Research has shown that young children learn more and at a greater speed during their preschool years than at any other time in their lives. Adults need to understand that learning of some kind is going on in every child every waking moment of every day. The level of competence reached by young children is directly related to the type and quality of adult-child interaction. Adults can provide a variety of play experiences to help young children build a foundation for success.

There are three guidelines that adults can use to be effective by providing support in an atmosphere where children are free to explore and ask questions, as they develop self-confidence when learning many new skills. (1) Patience: Children need a lot of time to think. When mistakes are made, adults should not scold children, but instead encouraged them to try the activity again. (2) Repetition: Children should repeat activities often and in different ways. This is how they learn. Familiar activities build self-confidence. (3) Concrete Experiences: Children are interested in working with real things. Experiences are the best instructors for young children. The materials can be inexpensive and simple to use.

Infants: The most important activity adults can do, beginning right at birth, is to read to children every day. This is the best ways to develop language in young children. Start with nursery rhymes. I suggest using my book Teaching with Heart which not only has the rhymes, but also has activities to do with each of the rhymes, which can help young children develop critical thinking skills.

Toddlers: Encourage toddlers to do fingerplays to develop language, memory and eye-hand coordination. It also develops concepts such as sequencing, counting and ordering.

Preschoolers: Adults should encourage children to play games, both indoor and outdoors. They should de-emphasize competitive games, increase games of cooperation, and encourage older children to teach younger ones. Set up obstacle courses both inside and outside. Have children go over, under, through, around, inside, outside, and beside. These skills develop muscular coordination, but also a more complete understanding of spatial relationships. By exploring and discovering through play children construct concepts about the world and themselves. The more children see and do, the more they learn. Winning is not important, it’s how you play the game. This helps instill in children moral development by teaching kindness and generosity, and true sportsmanship.

Children learn through play - John Dewey