Brain Power

 

An old fashioned image of a preschool teacher helping children get ready for kindergarten might look like this:

The teacher sits in front of the group of children “teaching” them important facts.  The days of the week, the parts of an insect, names of dinosaurs, numbers and the alphabet.  It’s done in a fun, interactive way most of the time, but still focuses on the teacher “teaching” the children.  Free play follows, as a time for them to play.

That was me in the 1980’s, too!  Nothing wrong with these facts, however, today’s knowledge about children’s brain development and effective teaching practices creates a new image of a preschool teacher:

The teachers are actively engaged with the children—being a “challenging customer” in the children’s pretend restaurant, encouraging children in the paint area to experiment with mixing colors, and helping a child brainstorm what to do while waiting for his turn on the computer. The children respond with deep engagement and eagerness to contribute their own ideas, and these everyday activities challenge them to engage in social problem solving, create and test hypotheses about the physical world, and learn to regulate their behavior.

Any time we tell a child something, we rob them of the chance to think for themselves.
Any time we do something for a child, we rob them of the chance to learn for themselves.

When a child asks “Why”, as they so often do – let your reply be “Why do you think?”

At our reflective practice group last week, we watched videos and discussed what the following things might look like for children, and what activities and materials might be the best to elicit these skills:

Critical Thinking
Reasoning Skills
Creative Thinking
The Scientific Method
Technology Skills
Engineering
Math Concepts
Independent Thinking

Developing these skills with young children is a great way to prepare them for success in school and it life.  The days of the weeks, parts of an insect, dinosaur names, alphabet and numbers will come, too, but being able to think for themselves will be an even greater gift you can give to the children.

Challenge yourself:  Each day, notice at least one of these skills in the children.  Write up a little story about it and post it for all to see. 

Just like the psychology behind a gratitude journal (if you know you need to write down 5 things you are grateful at the end of the day, you start looking for them and feeling more grateful),  if you know you need to post a brain moment at the end of the day – you will begin to watch for them, and create activities and experiences the will be more likely to elicit them.