If you've ever heard a preschooler say "I'll do it myself," you've witnessed mastery of the greatest developmental task facing children of that age: autonomy. Children also gain a sense of initiative during the preschool years, and begin the long task of separating from their parents. Along with these progressional steps, these little people are developing a personality of their own. Many factors can affect character traits, but schooling during those formative years is one of the most significant. Here are five ways that early childhood education impacts personality development.

1. Social Skills

Even infants have a well-developed awareness of their surroundings and the people in their world. These senses must be stimulated, and socialisation is an important component of that. The earlier your child is introduced to other humans, especially peers, the more he or she will develop strong interpersonal skills and learn to cultivate relationships. A local childcare Queensland programme is a fantastic way to provide these necessary social interactions in a structured, guided setting with professionals to assist in supervising as your child begins to develop early friendships.

2. Confidence

Every parent wants their child to develop confidence and a strong sense of self-worth. Experiences gained through early education are a great way to foster this. Preschool teachers are trained to challenge and encourage the "do it myself" mentality of young children, and to praise and reward their successes. These structured experiences teach your kids that they are capable of overcoming obstacles and meeting expectations, and the positive reinforcement they receive from qualified educators encourages them to rise to the next challenge.

3. Patience

If you haven't heard a child incessantly ask "are we there yet," you obviously haven't been on a road trip with a preschooler. Their sense of delayed gratification is not yet developed; when they want something, they want it now. Sometimes those demands are catered to at home, but in an educational setting they will learn patience through the following situations:

• * Taking turns is not an innate tendency. Children naturally want to be first. In a preschool setting with other children, your child will learn to wait until it's his turn.

• * Learning to share is equally difficult for a child. Most preschoolers live by the "what's mine is mine, what's yours is mine, and what's ours is mine" rule of law. The best cure for that is a classroom where the toys are common property and your child has to learn the joy of sharing.

• * Mastering the art of waiting is critical for life. Children learn patience by learning to sit or stand quietly or entertain themselves while they wait. This is something else that a classroom teaches easily, just through the everyday flow of procedures and activities.

4. Respect

Children often act impulsively, snatching things that they want,  hitting those who oppose them, or screaming when they don't get their way. The concept of behaving in a respectful manner is very abstract. Here are some ways a preschool can help a child develop respect:

• * Modelling respect enables a preschool teacher to demonstrate expectations for student's respectful behaviors.

• * Reading developmentally appropriate stories with themes of respect are a great tool for teaching the concept to preschoolers.

• * Experiencing diversity in a classroom setting will shape a child's perceptions of others and lead to development of a more open, accepting, and respectful character.

• * Encouraging communication by teaching children the correct words to use and the correct choices to make are important aspects of character development that preschool teachers are trained to develop.

5. Love for Learning

Arguably, the best personality trait that can be instilled through early childhood education is a lifelong love for learning. Children who are engaged early in a school setting are receiving stimulation to their neural networks during a critical formative period, laying the foundation for continuing education. As children experience success in these early educational opportunities, they will develop the confidence, desire, and initiative to pursue additional learning challenges.

Watching children develop their personalities is one of the most rewarding aspects of parenthood. No doubt your child will grow into a unique and well-rounded individual because of the wide range of experiences to which he has access. Preschool education is one of those, and is quite possibly the best way to give your child an early advantage in life.