Preschool: How Early Is Too Early?

If you'd asked me when I didn't have kids if starting school at 2 is too early, I would have said yes. But now, I think it's great for my son and his learning and development. He was ready. When I left the first day, there was no crying or struggle. He was like, "Later, Mom!"

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Having him start school so early made me think about how advanced our kid will be, and the type of competition he'll face as he gets older. As a new mom, I heard a lot about the cutthroat world of kindergarten. Kindergarten? I didn't learn my ABC's until kindergarten. In fact, since my first language was Mandarin Chinese, I didn't learn English until kindergarten!

I can see it now, my son giving his second grade book report on PowerPoint using video he edited himself and then linked to his Facebook, Twitter and YouTube accounts. Just kidding -- or am I?

Are we pushing our kids too fast? There is a big debate on whether or not early exposure to academics actually helps or hurts them. Some experts say academic preschools offer no long-term advantages academically, but only make kids more anxious. Supporters of academic preschools disagree, saying children are like sponges, and the more you expose them to, the better. I'm somewhere in the middle.

Even though my son is at a play-based preschool, somehow he still learned his ABC's and 123's. For now, I'm happy with him learning how to play with others, how to listen, how to share and how to learn. It's amazing how much circle time and snack time can do!