What Your Child Should Learn in Preschool

Preschool is getting plenty of play these days. When most of today's parents were tots, school for the under-5 set was fairly rare, but now you can tote your 2- to 4-year-old to daycare (many of which have preschool-appropriate curricula), Head Start programs, private or parochial preschools, even pre-K programs within the public school system. But what is your child likely to learn (beyond what he'd pick up anyway)? A lot. Here, a snapshot of what you can expect your preschooler to master at ages 2, 3, and 4.

2-Year-Olds

You would think "academics" and "2-year-olds" are terms that rarely meet. And you'd mostly be right. School at this age is less about worksheets and lessons than "getting experience with becoming part of a group," says Ann Gorelow, preschool director of the Cliff Valley School, in Atlanta. "Kids should be introduced to sharing and taking turns, making friends, and developing language." That said, there is plenty more the littlest preschoolers can learn. No, your child won't be reading or penning her name, but later literacy has its roots in toddlerhood, says Ashlee Murphree, owner of Carpe Diem preschools in Dallas. Coloring and painting strengthen the muscles she'll later use to write. Exposure to printed material gets her ready to read. And it's not just books; twos love to see their own words written down -- such as when teachers ask a child to narrate what's happening in a picture. "That teaches them the constancy of the written word," a crucial foundation for reading, Gorelow says.

• Talk to me: Practicing the art of conversation -- what preschool experts call "cycles of conversation" -- is another goal for the year. Taking turns to talk is about a growing sense of respect for others -- an important piece of the school-preparation puzzle. Same goes for asking for permission before taking that red crayon.

• Physical gains: The biggie now is no surprise: toilet training! A preschool teacher's aim this year should be guiding each child, depending on her potty readiness, toward independent self-care (pulling up pants, washing hands). Meanwhile, fine motor skills still need lots of work; most twos use their whole fist to grab a crayon and move their whole arm to make marks on paper.