Tag: Toddlers Class

Repetitive Movements

Repetitive Movements

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Over the last term it’s been amazing to see each child get something different from the classes. The age range is very wide (and did you notice I’ve scrapped the different aged classes?) It’s been important to incorporate enough for each child and their stage of development. 

So how do you spot phases of learning and how do you allow your little one to get the most from their play? 

If you watch your little one at play do you notice they repeat movements over and over? 
These repetitions are learning schemas. Ways for children to master skills and concepts; the building blocks for life. 

Below are a few key schemas which are easy to spot, perhaps you can recognise a few from your own little one. There are many more schemas (between 9-12 depending on the source), with lots of overlapping. 

Connecting/disconnecting: Stacking and dismantling structures, joining trains and taking toys apart. 

Transporting: Collecting and putting things into boxes, bags or the like. Having full pockets or filling and emptying. 

Boundaries: Poking holes in things, or putting fingers in holes. Exploring gates and doors.

Positioning: Lining up toys, sorting and building patterns. Arranging books on a shelf or even straightening chairs in a row.

Dynamic Horizontal: Moving cars and building roads, running laps, full body left to right/right to left movements, clapping or racing games.

Jean Piaget (1896–1980), a renowned developmental psychologist, noted that as a child gets older the learning schemas get more elaborate and often cross paths with more than one simultaneously. It might not be obvious what phase of learning they’re in. 

Next time you’re watching your little one, take note of what and how they’re playing. Real engagement is what you’re looking out for. You’ll notice they have intent and purpose to their play.  Do you see the same pattern of play happening with different toys? Engage with them, ask them questions about what specifically they’re enjoying. 

In order to access higher level thinking when they’re older; including STEAM subjects, children must pass through these learning schema. Negotiating the world is tricky, so let them explore their way, mastering their own learning. 

Above all, give them time and patience. These stages of learning are vital and can’t be rushed. Embrace the phase and give them opportunity to explore more along their current path. 

NOTE: Our little Fern is fully into holes and putting blocks together. He’s not mastered building but loves to hold blocks together in his hands. And putting fingers in holes… belly buttons, plug sockets, squeezy yogurt tube holes, holes in toys, holes in chairs…. the list is huge!

 
The Secrets of Construction Play

The Secrets of Construction Play

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This has been a big part of the Wood themed classes this week. It’s really been fascinating to see how each child approached the blocks; both the perfect cubes and irregular pieces of wood.

There’s a lot (a LOT) to be learnt from construction play and it might not always be the most obvious. It’s a tool which teaches so much and provides skills to last a lifetime.

Let’s list out the main benefits before delving in;

– Problem solving

– Fine Motor Development

– Understanding of shape and stability

– Language development

– The basics of structural engineering

– Early scientific thinking; trying out ideas, making adjustments and continuing the cycle to allow children will begin to formulate ideas and build on them.

When children have the opportunity to explore construction it allows them the time to handle materials in different ways. Using their imagination and creativity is the start point for problem solving and a higher level of critical thinking later in life.

It was lovely to see all the different ways the wooden blocks were used throughout the week; a fairy kingdom, a birthday cake and simply a giant tower! The best part is that there really was no right or wrong answer (apart from when the adults guessed incorrectly as to what the structures were of course!) The dialogue used throughout the construction activity was rich and full variance and this really helps to open the world of language to a child.

 

 

The Process

When children are able to see a block, test its structural stability and adjust accordingly they’re beginning to think on a higher level.

Let’s break it down, first they must assess the shape, visualising where they want the piece to go. Then they must place the shape (which also requires some fine motor control) and then they see the outcome. Whether that block stayed up or fell down would then dictate the next actions. What a huge process for a child!

 

This all happens with very little conscious thought; holding the block, feeling its weight, looking at the angles of the base, adjusting to find a balance and waiting for that all important connection! WOW! These children are learning through pure movement. There’s no book or worksheet to tell them or ask them what to expect and how to proceed. The complex brain mechanisms whilst at play are incredible.

 

 

How to encourage construction play at home

Firstly, you’ll already be doing this I’m certain. Every parent is a child development expert, you might just not know it. You’ll have seen when your little one was very young (under 2) the wonderful schemas of learning at play (more on schemas in a later blog) connecting and disconnecting structures.

