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Prototyping in early childhood can be a great way to foster creativity and problem-solving skills. It allows children to explore and test their ideas through hands-on experiences. Whether it's building with blocks, creating art, or even role-playing, prototyping helps children learn and develop important skills while having fun!

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How Playful Prototyping Can Help Kids Become Innovators

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Learn how you can encourage your child to embrace their innate curiosity through play, which naturally includes not only experimentation but also prototyping.

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Iterative processes in early childhood are all about learning through trial and error. It's like taking small steps and making adjustments along the way. Whether it's trying different approaches to solve a puzzle or experimenting with different materials to build something, iterative learning helps children develop resilience, problem-solving skills, and a growth mindset.

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The Iterative Learning Cycle | Playvolution HQ

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This free downloadable PDF highlighting the iterative learning cycle.

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Remixing in early childhood is all about taking existing ideas or materials and putting a creative spin on them. It's like remixing a familiar song with new lyrics or creating a unique artwork by combining different art techniques, it encourages children to think outside the box, express their individuality, and explore their own creativity.

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In This Post:

A remix is an adaptation of a song or piece of art.

A remix can give a song more life.

Could remixing in our classroom give education more life?

Could remixing our teaching give learning more life?

Last year, I was lucky enough to speak to the staff of SD113A during Opening Institute Day.

Here is how it went...

All of these take on Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star, but each one with a small component, one aspect that makes it different, unique, or unexpected. Perhaps the tempo, or speed, or harmony. Whatever it was...a small piece of it transformed, in essence changing sound and feel of the song, into something different.

In education, when a shift occurs in our Districts or schools, we have a tremendous opportunity to design our own remixes.

Some of you may be thinking right now, well Darche, "I liked the original Twinkle, Twinkle. And for that matter, I like the ebb and flow of my classroom now as it stands, so take your remix and..." (cue Take This Job and Shove It music) and shove it.

Change because of your why, your intention. The top of the charts might just be waiting for your remix. Click To Tweet

We can not just be complacent with the song that is playing within our teaching and learning. It would be a lot simpler if life worked that way, but I never want any of us to look back and think, "What if I only did this... or what if we only changed one part?"

Often times I replay the soundtrack of my early teaching years in my mind. I remember so many of my kiddos, but the ones who flood back into my mind are the ones I didn't reach or couldn't reach. The ones whose future may have been shifted if I had some of the resources or technology that now exists.

[scroll down to keep reading]

There is no how-to or handbook or step by step that will take us through it all. One thing I can tell ya for sure, it is going to be about leveraging our professional judgment as educators and trusting ourselves to take a risk to create a powerful experience for our kiddos.

When I was working at Chicago Public Schools (CPS), I was supporting a teacher, Colleen, who just was awarded one of the first-class sets of iPads in all of CPS. This was about 12 years ago.

Unbeknownst to me, they were just sitting there in her classroom.

Colleen had no idea what to do, she just kept doing the same things she had always done because there was comfort in that. And heck, I didn't blame her.

But I had the task to get those out of the cart and into the kids' hands. So I asked her..."What are you teaching in science?" And she told me..."All about rocks."

And then I told her, "that's it...just take it out and show them a picture of a rock." And that is just what she did. She showed them a rock on the iPad.

And from that point forward, she began to change how she went about preparing for the lessons and tried something ... different.

Realize that we are the lead learners of our classrooms, we are the artists who are writing the song, the soundtrack. Every day.

So at the moment we sit down to plan a lesson or an activity, or we go to do something that we have always done in the same way ... when we are in that moment of comfort - take that small blimp, that one millisecond before your habit would kick in ... and think how might this be different.
Could we manipulate the...
If remixes give songs more life. - could remixing in our classroom give education more life? Could remixing our teaching give learning more life?

There may not be a how-to manual, but we can talk about where to start.
Change one thing by:
One element, one component, and let it play out with your student.

Let them be the audience of your music.

When it is over, ask for feedback - from the kiddos, from other teachers, your coaches, admin, families. Then make another change...more feedback...continue it. Don't just stop with one change.

We are not self-made.

We are dependent on each other.

We rely on each other, on every stakeholder.

This liberates us to from expecting so much, expecting to be perfect. Instead, we must simply begin.

About Kim Darche

As an Instructional Coach at Lemont School District 113A and through past experiences Kim has been lucky enough to spread her zeal for learning with others. Kim has received two advanced degrees in Educational Technology and Administrative Leadership. She is also a Level 2 Google Certified Educator and an adjunct professor at the University of St. Francis, Governors State University, and Trinity. In 2017, she was the recipient of Midwest Spotlight Educator Award and has been chosen to be part of the Chicagoland Google Educators Group and she is more ready than ever to collaborate with leaders, learners, and leaps & bounders!

