Education for three year olds: Preschool Programs for Ages 3

Опубликовано: July 31, 2023 в 2:33 am

Автор: alexxlab

Категории: Cat

Academic Learning in 3-5 Year Olds

Preschoolers are ready and eager to learn! They marvel at new experiences and show great initiative in learning to create and use symbols to represent present and non-present objects (e.g., representational drawings, letters, words, numbers). They have learned (syntactically and pragmatically) to ask questions, the most common of which is “why” or “how.” As a result, they are also learning the words, and the concept behind words, such as “because” or “so” (e.g., Why does my bike go? Because I push the pedals).

By the age of three, children have a basic understanding of category formation (e.g., which items are living vs. non-living, sorting by color, etc.), as well as a basic understanding of cause and effect (e.g., When I run, my heart beats faster). For two fun online ways to foster your child’s cause-and-effect understanding, try Rotate and Roll or Flabby Physics.

Across the preschool years, children are learning to count by rote, perform basic addition (“If I add one more to my group, I will have 4”), sequence events, and tell time on the hour and half hour. They are learning 1-1 correspondence—the ability to map an individual item onto a distinct number…to literally touch each item as they count them as opposed to counting by rote as they sweep their finger across the group. By the time they are six, they are also learning to sort objects by more than one criteria (e.g., size and shape). For a fun sorting game that will let your child sort the same items by different characteristics, try this Alien Competition game. Draw your child’s attention to the fact that different aliens “win,” depending on the criteria used to categorize.

Over the preschool years, children learn to draw intentionally, moving from marks they label to complex images they preplan. For example, most 5-year-olds can draw a person with head, body, arms, legs, facial features, hair, etc. They can name a number of colors and not only arrange items by size or weight, but also create patterns with them and compare items. Matching skills and a basic understanding of symmetry also come online in this period. For a magical symmetry experience, check out Charlie and Lola’s Butterfly Gallery.

Learning for children this age is best done through hands-on meaning-driven interactions, where children can discover properties of items before being asked to apply knowledge. For example, allow children to interact with tubes, funnels, and water, before expecting them to problem solve how to get water from a bucket on the ground up to the water table. Learning at this age is not about memorizing, but is instead about uncovering. The process could be Piagetian (e.g., independent discovery) or Vygotskian (e.g., assisted discovery through social interactions with more knowledgeable others in cooperative learning experiences). Children this age thirst for knowledge and can become frustrated if the process feels too hard. Set your child up for success by setting reasonably attainable goals and providing not only support, but also the opportunity to come back to challenges on different occasions through different venues.

Preschoolers devour themes, and using a favorite topic (e.g., dinosaurs, fire trucks, fairies, etc.) is often a way to invite children to take on additional challenges. Think puzzles, games, experiments, stories, actions, open-ended toys, and anything that involves pretend play. Imagination, creativity, language development, social development, intellectual development, and academic learning all go hand-in-hand at this age.

Children are by definition egocentric during this time, which means that they are not able to spontaneously take on the viewpoint of another. They literally believe that their thoughts are shared by everyone else. It is not until children enter concrete operations (around the age of 7 or 8) that egocentrism begins to wane.

Preschoolers also have not learned to independently draw inferences and often need to be guided to making conclusions or generalizations. For example, they may stumble upon the discovery that 3+5=8, but will not yet understand that every time they add 3 items to 5 items they will get 8 items. It is only through guidance, trial-and-error, and development that children will come to this type of reasoning on their own. However, active manipulation, observations, and involvement in experiences and situations allows them to form theories that they then confirm or refute. For example, they will wonder what will happen if they mix yellow and blue paints and revel in the discovery of green. They will test this discovery in multiple settings, remaining surprised for a period of time with each confirmation. Gradually, however, the knowledge becomes theirs to command and apply in various settings. Click here for some fun ways to encourage this level of thinking and learning.

7 Fun And Easy Learning Activities For 3-Year-Olds

Finding activities for 3-year-olds should be easy, but that’s not always the case.

Maybe you’ve planned a few fun games to keep your child entertained during the day. These were activities they loved last week, so surely they’ll still find them entertaining. Not today.

For some reason, these games no longer hit the sweet spot, and your child looks at you as if to say, “Is this all you’ve got?”

We’ve been there! So what can you do?

Fear not. We’ve compiled a list of creative and engaging activities to keep your three-year-old entertained (and learning!) at home.

Importance Of Learning Activities For 3-Year-Olds

Three-year-olds have a lot of energy, and they are often eager to try new experiences. This is great because, while engaging in activities, your child has the opportunity to develop many valuable skills.

For instance, hands-on activities — in which your child molds, cuts, sticks, sorts, or manipulates objects — help them develop motor skills. They also help your child learn to follow directions for precision and accuracy.

All of these skills can be used later in life with important, daily actions such as writing and tying shoelaces.

Similarly, activities like putting puzzles together and playing with building blocks help develop reasoning skills and creativity, to name just two benefits for your child. .

Different learning activities for 3-year-olds can also help your child exercise patience, perseverance, and logical thinking. These are all important for a young child’s development.

The first six years of a child’s life are a critical period for brain development. When children engage in activities that incorporate multiple skills simultaneously (like listening, talking, and using their hands), it activates more areas of the brain and helps enhance learning.

How To Approach Activities For 3-Year-Olds

Keep It Simple

So often, parents assume they have to find the most elaborate activities and games for their children. Of course, you’re free to do so, but it’s important to know that’s not always necessary.

Three year olds are fascinated by lots of simple things — different colors and shapes, how these colors change when you mix them (e.g., red and blue make purple), kicking a ball, storybooks about dinosaurs, baking cookies, and so on.

To create engaging learning activities for 3-year-olds, you don’t have to overwhelm yourself. Instead, you can use many everyday items you already have around the house.

Allow For Creativity

Life is full of rules, so, during these activities, why not just let your child be, well, a child? If they decide to paint a blue dog, that’s OK! And if they choose to create a 10-legged cat, what’s the big deal?

It’s essential to allow your child to do crafts in their own way and give them ownership over the experience.

That being said, always consider whether or not you’re up for a mess. Sure, the Pinterest images of children covered in colorful paint or glitter look like a blast, but we all know someone has to clean that up!

If you’ve had a long week at work, for instance, there’s nothing wrong with choosing activities for 3-year-olds that will not drain the little bit of energy you have left, and then leaving the messy ones for a less stressful time.

Be Flexible And Patient

While introducing different activities, it’s important to understand that your child might prefer some over others. That’s OK!

At this age, your child is learning who they are and what they’re comfortable with. Understanding their likes and dislikes is part of the learning process for us as parents.

7 Fun And Easy Learning Activities For 3-Year-Olds