Teaching Preschoolers: How Infants and Young Children Learn Helping develop your child's mind by encouraging independent thinking and problem solving skills is very important as you prepare him or her for school and life. Cognitive development is the term used by experts to describe learning and the expansion of thinking and problem solving skills. But as a parent, it is not necessary to formally teach your child at very young ages; instead, you can do educational activities that will naturally teach your child as you share experiences and explain interesting things around the child. Remarkably, infants and young children seem to be designed to learn from their surroundings, and much of what we as adults think of as play actually teaches children a great deal. However, there are many simple things to keep in mind that make even these experiences more effective in promoting your child's cognitive growth. Below are some common questions from parents and caretakers of young children. What can I do to provide good learning conditions for my young child? - Talk with your child. There is no substitute for time spent talking with your child about experiences and ideas of interest. Remember that talking "with" your child is quite different from talking "at" your child. Even young infants, who cannot yet produce speech, benefit from adults' talking with them. Also, it is important to provide children with appropriate language and usage. Although imitating a child's attempts at language has a role, it is important to provide a child with the appropriate use of language as well to support his or her growth in using language.
- Listen to your child. Be patient. Allow time for thoughts to be completed. What children want to say is important to them, and you will learn from what they have to say. This is particularly important with the youngest children, who have limited words to express complex thoughts. For example, shortly after children use their first words, a period occurs where they use groups of two words to convey the meaning adults put into entire sentences. By patiently allowing your child to "get the words out," you can then interpret what the child is trying to say.
- Sing and chant nursery rhymes and childhood songs you remember. "Patty cake" and "This little piggy" still work well. Obviously, rhymes you remember from your childhood are important to you, so pass that love along to your baby. Not only does this build a shared history, but also the pattern inherent in most nursery rhymes encourages the development of language skills.
- Turn ordinary, everyday trips into interesting excursions. A trip to the playground may be a time to notice the differences in the many houses along the way. Which ones are tall and which are small? Notice the new buds on the trees or how the leaves are beginning to turn color or fall to the ground. At the market, show your child the different foods, shapes, textures, and smells. This kind of noticing leads to questions and discussions that involve interesting language and concepts.
- Play language games with your child. Make up silly rhymes and chants. Language play helps children become sensitive to the sounds in the language, something that is key to success in reading.
- Expand your child's language. Use describing words whenever possible. The huge dog. The frightened baby duck. The exhausted old man. This will help your child develop a large and rich vocabulary, which is important for communicating and for all future learning. When children start to speak in two-word sentences, one of the most typical sets is a noun and a descriptor like "yellow bus."
- Help your child solve problems. When something doesn't work right, show your child how to fix it. For example, if your child's tricycle wheel comes off, let him or her help you as you fix it, and explain what you are doing. Be sensitive to what your child can do, and what you need to do to help him or her. Parents who can do so help to support the child's development of new skills as well as concepts about how things work and how to solve problems.
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