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It's A Remix! Remixing Teaching to Give Learning More Life

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In This Post: A remix is an adaptation of a song or piece of art. A remix can give a song more life. Could remixing in our classroom give education more life? Could remixing our...

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Tinkering in early childhood is all about hands-on exploration and experimentation. It's like being a little scientist, trying out different materials and tools to see how things work. Whether it's taking apart and reassembling toys, building with blocks, or exploring nature, tinkering helps children develop problem-solving skills, critical thinking, and a sense of curiosity.

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Tinkering is a popular term used in many early learning circles to describe a kind of open-ended learning and play. This article explains the benefits of incorporating tinkering into an early learning classroom to promote STEM learning and offers ideas that you might want to try with the children in your classroom or program.

Defining Tinkering

Rachelle Doorley, educator, author, and founder of TinkerLab, shares her definition of a tinkerer: "one who experiments with materials and ideas to fully understand their capacities, and who further iterates on their learning to find better solutions to current problems. Tinkering is about hands-on experiences, learning from failures, and unstructured time to explore and invent."

There are many definitions of tinkering that float around the world of early childhood education. But, generally speaking, tinkering refers to the kind of open-ended, hands-on, focused exploration of a variety of different materials that often leads to new ideas and discoveries.

An NAEYC article explains, "Children initially use their senses to explore the physical properties of materials. They tinker as they take things apart, put things together, figure out how things work, and attempt to build and make creations using tools."

Tinkering and Early Learning

One of the cornerstones of tinkering is an emphasis on process over product. The end result is less important than the children's experiences. Tinkering often looks like children making and creating new things, or exploring different parts to investigate how they work together.

To enhance the tinkering experience, early childhood educators will want to offer a variety of materials for exploration. Tinkering can be supported by asking children open-ended questions like "I wonder what would happen if...?", by encouraging children to try a variety of approaches, and by reinforcing the satisfaction children can experience when they learn how things work.

For older children, tinkering can be done in a group setting. This offers an opportunity for children to work together and learn important skills in teamwork, problem-solving, collaboration, experimentation, and perseverance.

Tinkering, Making & STEM

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Tinkering as a Way to Encourage Deeper STEM Learning - good2know

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Tinkering is a popular term used in early learning to describe a kind of open-ended learning and play that encourages deeper STEM learning.

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The design process in early childhood is all about getting kids involved in prototyping and iterative processes. By exploring and experimenting, kids learn to think creatively and solve problems. It's super cool because it mirrors the way you are interested in tailoring education to each child's unique needs and fostering an environment where every student gets the support they need to thrive.

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Hands-on engineering activities featuring easy-to-find materials and step-by-step instructions. Try an activity and upload a photo of what you've built.

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In early childhood, computational thinking involves introducing young learners to the fundamental concepts of problem-solving and logical reasoning that are foundational to computer science. It's like teaching kids how to think like a computer! Through activities like sequencing, pattern recognition, and algorithmic thinking, children develop skills such as breaking down complex problems into smaller parts, identifying patterns, and finding creative solutions. It's a fun and engaging way to develop critical thinking skills and prepare kids for the digital world they'll be growing up in.

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While computer science (CS) and computational thinking (CT) have received increasing attention over the past decade, CT integration in early learning settings is an emerging area of focus. Our National Science Foundation (NSF)-funded project, a collaboration with SRI International, Edfinity, and Curious Media, aimed to identify CT skills aligned with the abilities and interests of preschool children (age 3-5 years). The project looked at how those skills could be integrated in common preschool and home STEM learning experiences in mutually supportive ways.

Through our collaborative design and research process, we developed activities that are developmentally appropriate and easy for teachers and parents to do with children in the classroom and at home. This included the creation of a new, free app, STEM-tastic Adventures (available through the App Store and Google Play), to provide young children fun and engaging opportunities to learn CT and STEM. Keep reading to find out more about the design and research activities that informed the making of the app and other CT learning activities for preschoolers.

Co-design as an inclusive approach to innovation

Our team brought together public preschool teachers; families from culturally diverse, low-income communities; curriculum and media designers; and researchers. As part of the co-design process, all stakeholders were asked to (1) share their unique perspectives and insights, (2) brainstorm whether and which CT skills could be consequential for early learning, and (3) collaboratively develop (and test) activities and digital apps that explore linking CT with mathematics and science in symbiotic ways.

Through this work together, we aimed to identify learning experiences that resonate with families and children. The goal was to capitalize on children's and families' funds of knowledge and identify activities that could bridge home and school learning.

How computational thinking can support early learning

We observed that key elements of emerging CT definitions align with the broader learning goals of early childhood programs, such as children learning to use reasoning and planning ahead to solve problems. Our collaborative team identified the following CT skills as promising for supporting early learning:

1. Decomposing tasks by breaking them into smaller, more manageable parts (such as when children break common routines, like getting ready for bed, into steps);

2. Thinking logically and algorithmically by determining the sequence of actions needed to achieve a goal and recognizing patterns or repetitions (such as when children give or follow precise directions to get from one point to another on a map);

3. Engaging in abstraction by attending to key features while ignoring unnecessary details (as children do when they sort objects or toys and give a shorthand label); and

4. Detecting errors systematically and debugging (as children do when they determine which step in a recipe or set of instructions was incorrect and how to correct it).

