March 19, 2024

How do Young Children Best Learn?

3 min read

This is a question that many educators have been asking for centuries, and quite a few parents of young children also have a vested interest in such a quest, as they obviously want their children to do well at school and go on to have successful careers. In this article, we will give you an overview of what the educational experts regard as an environment where children learn best.

The Child’s Interests Should Be Paramount

 It is universally agreed that kids of all ages are more motivated to learn if the subject matter is of interest, as it is with the kindergarten in Bangkok that follows the Reggio Emilia approach, which is based around the children’s interests. Ideally, each classroom should have many learning resources and the kids should be given some free time when they can engage with their chosen games or resources.

The Classroom Environment

The kids’ work should be posted on the walls, as a constant reminder of their abilities, plus natural colours and materials should make up the bulk of the room’s décor. Soft pastel colours like pinks, blues and greens should be in evidence, and there should be some plants placed around the room to add a touch of nature. Research tells us that the classroom environment does have an impact on learning outcomes, which is why the layout of the classrooms is so important.

Promoting Enquiry

Kindergarten teachers are very skilled at encouraging children to question everything, and the desire for knowledge should always be nurtured, in as many ways as possible. As an example, a child might ask the question, “Why is the sky blue?”, and a good teacher would then ask all of the students to carefully consider the question and elicit their opinions, and eventually, the group would come to the conclusion that the way sunlight is refracted through our atmosphere causes the sky to appear blue. An inquisitive child has a healthy desire for knowledge and this is something to encourage at all times and children should definitely not be discouraged from asking questions.

Short Activities

Young children have very short attention spans, so any activity should be capped at 20-25 minutes, and if a child or a group of children are showing signs of disinterest, the teacher should always have a plan B up their sleeve. Of course, repetition is a great way to reinforce new knowledge, so regular sessions on the same topic are likely to bring results.], and as children get older, they naturally develop the ability to focus on something for longer periods.

Praise Where Praise is Due

Children respond very well to praise, and when a child is successful at something, they should be given praise, as self-esteem is very important in the scheme of things. Even when a child isn’t successful, you can still praise them for effort and encourage them to try harder next time, and whatever happens, you should never tell a child that they are inadequate or in any way inferior.

If you are looking for a kindergarten school for your child, take all of the above into account when looking at potential schools and you should make the right choices.