Why an Early Childhood Education Degree is Perfect for Moms

So you’re a mom and you’re planning to go back to school and get a degree. Sure, choosing which course to pick can be quite difficult, what with the number of courses available nowadays. But since you’re a mom, why not consider an early childhood education degree? The course may just be the perfect fit for you.

Here are the reasons why an early childhood education degree can benefit moms:

1. Teach Academics To Your Kids More Effectively

Students of early childhood education learn how to teach young children, specifically those aged eight and below. If you decide to take up the course, you will learn teaching strategies that are most effective for kids that age.

Here are some of those teaching strategies:

Scaffolding Method: The teacher builds on what the child already knows to teach him or her new concepts. The teacher sometimes takes away this support while the child is learning a new skill. Through this method, the child not only learns new things. He or she also gains confidence.

Cross-Curriculum Method: The teacher explains new concepts across subjects simultaneously, not in isolation.

Cooperative Learning Method: The teacher deviates from the traditional teacher-centered approach and focuses on activities that allow for the engagement of the student.

These strategies, which highlight learning through experience, are the same ones you can use to effectively teach basic academic concepts to your own children. For example, to teach them what a giraffe is, you may opt to use the cooperative learning method. Through this method, you show them what a real giraffe looks like, and make them draw it themselves. Or you may decide to employ the cross-curriculum method, and show your kids a real giraffe, while pointing at the parts of the animal. To teach your toddler more complicated academic concepts, you may opt to do DIY activities with him or her.

With your training, you’d be surprised at how much your children can learn from you.

2. Identify Your Child’s Learning Needs And Intervene If Needed

The good thing about an early childhood education degree is that you can learn teaching strategies aside from those that have to do with academics. The strategies are, after all, based on the educational philosophy of Jean Piaget who believed that a child had to develop these five domains to be fully developed:

Physical: This refers to the child’s biological functions such as his or her eyesight, size, and motor skills.
Intellectual: This refers to the child’s cognitive functions and focuses on how he or she processes the things around him or her.
Language: This refers to the child’s speaking and reading ability.
Emotional: This refers to the child’s feelings.
Social: This refers to the way your child interacts with other people.

With your early childhood education degree, you not only get to teach your children academic concepts (intellectual domain); you can also help them reach their full potential in the physical, language, emotional, and social domains by determining their weaknesses and drawing strategies to transform these into strengths.

For example, if your toddler can’t speak yet, you can use the cooperative learning method and engage him or her in song or storytelling activities. If your preschooler does not know how to share, you can use the same teaching strategy to encourage your child to share with others.

3. Develop Your Bond With Your Child

Early childhood education centers on the child, putting forward strategies to ensure that he or she attains full development in all five domains. Since the strategies require frequent interaction between the teacher (in this case, you) and the child, you have to bond with each other. This is a good thing, not only for you, as you feel emotionally fulfilled as a mother, but for your child as well.

John Bowlby's attachment theory said that a healthy relationship with a primary caregiver translates to a high probability of healthy relationships for the child in the future. On the other hand, a poor attachment with the primary caregiver can translate to emotional and behavioral problems later in life.

Conclusion

An early childhood education degree is the perfect degree for you as a mother because it will provide you with the necessary know-how to guide your child during their crucial developmental stages. It’s not only them, though, who will benefit from the degree through those teaching strategies. You also benefit from an early childhood education degree, which will be an addition to your academic achievements and knowledge. More importantly, the degree will help you understand your child better, and help you develop a strong bond with them.