The intersection of computational thinking with math and science learning

Emerging evidence with older children indicates that CT is best learned within disciplinary content, such as math and science, and that STEM learning can be strengthened by integrating CT elements. As we explored whether and how to promote CT with preschoolers, we designed and tested prototype activities that embedded CT into math and science lessons.

For instance, math activities that focused on visual spatial skills (including vocabulary such as forward, backward, left, right) were great opportunities to promote algorithmic thinking (e.g., creating and following a sequence of instructions to get from point A to point B) and debugging.

While we found robust connections between CT and math concepts, connections to science were not specifically tied to core ideas but rather to some components of science practices. For instance, abstraction was promoted while children engaged in science practices that involved observing and sorting. Children observed and discussed properties of food items and sorted them into groups. In dramatic play activities they pretended to build their own grocery store and generated shorthand labels that described the food groups highlighting only necessary details.

Introducing the STEM-tastic Adventures app and a look at what's next

The new STEM-tastic Adventures app was developed to help young children practice and learn CT skills in the context of the STEM connections we identified. It currently includes two games: "City Walk" and "Better Building." The "City Walk" game invites children to create a sequence of navigation instructions for their robot friend to deliver gifts around town. The app scaffolds this process by progressively introducing more complex tasks and helping children learn how to identify errors via visuals and audio feedback. In addition to "City Walk," children can play "Better Building," where children sort and label groups of blocks to help the robot more efficiently build structures.

The app is designed to deepen and extend hands-on learning experiences. Most available CT apps focus on coding but they don't necessarily link to other areas of learning, and few provide scaffolding for young learners. The team hopes to extend the STEM-tastic Adventures app by adding new experiences for young learners to experience CT skills beyond programming.
Interested in downloading this free app? You can find STEM-tastic Adventures in the App Store and on Google Play platforms. Want to learn even more about our work with CT and early learners? Check out this short video from the 2020 STEM for All Video Showcase.
This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under Grant DRL# 1827293. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.

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Computational Thinking in Preschool: What, Why, and How - Digital Promise

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How can CT be integrated in developmentally appropriate ways to support early learning?

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Decomposition is a fancy word that basically means breaking down a big problem into smaller, more manageable parts. It's like taking a big puzzle and dividing it into smaller pieces to solve one at a time. In early childhood, decomposition can be introduced through activities that involve sorting, categorizing, and organizing. By breaking down tasks or problems into smaller steps, kids learn to approach challenges in a systematic and organized way.

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05/06/2018 by Shakara Hill

Composing and decomposing numbers is a mathematical skill that should be introduced in Pre-K and further elaborated on in Kindergarten. It involves helping children break numbers down into sub-parts. A child who can compose and decompose numbers understands that 2 and 3 together makes 5. They will also know that 5 can be broken down to a 1 and a 4. When children get comfortable with single digit numbers (0-9), they are ready to move on to double digit and eventually triple digit numbers - which is called unitizing!

The best way to introduce composing and decomposing numbers to young children is to start off with simple visuals they can manipulate. I have three simple ideas that you can try.

This activity requires sectioned plastic plates, colored tape, number cards (or sticky notes) and manipulatives of your choice.

Using the colored tape, section off the plate with one large area and two smaller areas. Children are to place a number card in the largest section of the plate, count out that many manipulates and place them in the large section of the plate with the numeral.

Then the children need to split their manipulatives up in the smaller two sections to represent the number broken down into sub-parts.

Repeat this process showing the different ways to create the number.

Use plastic beads, pipe cleaners, masking tape and a marker to create number bracelets.

Place a specific number of beads on the pipe cleaner and connect the ends by twisting them to make a bracelet in the shape of a circle. Once the ends are twisted together, place a piece of tape around the twisted part. Leave a little bit of the tape hanging down to write the number of beads placed the bracelet.

The bracelets allow children to see the entire quantity and the quantity broken down into two parts when the beads are separated in different ways.

There is also an extension to this activity for children to represent their thinking. This is an important skill that children benefit from and will use as they approach math in older grades.

This first version is for Pre-K. Children will represent how numbers are broken down according to how their bracelet looks.

This second version is for Kindergarten. Children will represent how numbers are broken down according to how their bracelet looks and they will also add the number sentence below it.
Download the Mats
With beads, pipe cleaner and styrofoam cups, you can easily create these visual to have children practice composing and decomposing numbers and quantities!

