Understanding Excellent Child Care Activities

Childcare And At-Home Activities: The Similarities, Differences, And More

17 June 2022

Barry Ward

What can your child do at daycare that they can't do at home? Childcare centers provide more than supervision. These pre-schools help to educate young children and will give your early learner the chance to develop new abilities. Even though you may create plenty of play-time opportunities at home, take a look at what parents need to know about childcare activities and daily lessons.

Are Classroom and At-Home Activities Completely Different?

The answer to this question is no—and yes. Some parents choose to create a homeschool-like environment for their young children. This includes educational activities that are (or are similar to) what you would expect to see in many early learning centers. Not every parent chooses this level of at-home lessons. Instead, the childcare program adds to or extends the child's regular home play-time activities.

How Might Daycare Activities Differ From At-Home Options?

The group setting of a daycare center creates a different focus for activities. While many at-home and in-school activities/lessons could overlap, it's unlikely that what your child does in their non-daycare hours includes a group of 10 or more other like-aged preschoolers. The social dynamic of the pre-k classroom can help young children to learn how to share, take turns, communicate with others, and more. 

Along with the social impact of the childcare classroom, daycare activities may focus on a specific curriculum or educational method that differs from what your preschooler does at home. This could include specific types of content (such as early math or inquiry-based science), a philosophy (such as Montessori or Waldorf), or both. 

What Types of Activities Will Your Child Try At Daycare?

This depends on the program, the curriculum, and the teacher's daily lesson plans. Common early childhood center activities include a variety of options that mirror what students learn as they move into kindergarten and elementary school. The pre-k curriculum may include early literacy, math, science, social studies, world cultures, the arts (visual art, dance, drama, and music), and physical education (gross motor play). 

Unlike grade school-level classes, preschool activities may look more like play than formal lessons. But this doesn't mean your child can't or won't learn, grow, and build new skills. What may seem like a simple block-building activity can help the young child to learn about basic math concepts, problem-solve, improve fine motor abilities, and develop spatial awareness/reasoning. 

To learn more about the specific activities your child will try in daycare and the developmental impact of these lessons, talk to their childcare teacher. The early childhood educator can detail the day's activities and explain learning or development goals.

Share