Why is Character Development Important for Preschoolers?
Character is one of the most important aspects to someone’s life. The success of someone’s character can help a person to survive in life. Someone whose character is developed and able to face the challenges. As parents, we want our children to be able to face the future by themselves. Therefore, we need to prepare them to be one. Developing their character since preschool is the best choice. First, it’s their golden age. Second, building someone’s character cannot be done in a glimpse.
There are lots of advantages to building our preschoolers’ character since the beginning. First, helping them build their own character means helping them to build their own self-esteem. In other words, we help them to know their worth and help them to be confident. Being confident isn’t only about public speaking, but how they can accept themselves in their own unique ways. Perhaps, this sounds too far for preschoolers, for accepting themselves on their own ways, but that’s why we have to give preschoolers chance to go on public event since now, because with that, we give them chance for another stage when they are teenagers, the stage of accepting their own uniqueness. Second, it builds resilience in them. Future can always change. We never know what will happen the next day. We don’t even know whether we can accompany our children until they are grown up or not. Therefore, helping them to build their resilience is important. By having that, children have the courage to face the future. Third, children have integrity in them. Someone who has integrity will always try and want to give its best in everything. Children who do the best for him/her make impacts not only for them, but also for people around them. By giving the best of them, children can feel the happiness of their satisfaction, parents can see their child’s talent, and it builds trust from people around. Children who used to do their best will be trusted and this kind of action can lead them to their success in life. Fourth, good character development builds children’s hearts. They can accept people around them, just like they accept their uniqueness. Someone with good character can be friends with everyone. They can show their caring to people around them.
In conclusion, character development for preschoolers is important and yes, it has an impact for children’s future. In Stella Maris School Gading Serpong, we focused not only on students’ knowledge development, but also on their character. Therefore, we have four characters focused in Preschool, they are: independent, respect, curious, and caring. Moreover, as a Catholic school, we accustom the students to do the prayer every morning and after school. Also, students pray before eating. Every day, we choose one student to be captain, which one of the job desk is to lead the prayer. We also conduct the Rosary Prayer every October and May with the students. Starting now, do not hesitate to prepare good environment which can help the children to build their character building at home. Also, don’t hesitate to choose the right school where students can build both their knowledge and their character.