Write a number on the front of the cup then count out the same number of beads that you wrote on the cup. Cut a pipe cleaner in half and poke holes in the top of the cup.

String the beads on the pipe cleaner and place the ends of the pipe cleaner in the holes at the top of the cup.

And just like the your cup has been transformed into a great mathematical tool!

Each of these ideas give children a chance to see numbers as subparts and manipulate them! Try one or try all three! 😉

Happy Composing and Decomposing!

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Composing and Decomposing Numbers in Pre-K and Kindergarten

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05/06/2018 by Shakara Hill Composing and decomposing numbers is a mathematical skill that should be introduced in Pre-K and further elaborated on in Kindergarten. It involves helping children break numbers down into sub-parts. A child who can compose and decompose numbers understands that 2 and 3 together makes 5.

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Abstraction in early childhood is all about simplifying complex ideas or concepts into more generalized representations. It's like using a symbol or a simplified version to represent something bigger or more complex. For example, children might use drawings or symbols to represent objects or ideas in their stories or play. By practicing abstraction, kids develop their creativity and critical thinking skills as they learn to think beyond the literal and explore different perspectives.

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Can you imagine a dystopian world of only concrete thoughts?

It would be a world of black-and-white thinkers, where we wouldn't have access to modern technology like airplanes, lightbulbs or cellphones. Forget modern technology - we would not even have access to our favorite movies or books!

Abstract thinking allows us, as humans, to transform simple thoughts into new, imaginative adaptations. We learn how to create abstract thoughts by breaking concrete-thinking boundaries through experience.

Here, we will break down what abstract learning is and give you the tools to spark abstract thoughts in children's daily lives.

Read the full article or jump to a specific section:

What Is Abstract Thinking?

Abstract thinking is the ability to understand concepts that are not directly tied to physical objects or experiences. As children develop, they use abstract thinking to:

Classify objects and experiences.

Deal with situations they have not experienced before.

Draw conclusions based on existing information.

Plan a sequence of events.

Identify solutions to problems.

Take the Statue of Liberty, for example. Children may recognize that the Statue of Liberty is important and possibly be able to recite a fact or two - which is concrete thinking - about when or how it was constructed. Kids who practice abstract thinking understand that the Statue of Liberty is a globally recognized symbol of freedom, justice and liberty.

People do not wake up one day magically able to make these deeper connections to concrete thoughts. As we face new experiences, we learn these skills by asking ourselves, "Why does this happen?"

Is Abstract Thinking Automatic or Learned?

Abstract thinking occurs automatically, but can be advanced and strengthened through continual experiences. Educational experiences happen naturally, like when making a new friend or learning a skill, but other situational experiences are equally important.

The more experiences kids have, the more abstract concepts they can think throughout child development.

For example, kids absorb their culture's written and spoken symbols from birth, like letters and numbers. In preschool, teachers teach kids that the number six stands for a group of six things. Next year in kindergarten, they learn that numbers have relationships, where you can subtract two things to make a smaller group of four.

You can reinforce and strengthen abstract thinking outside of their academic learning environment by letting kids apply their knowledge to other activities. A normal playground slide or climber could be imagined as a large mountain - can they make it to the top or reach the bottom to win a prize? These activities could also be something as simple as cutting a slice of pie for themselves.

Why did they choose that size of a slice? Why did they feel hungry? Why did they pick pie over any other food choice? Asking these "why" questions spark a deeper level of thought that is critical to abstract learning.

5 Activities to Help Children Develop Abstract Thinking Skills

No matter your role in a child's life, you can help guide their experiences to develop deeper abstract thoughts. Some ways to develop children's abstract thinking include:

1. Encouraging dramatic and imaginative play

2. Writing and sharing stories

3. Reading books & thinking about the meaning

4. Looking for patterns and relationships

5. Performing science experiments & thinking about the results of experiments

The most important thing to consider when doing these activities is letting your child naturally discover their abstract thinking competence. Do this by revisiting those "why" questions, and comfortably push their thought process toward the answer. Here are the above strategies in more detail:

1. Encourage Dramatic Play

A kid practicing concrete thinking sees a banana as a tasty fruit. One who practices abstract thinking views a banana as a fruit, too, but also as a telephone to call friends with, a smiley face to alter their facial expression with or whatever else they can imagine.

Stimulate kids' imaginations and encourage them to engage in abstract concept play. Focus on familiar stories, like calling their favorite TV show character on their banana phone. Why are they calling them? Did something bad happen, or are they congratulating them on a huge achievement?

When children play pretend, they use symbolic thinking to transform themselves and their environment into something imaginative. This practice helps them make sense of something that has not actually happened. Themed playground equipment can serve a similar purpose by encouraging children to expand their thought processes relating to the world around them.

2. Write Stories

Similar to using the theory of dramatic play, you can activate a kid's abstract mind by encouraging them to imagine and write their own stories.

