Nurturing Soft Skills in Nursery School: Why is a small class size important in the early years?

Most children will gain the academic skills we traditionally associate with early elementary school (math, writing, and reading), when their minds and bodies are developmentally ready to grasp those skills - for some it will be at age 4 and for others it will happen when they are 6 or 7 years old. Just as with rolling over, crawling and walking, developmental processes occur over a fairly long span of "normal."  Regardless of when children acquire these skills, research indicates that children's skills seem to equal out in the elementary years.

We give our children an opportunity to be exposed to these academic concepts whenever they are ready for them. We do this daily through the toys we have, the conversations we encourage, the books we read together and the things we have to discover in our environment.

The most important abilities that are nurtured in the early years, however, are referred to as "soft" skills (or non-cognitive skills) and are the ones that tend to lead to success throughout life (not simply on a standardized test).  Skills like concentration/focus, listening/communicating, teamwork, empathy, flexibility/ adaptability/ perseverance, impulse control, problem-solving, time management, confidence and creativity are essential for both school and future development and adulthood.  

At the Wonder Room, we believe that children have the opportunity to strengthen these soft skills in a learning environment that offers experiences through play - engaging with things, people, and the environment. 

The small class size allows for the time and space needed for children to feel a part of a community.  These soft skills are practiced on a daily basis. It is natural and authentic. Educators and children have opportunities to talk with and listen to each other.  They get to know and care about each other.  They learn to accept and respect each other's ideas and work.  They are building their relationships and understanding themselves and how they fit in and can be a contributor, as well as an individual (with our own temperaments and personalities).  It is much more difficult to achieve these experiences in a larger classroom, basically because of the limitations of classroom management, sensory over-stimulation, and space.

As adults, we know that the soft skills are the ones that give us the abilities we need to get a job, have relationships, maintain a home, and ultimately find success- whatever the definition of that is for each of us.

Many of these skills are nurtured at home, however they also need to be experienced in classroom/community settings outside of the "safety net" of parents.  Children build confidence in these soft skill areas when they are given the opportunity to practice them and find their own intrinsic success.