within itself. Learning Box Preschool has a great deal of respect for preschool teachers, parents who are homeschooling, and special education teachers. We aim to alleviate some of the pressures they face by providing monthly subscription to high-quality preschool curriculum delivered to their door. Our programs are easy to use and allow anyone to be the best possible preschool teacher for the young children in their lives. Shop our curriculum kits today.