By writing, they learn that letters and numbers are symbols they can use to represent their thoughts. Breaking this mental boundary between reading others' already-written ideas and expressing their own is groundbreaking to their abstract thinking ability.

Even if a child cannot write yet, they can use their own symbols to write down their ideas. These may look like carefully scribed scribbles, but your child is still practicing the same abstract thinking process.

3. Read Books

For their next read, allow your kid or student to pick out a book that seems interesting to them. Spark abstract thinking before, during and after reading by making:

Inferences: Before reading, ask them what made them pick that book. Was it an interesting size? Did the cover draw their attention? Using the information on the front and back cover, entice them to draw inferences on what they think the book is about.

Predictions: While reading, take a few pauses and allow them to make predictions on what will happen next. Will the main character find what they are looking for? What problems will they face along the way?

Imaginative assumptions: After reading, ask them what they think happened in the prequel to get the characters to the plot at the beginning of the current book. Or, ask what will happen in the sequel - even if neither exists - given the information they already have.

By using these abstract thoughts, they're developing a cause-and-effect understanding of a sequence of events and identifying solutions to a character's imaginative problems. This skill will help them when tackling real-world experiences.

4. Prioritize Pattern Recognition

Abstract thinking is about seeing the bigger picture, so looking at past experiences and applying them to the current situation is a crucial skill to develop. You can encourage a child to ask questions to themselves such as:

Have I seen this anywhere before?

How is this similar (or different) from a past experience?

What happens next based on my previous experience?

You can also find many engaging, visual games online that can help kids develop pattern recognition skills and improve their abstract thinking skills.

5. Perform Science Experiments

Science experiments are great ways to keep kids' minds engaged in abstract thinking while also enjoying different science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) concepts. The experiments do not have to be groundbreaking or above your budget. These activities only have to get children asking, "Why does this happen?"

Some experiments you can do with kids to promote abstract thinking include:

Egg drop: For this experiment, all you need is a carton of eggs and a place - or places - that can get messy. Give your kid an egg and ask them what they think will happen if they drop it on different surfaces. This gives them a chance to develop and practice simple cause-and-effect language and provides them a visual to compare it to. As a challenge, add a boiled egg or two to the mix.

Color exploration: This is another activity young kids can try. Have them mix primary colors together to make the colors of the rainbow. For kids who have the color combination memorized, ask them what happens if they blend secondary colors. Why do only some combinations result in brown, and others do not?

Water mass theory: Grab three glass cups - two of the same size, and one thinner and taller. Place these cups together on the table and fill the same-sized cups with the same amount of colorful liquid. Ask your kid which glass between the two has more water. They will likely state the correct answer that they are the same. Challenge this idea by pouring the liquid from one cup into the thinner glass. Visually, it will look like this cup holds more. Ask them the same question and see if their response changes.

You can promote similar cause-and-effect thinking in a kid's daily life, too. For example, the next time you are outside, identify your environment's aspects and ask thought-provoking questions. If you see a bird, ask them why birds can fly and people cannot.

Spark the Thrill of Abstract Learning at the Playground

Kids learn best when they engage in safe, hands-on fun. Our experts at Miracle® Recreation understand the importance of creating an inclusive playground where kids can learn child development skills, like abstract thinking.

Contact a Miracle Recreation Customer Service representative today for more information on how you can bring a specially designed, thrilling playground to the kids in your town!
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Abstract Thinking in Child Development | Miracle Recreation

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Unlock the power of abstract thinking in young children with Miracle Recreation's blog. Find strategies and activities that nurture cognitive development.

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Digital identity in early childhood refers to the online presence and information associated with young children. It includes their personal information, activities, and interactions on digital platforms. It's important to protect their privacy and ensure their online experiences are safe.

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It's a shining new year. Another enjoyable holiday season is behind us, adding to our memories. Our timelines are flooded with the exotic locations our friends visited, the funny things their kids said and did, the mishaps we experienced, the resolutions for the year ahead and, of course, the "year-in-review" videos of everybody around us.

We revel in the likes, reactions, and recommendations, but forget that there's so much more to what we share online than just reactions from friends. Our digital activity is slowly but surely building our digital identities, a very strong social factor in the age of the internet. As a parent in the millennial age , our understanding of our digital identities is crucial.

A study conducted by Pew Research Center in 2012 found that parents spend more time online than non-parents. This is especially true for parents of children who are also on social media, and parents get on social media in an attempt to monitor their children's digital lives. Another possible reason is that parents experience significantly more social isolation than non-parents, and social media provides an opportunity to fill that void.

Children themselves can run into problems from over-identifying with their online personas. Kids today have a constantly experiencing little spikes of dopamine from the reactions of their friends on the internet, and this increases the chance they'll become addicted to social media. The low minimum age requirement of 13 for setting up a social media profile makes this all the more likely.

