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Writing Children must have many opportunities to use their hands to do various things before they can successfully print letters. Molding with clay, using large and small Legos, picking up beads, and playing with puzzles all prepare the fingers and hands for writing. Scribbling with markers and crayons, controlling a pencil for use with a stencil, using chalk on the sidewalk, and painting with fingers and large brushes are a few of the ways children practice for later writing. Stock the room with plenty of paper, paper clips, staplers, pencils, markers and crayons, and make sure that these materials are available for children to use whenever they choose. Children may want to write notes to their friends or messages to their teachers or parents. They may use writing materials in their dramatic play - making signs for a store, tickets for a show, menus for a restaurant, and so on. As children experiment, developmental stages of writing become evident. Children move from random scribble to controlled scribbles, to random alphabet letters, to consonants that represent words. Only with lots of opportunities to practice can children move through these stages. |
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Mathematics Children learn mathematics naturally through play and it is important that we should never teach number tables, addition and subtraction, or other types of formal mathematics learning to young children. They are not developmentally ready to acquire those skills and it is important that we don't rush children along before they are ready. Because a child can copy numerals or rote count does not signify that the child understands number concepts. It only signifies that the child can copy numerals or recite numbers. It is a great mistake to suppose that the child acquires the notion of number and other mathematical concepts just through teaching. On the contrary, to a remarkable degree, children develop these skills themselves, independently and spontaneously. When adults try to impose mathematical concepts on a child prematurely, the child's learning is merely verbal; true understanding of them comes with the child's mental growth. Learning about mathematics, as well as science, social studies, health and other content areas are all integrated through meaningful activities when children build with blocks, measure sand, water or ingredients for cooking, observe changes in the environment, work with wood and tools, sort objects for a purpose, explore animals, plants, water wheels and gears, sing and list to music from various cultures, and draw, paint and work with clay. Centres Centres can be permanent of portable depending on the space available and the organization of the room. The children need a spacious area where they can work, store, and display materials. It is important that we recognize the young child as someone who has already learned a great deal independently, and be mindful that the learning has taken place because the child was able to manipulate materials, to observe the results of the actions, and to think about the meaning of the observations at the child's own level of understanding. Science Centre Children develop creative thinking skills as they try out different ways of doing things, create new ideas, and use materials in new ways. Critical thinking skills come into play as children break down a whole problem into parts. For example, when they think about how to set up a pretend store or when they ask how many toys they can stuff into the sand pail,sorting, classifying, comparing, predicting, and analyzing are common critical thinking activities. Dramatic Play Young children spend a great deal of time pretending, whether we encourage it or not. It seems to be their way of making sense of the people and the world around them. In The Early Years, dramatic play gives children an opportunity to be part of the group. If they are shy about interacting, they can become acquainted with others through the roles they take on. For example, a shy child will hide behind a puppet. Dramatic play is one of the most unique opportunities you can provide for learning social skills. The richness of children's play will depend not only on basic furnishings and children's imaginations, but also on accessory objects. However, there is a fine line between giving children everything they need and allowing them to plan, gather and improvise - to use their own creative abilities. The dramatic play area is a permanent area in most Early Years classrooms. From time to time, transform this area into a grocery store, a shoe store, a post office, a garage or a library. Take your cues from the children's interests and experiences, then tailor your basic furnishings and props to enhance them. When children tire of props, store them in labeled prop boxes. Dramatic play also helps children master uncomfortable feelings. They can pretend about going to the doctor and getting a shot, going to a strange school next year, or staying overnight with a babysitter. This helps them to gain some control over their world by working out fears and frustrations. Dramatic play helps children clarify new ideas and concepts about society and the world around them. It helps young children develop creative skills by forcing them to use their imaginations. They make up the roles, the rules, the situations and the solutions. It is through imaginative play that children come to understand the differences between fantasy and reality. The real world becomes more real to children who have opportunities to pretend. As well as the more obvious role playing in the Home Centre, children often role play at other times, such as when they are painting, playing with blocks, dancing or experimenting at the water table. Aside from the obvious benefits of children recalling their own experiences and acting out roles they have seen when other props are added to the Home Centre, new roles and play themes are created. Children become doctors, cashiers, florists. hairdressers, and waiters. As well as developing an imagination, informal drama promotes language development, enhances a child's sense of self, helps form moral judgment and sensitivity, increases the child's social skills, and helps the child to project into stories with understanding. Block Building The block area is another area where imaginatively play can help children develop socially, emotionally, and intellectually. Children need to be allowed a great deal of time in exploratory play with blocks before they can role play in the block area. You will soon become aware of which children:
A child needs to do a great deal of solitary and parallel building before he or she gains the confidence to cooperate with another child.
Blocks are open-ended materials that stimulate young imaginations, provide choices for discovery and invention, and promote the development of problem-solving skills. One day a block might be an airplane. The next day that same block in the hands of the same child can be a sofa for the house he or she is building.
Home Centre Introduce props such as cash registers, calculators, scales and play money in the Home Centre to provide children with opportunities to think about how mathematics is used everyday in life. Children use mathematical skills such as one-to-one correspondence and matching as they choose materials and then clean up. It is often in the Home Centre that young children begin to develop the mathematical thinking that they will use throughout their lives. Water Centre
Children are naturally drawn to water. The feel and sounds are pleasing. There is much learning taking place. Children experiment with cause and effect, refine problem-solving skills, and learn basic mathematical concepts such as volume, measuring and comparing.
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