My son is in that latter phase, destruction! The most fun we have right now is when I build anything (literally, stack anything on top of anything) and see him whizz across the room to knock it down. I’m sure you’ll remember that same phase.

Children won’t be able to associate connecting blocks together unless they’ve first seen how it is disconnected and put back together.

 

So, play! Use your language to build, quite literally. Make observations about the blocks, questions around the process of building or even about the story. When you engage and use that rich language you’ll see the construction play will last much longer

 

“I see that block over there hasn’t been used”

“Look at these two blocks supporting the roof”

“I wonder how the walls are supported?”

“Have you thought about an extension?”

“Can we see any holes anywhere?”

“I wonder who lives here”

“Could this be a machine to make pancakes?”

“That looks like a great podium for the dog olympics!”

 

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“What if my little one isn’t into construction play?”

Don’t worry, you’ll see they probably “construct” in different ways or perhaps just aren’t in that phase of learning at the moment.

Maybe they’re particularly into making roads for their cars or love tying string around things. Connecting things together can cover a whole range of different topics, not just construction with blocks.

 

Have fun this week and show me any structures you’ve created with your little one. Don’t forget to use the #steammsunday

 

Thanks again,

 

Lorna

 

Why we need to let children get bored

Why we need to let children get bored

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I vividly remember the day my Mom handed me a “What To Do On Rainy Days” book during the summer holidays one year. I was 11 years old and it wasn’t raining, what a joker right?! I put it to one side and promptly forgot about it. Skip forward 5 weeks and there it was, sitting on the side unassuming and smug, it was raining outside! I reluctantly picked it up, skimming past the activities until I found a brightly coloured page teaching you how to juggle. Hilariously that was the day I made myself 3 balls from socks and rice and taught myself to juggle. To this day, I still can. Thanks Mom!

There’s a real balance between letting children get bored and getting creative and letting children get bored and wrecking the house. The myriad of variables at play can tip that balance one way or another in a flash. The weather, how hungry they are, how tired they are, how much time they’ve spent indoors, in front of the TV, how active they’ve been and so much more.

We’re now in an age of instant gratification. Where Amazon whizzes things to you in 24 hours (or even less in the cities) and the App Store is stocked full of a never ending supply of distractions. Never before have we had a constant flow of information quite so readily available. Being a parent we fall into the same traps, we now feel like we constantly need to fill our children’s time. Educational books, toys, activities, classes and more. And if we for a moment fail to prepare something to fill that empty 10 minute window of the day we begin to get that all too familiar parent guilt.

Many parents feel a sense of panic when they hear their child utter the words “I’m bored”.

Firstly, relax. There are a few elements to remember. The first time they say those words, they probably have no idea what they even mean, or at the very least they have no idea what the concept of boredom is. Up until that point, you’ve more than likely filled their days with classes, days trips, toys, and attention. Children begin to pick up on the concept of boredom from older children.

Secondly, it’s ok for you to have an unscheduled day, week or maybe even longer! Letting children “get bored” shouldn’t be a negative. It should be an incredible opportunity for those amazing little brains to fire up and be used in new ways. Drawing on the knowledge they’ve already gathered and putting it to the test. As parents we need to take a step back from snowploughing difficulties from our child’s path and engage with them on a simple level, helping them work through the challenges.

When you create a space which is safe and accessible to children, you’ll be amazed at the depth of play they achieve. Be patient though, if your little one is used to being scheduled up to the brim, it may take some time for them to re-set and find their feet. You may find some resistance at first but hang in there and your little one will soon begin to see the opportunities in front of them.

In those moments of downtime where children begin to show the signs of being bored, embrace it for a moment. Watch how they begin to switch to a different setting. See how their hands manipulate objects differently, do they study them for longer or do they get frustrated and launch them? Judge the moments as they come. Perhaps suggest an obstacle course around the house not touching anything white? Could you see if they can invent a 5 headed dragon which only eats cucumber?

Here’s a fantastic opportunity for you to get creative too! Studies have show that creativity and thinking on your feet have a positive impact on brain health.

By staying half a step ahead of your little one you’ll have the chance to promote the positive impact of “being bored”. Your job isn’t to fill their boredom void, it’s to ignite a tiny flame and see the fire emerge.

These moments of boredom will put your child in a great place for the future, learning to work through difficult moments rather than avoiding them.

Next time you see your little one begin to show the signs of being “bored” relish in the knowledge that you’re about to witness your child achieve something great.