Most alcoholics and smokers were introduced to these substances during their teenage years when their brains are much more vulnerable to addition, it's not unlikely this would also be true for social media addiction. Teenagers project a filtered version of their lives to their friends, while also seeing a filtered version of their friends' lives, denying them the joy of a real friendship. Even though they indulge in a lot of fun activities with their friends, many of them do not experience the security the comes from the strength of truly deep and meaningful bonds.

In an interview I conducted for our Momspirations series with Cat Coode, a digital identity expert and founder of BinaryTattoo, we spoke about what parents can do to navigate the complex world of digital imprints and identities. The name BinaryTattoo signifies the permanent nature of our digital imprints, and Cat's mission is to educate people about how the digital world really works.

Cat's recommendations include:

Remember that profile photos are always public.

No matter how many privacy settings exist, profile photos are always public. This means that people all over the world have access to them. Also, by putting up pictures of children as profile photos, we are allowing public photo crawlers to easily identify your child alongside your name. Coupled with facial recognition technology, which a majority of networks have begun using, it's doubly easy to identify and track the target.

Children typically have a digital identity by the sixth month of their lives, although some may have one before they're even born including ultrasound images and other details. By the time they're old enough to sign up for their own accounts, they typically have about 2000 photos defining them online.

The permanent nature of these photos leave a lasting impact on the lives of these kids, with their potential employers seeking them out, or even leaving them open to heckling by peers at a later stage. Many children are left vulnerable to feelings of embarrassment during the difficult adolescent years and also later in life.

Countries like France are already taking drastic steps to stop this trend of parents putting up pictures of their children, with parents facing prison for sharing their children's photos indiscriminately.

Create a family digital contract.

We often sign contracts before undertaking major commitments. It's helpful to treat the child's digital world with the same level of respect, rigor, and commitment. A digital contract is an agreement between the parent and child around the use of devices and online networks.

The child's part of the contract could include things like:

Agreement on not using the device to abuse, bully or threaten others.

Agreement that anything uncomfortable should be immediately brought to the notice of the parents.

The number of hours of use, purpose of use, places they can and can't use the device, etc.

The knowledge that everything that goes online will remain there permanently.

The parent's part of the contact could include:

What amount of control the parent will exercise on the child's online activity

Agreement about how they will learn to navigate the digital world together.

Get them to show you how they use the app.

Parents might be under the impression that they're aware of the uses of a given application. Yet, the way kids use it might be entirely different from the way a parent uses it. As in the case of a recent outrage, a mom discovered her 12-year-old girl using an app in a particularly dangerous manner - live-streaming from her bedroom.

Cat is of the opinion that the relationship between kids and social media/technology can be likened to underage drinking. Every parent can warn their kids about the dangers of underage drinking, yet they'll try it anyway. The better approach is to equip the kids and yourself with the right information.

"When parents have access to children's passwords, the child will go ahead and create additional secret accounts that their parents have no clue about."

Steer clear of providing false information.

Children know a great deal about technology. Toddlers are given phones to keep them engaged, and the consequence is that children are far more savvy with technology than adults. When my daughter has a science project coming up, I see messages flying on Whatsapp groups (still on my phone, thankfully). Kids can't wait to get on apps that help them connect, but they might require their own email.

When your kid is not yet 13, and you're considering opening an email account for them, one of the easiest options is to lie about their age.

It might seem innocuous enough, but parents should be aware that most programs will fire a switch when the child is officially eighteen. At that time, the child will be exposed to direct targeting, advertising, and features meant for adults - even though your child is not actually the right age.

Cat explains, "If any trouble were to arise from the interactions from this additional content, it could get blamed on the parent since they legally agreed on their child's age."

Equip yourself to deal with cyberbullying

Cyberbullying has emerged as a top parenting concern, even displacing teenage pregnancies and substance abuse.

Cyberbullying can include repeated targeted messaging to a select person in the group, stealing passwords, misusing information, disseminating false information, spreading inappropriately morphed images, direct threats, etc.

Reports suggest that most children don't report issues with bullying to their parents, the primary fear being that they'll be banned from using the network. This might be most instinctive and easiest thing to do when parents find out about cyberbullying, yet experts warn against this approach. The threat of being pulled away from the network will increase the peer pressure. Instead, it helps to calmly assess the extent of the bullying.

It's important to equip ourselves with knowledge on how to report abuse on the internet. Social media networks support ways to reach out and report offensive comments and content. (Here is a comprehensive list on how to report internet trolls and cyberbullies .)

"Always take screenshots of the offensive posts before you disconnect from the user in case you need evidence of the trolling or bullying," advises Cat.

Create a positive image.

Help your child to maintain a positive image online. Practice the pause before sharing anything online and guide them to do the same. Social media platforms are designed to make it easy to share thoughts instantly, but it's helpful to remember that what you put out there is permanent and will serve as a reflection of who you are.

