How children think and learn – according to Piaget
Jean Piaget, was a Swiss psychologist who studied child development. He was interested in the field of cognitive development and is still very well respected for his contributions to how children think and learn. In Piaget’s theory of cognitive development, he believed that children move through four different stages of thinking and learning.
Piaget’s four stages:
Five big wins when your child can express themselves
It’s great to be part of the societal shift where children are encouraged to have thoughts and be able to express them. We all have the right to our own opinions and giving children the opportunity to join in discussions will help them massively in conversations at home, school and in the workplace.
Children have been told ‘because I said so,’ for a long time, yet involving them in healthy discussions helps them listen to the views of others and know that people can think differently, and that that’s ok too.
A little more conversation: the benefits of using open-ended questions
Using open-ended questions with your child supports their skills in being able to think about and answer problem solving queries. Closed questions, in contrast, are quite functional, and usually only need a response of ‘yes’, or ‘no’, leaving no room for extra thinking. Open-ended questions are fabulous for a variety of reasons, here’s why!
They help you start a conversation and find out more information – starting off a conversation can sometimes be a bit tricky. It’s really easy to think of closed questions, “Have you had a good day?” “Did you see your sister eat all her lunch today?” Asking something along the lines of, “Tell me about something that made you smile today,” or “What do you think about your sister eating all her lunch?” encourages your child to think more carefully about their answer and offer more of their thoughts.
Book review – Avocado Asks, What Am I? written by Momoko Abe
This is an incredible story for many reasons. We have chosen it as it is a brilliant book for introducing your child to descriptive words.
Avocado Asks is a story of an avocado whose life turned upside down one day. Avocado was minding their own business when the question of ‘Is an avocado a fruit or a vegetable?’ was asked.
Your child is remarkable, for more reasons than you might already know!
Can you imagine how hard it is hard to learn about something that sort of doesn’t exist? When you have learnt numbers, colours and time-related words, it is hard to think about a time when you didn’t know them.
Here are some of the things your child has been learning about, without there being any kind of activity or teaching, yet they somehow know and can tell you!
Uncovering the historical truth of nursery rhymes
It’s thought that nursery rhymes were written to record past events through history and keep the memory of them alive. The catchy rhymes make them easy to remember and teach to younger generations. In truth, some make for grim reading, but we’ve found a few to share with you that are not so dark.
Humpty Dumpty (sat on a wall...)
Chatty children and their love of talking
Have you noticed your child is talking so much, and not necessarily sticking to one trail of thought? It's very typical for this to happen in their development as they are constantly processing new information and making connections between ideas.
Your child may often move quickly between topics when they are talking because their minds are still developing.
Jump for joy with three books that inspire bouncing around
Busy Day: Athlete by Dan Green
Get ready, aim, and throw with might – soon that ball will be thrown just right!
Ball games can provide hours of entertainment for young children, and as their skills in throwing improve, they’ll become open to a wider range of ball-led activities. When you child throws it requires object-control skills, which means throwing, catching and striking.[1] So for them, it means being able to hold onto a ball and throw it. This skill forms the basis for other object control skills, like holding a bat or racquet.
Over and underarm throwing require some of the same skills, although they are very different throws.
Watch your child's development soar as they discover endless adventures on the hills
It may not seem like that long ago when your child was taking their first steps, and seeing their face light up with an enormous sense of achievement made your heart melt. Now they are moving in all kinds of ways and finding pleasure in experimenting and challenging themselves wherever they seem to go! And when they come across a slope or hill, well, their movement options really open up!
Many children find the possibility of slopes exciting! They can be challenging, but also a fun and rewarding activity, here’s why...
