As pressure grows on parents to prioritise academic milestones earlier and more intensely, Dibber International Preschools South Africa is urging a broader view of what young children need to learn well.
According to the preschool group, the foundations of early learning are often misunderstood. Between the ages of one and six, children are building more than early literacy and numeracy. They are also developing emotional security, social confidence, communication, creativity and self-regulation.
“We believe meaningful learning begins with the whole child,” says Ursula Assis, Country Director of Dibber International Preschools South Africa. “Children need to feel emotionally safe, physically supported and socially connected before learning can take hold in a lasting way. When those needs are met together, children are far more able to engage with confidence and curiosity.”
The point is not that academic learning does not matter. It does. But in the early years, a child’s ability to absorb, participate and stay engaged is closely tied to their sense of security and wellbeing.
That is especially clear when it comes to emotional safety. Young children are highly responsive to their environments. When they feel unsettled, anxious or overstimulated, it becomes harder for them to focus and process new information. When they feel secure, they are more likely to explore, ask questions and join in.
This means that wellbeing in early childhood cannot be reduced to physical care alone. It includes stable relationships, predictable routines, movement, creative expression and a sense of belonging. Often, the most important moments are the least dramatic: a calm response from an adult, a reassuring conversation, or enough time to recover and try again.
Play sits at the centre of this view. Play is often underestimated in conversations about school readiness and early achievement, even though it remains one of the main ways young children learn. Through block building, pretend play, drawing, outdoor exploration, and sensory activities, children naturally develop language, coordination, emotional understanding, and problem-solving.
“Play is often treated as though it sits outside learning,” adds Assis. “But for young children, it is one of the clearest routes into confidence, language, emotional growth and social understanding. Children who enjoy learning are far more likely to stay engaged in it.”
Skills such as sharing, expressing needs, handling frustration and building friendships emerge gradually through everyday experiences. These moments can look untidy, especially in toddlerhood, but they help children learn to relate to others and manage themselves.
With steady guidance and emotional support, children are more likely to develop empathy, self-confidence and healthier ways of responding in social situations. Those early emotional skills matter in the present, but they also shape how comfortably children adapt to more structured learning environments later on.
Movement is another important part of the picture. Assis notes that young children learn through movement, and that running, climbing, balancing, dancing and outdoor play all contribute to physical, emotional and cognitive development. Physical activity supports concentration and coordination, and it can also help children regulate themselves more effectively.
This is one reason the group believes young children are poorly served by environments that expect long periods of quietness too early. Outdoor play, in particular, offers opportunities for independence, sensory development and experimentation that are difficult to replicate in more restricted settings.
“One of the strongest influences on a child’s learning experience is the quality of their relationships with adults. Children are more likely to participate, explore and build resilience when they feel heard, respected and emotionally connected to the people caring for them,” says Assis.
Parents are often under pressure to focus heavily on visible educational targets in the early years. The group’s position is that stronger foundations are usually built first in emotional safety, connection, movement, curiosity and confidence to take part.
“Before children can flourish academically, they need to feel that they belong,” says Assis. “That sense of safety and connection is where strong learning begins.”
About Dibber International Preschools:
Dibber International Preschools is a global leader in early childhood education, with a commitment to providing high-quality preschool experiences that foster children’s holistic development – with over six hundred high-quality preschools across nine countries and with a focus on the Dibber Heart Culture and customised learning approaches, Dibber aims to nurture the potential of every child, ensuring they receive the best start in their educational journey.