Maintain positive, respectful, unambiguous language while sharing your thoughts online. Refrain from making derogatory comments about someone's appearance, religion, ethnicity, etc.

Cat also suggests working to maintain neutral language. For example, the comment, "Did you see Cat's shirt?" could be interpreted as either positive (complimentary) or negative (mocking). Better to put, "I liked Cat's shirt" or, "Did you see Cat's shirt? I like it."

The expression "if you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all" is very appropriate for social media.

Even in cases where we might think that the message is meant only for a certain recipient (as in private chat apps), it's important to follow this rule. The app's servers store these messages and the receiver also could store it through a screenshot.

Cat also recommends creating and maintaining a LinkedIn account for anyone over the age of 16. The professional nature of the network does not require any personal information and allows you to have a positive digital identity.

Raising the current generation is very different from the way we were raised. Our kids are infinitely smarter and savvier, but also lonelier. Their concept of fun is different, as is their understanding of friends. All adolescents go through the phase of identity crisis, but the pressure of looking good in front of peers all the time can have a lasting impact, and even lead to dire consequences.

As parents, it's time we stepped up and took the time to understand the digital phenomenon in a deep, engaged, and responsible manner. After all, the internet is what we make it.

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How to Help Your Child Build and Maintain a Positive Digital Identity

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As a parent in the millennial age, understanding our digital identities is crucial. What can we do to teach our kids to navigate this complex digital world?

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In early childhood, intellectual property development refers to the growth and progress of a child's thinking, reasoning, and problem-solving abilities. It involves their cognitive skills, language development, and the acquisition of knowledge through exploration and play.

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Intellectual development in childhood occurs at a fascinating pace. The brain grows rapidly during the first five years of a child's life, reaching about 90% of its adult size by the age of 5. [ source]

The early years are a crucial time for both physical brain development, and the intellectual, or cognitive, development that accompanies this.

What is Intellectual Development in Early Childhood?

Intellectual development is also known as cognitive development and refers to growth in a child's capacity for thinking, conceptualizing, making judgements and comparisons, and reasoning.

How children cognitively develop over the first few years of life is of great interest to psychologists and has long been a popular field of study. Although research is ongoing, there are some widely accepted theories as to how and when different stages of cognitive development occur.

Why is Intellectual Development Important for a Child?

A child's intellectual development in the early years (0-5) includes language acquisition, pre-reading skills and numeracy skills and occurs from birth. Language acquisition, for example, begins to occur before a child can say their first words.

The early years are crucial for intellectual development and there is a strong connection between development in the early years and success in later life. The results of good cognitive development in the early years really are long-lasting.

What Are Some Types of Intelligence?

We often think of "intelligence" as being academic and related to traditional school subjects such as English, mathematics and science, but there are many different types of intelligence that encompass a range of skills.

Listed below are some of the types of intelligence that have been identified.

Musical Intelligence

Some people with musical intelligence are gifted at playing instruments or singing, but this is not always the case.

Musical intelligence is primarily about the ease with which people can identify different sounds and tones, and how easily they learn songs and melodies. They can be described as having a "good ear" for music.

Children with musical intelligence are good at imitating sounds, words, voices and intonation. They also enjoy music and musical activities.

Bodily-Kinesthetic Intelligence

Kinesthetic or bodily intelligence is learning through movement and experimentation. It is also called hands-on learning. People with this kind of intelligence often enjoy sports and physical activities.

Some enjoy the artistic side of movement such as dance, rhythmic gymnastics, acting and performing.

Children with this kind of intelligence are often high energy and love outdoor, physical play but they may also enjoy building things and working with their hands. Their motor skills are often advanced for their age.

Logical-Mathematical Intelligence

People with logical-mathematical intelligence process information through logic and reason. As the name suggests, people with this kind of intelligence often enjoy working with numbers and may display great skill in this area.

They show great interest in how things happen and how they work and may be very curious.

Investigation and experimentation hold great appeal to people with this kind of intelligence and they often crave order and logic in their daily surroundings and activities.

Linguistic Intelligence

Linguistic intelligence has to do with language and words.

People with linguistic intelligence often enjoy and are good at reading, writing and learning languages. Children may acquire language quickly and have rich vocabularies.

Children with this strength often do well at school, as the current schooling system is very language-focused.

Spatial Intelligence

Spatial intelligence is the ability to visualize shapes and spaces and display good spatial judgement. People with this kind of intelligence often have a good sense of measure and of direction.

Children may enjoy building activities, display great skill in steering toys around and are good at jigsaw puzzles.

Interpersonal Intelligence

Interpersonal intelligence is to do with social aptitude and how people interact with others.

People with this kind of intelligence are often extremely good with people and make friends easily because they are able to read others' emotions and empathise and understand others easily.

These children thrive off of social interactions and are often enthusiastic and lively and good at including other children in their play.

Intrapersonal Intelligence

Intrapersonal intelligence is to do with introspection and knowing oneself.

People with this kind of intelligence are intuitive and often introverted. They are especially good at managing themselves and recognizing their own emotions as well as setting goals and motivating themselves.

Children with this kind of intelligence may appear shy or introverted and this is a difficult intelligence to recognize in early childhood.

Naturalist Intelligence

Naturalist intelligence is about how people relate to their natural surroundings. People with this kind of intelligence have a sensitivity to and appreciation for nature.

Naturalists enjoy and are often good at growing plants, vegetables and fruit. They often love animals and are good at understanding them.

Children with this kind of intelligence enjoy being outside and are often curious and interested in the outdoors and the changing weather and seasons.
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What are the Stages of Intellectual Development?

Jean Piaget's stages of cognitive development are widely recognized in the early years sector as representing the best model of cognitive development in early childhood.

Piaget identified 4 different stages of cognitive development. Here they are, as outlined by Joanne Hendrick in her book " Total Learning: Developmental Curriculum for the Young Child ":

Sensorimotor Stage: Birth to 2 Years

Piaget identified the first 2 years of life as the sensorimotor stage of development. In this stage, learning occurs through sensory interactions with the physical environment.

Children use these experiences to develop schemas, where they repeat actions within the physical environment that have an interesting outcome. Piaget called this primary circular reactions.

After this, they begin to include external objects (e.g. blankets or toys) in their actions which are called secondary circular reactions.

These secondary circular reactions then become better coordinated and then tertiary circular reactions begin to develop. Once a child can walk and move around they are able to interact with the environment in a complex way, drawing on reasoning skills.

Finally, in the mental representation part of this stage children are able to draw on previous experience to identify the properties of different parts of the environment.

Preoperational Stage: Ages 2 to 7

The second stage of Piaget's theory of cognitive development occurs between 2 and 7 years of age and is known as the preoperational stage.

The emergence of this stage of development usually coincides with enhanced language acquisition and it is this language that allows children to begin engaging in symbolic play, imaginative or pretend play, such as pretending one object is something else and role-playing different characters.

Concrete Operational Stage: Ages 7 to 11

The concrete operational stage is the third stage in Piaget's theory of cognitive development, and it spans middle childhood from around age 7 to 11 years.

In this stage, children begin to develop logical thought. Although much of their thinking remains focused on that which is concrete, children do become more sophisticated in their logical ability and gain the ability to think hypothetically.

Children in this stage of cognitive development are able to use inductive reasoning to generalize from a specific experience they have to a general principle. However, understanding deductive logic is not possible at this stage.

The concrete operational stage also signifies that children are able to concentrate on many aspects of a problem or situation at the same time and also understand that actions can be reversed.

Formal Operational Stage: Ages 12 and Up

The final stage of Piaget's theory is the formal operational stage which begins at approximately age 12.

Now children's thinking becomes much more advanced and they are able to understand abstract and theoretical concepts. Children can use logic, deductive reasoning and systematic planning during this stage of development; which allows for a more sophisticated understanding of mathematics and science.

Instead of drawing only on their own concrete experiences to predict outcomes, children are able to consider a range of possible outcomes and use logical methods to solve problems.

How Parents Can Encourage Intellectual Development in Kids

Having stressed the importance of good cognitive development in the early years, it is logical that parents wish to do all they can to support this. However, it is important that children are not subjected to too much schooling, too soon.

Intellectual development activities for early childhood are delivered most effectively through play and the opportunity to explore.

Activities to encourage higher-order thinking, problem-solving skills, attention span and memory will help to improve your children's cognitive abilities as will sensory play activities. Below are a few ideas you can try at home.

Treasure Baskets

Treasure baskets are a great activity for even young babies as they allow for sensory exploration which is key to early cognitive development.

The idea is to gather together lots of interesting items for your baby to explore and then support them in doing so.

Treasure baskets can be a selection of lots of different items or could have a theme such as shiny items, round items or brushes. Many babies like to explore with their mouths so supervise them closely to make sure that they are safe.

Messy Play

Messy play is great for children's cognitive development - particularly for children in the sensorimotor stage who need sensory input for their cognitive development.

How you set up sensory play is up to you. You just need a container, something to explore and some tools to do the exploring with. Good examples include mud, lentils, cooked spaghetti, shaving foam or bubbles, and using kitchen utensils or bottles and jugs as tools.

Board Games

There are plenty of specialized board games on the market for children. These are a great way to develop problem-solving skills as children begin to strategize as well as understand important social concepts such as turn-taking.

Kim's Game

Kim's game is a classic memory game and it's very simple to set up at home:

Place objects on a tray, starting with around 4. These should be everyday items such as a comb, a shell, a photograph and an apple.

Show the tray to your child and let them look at the objects, then cover the tray and ask them to name the objects.

To add interest to the game you can take an item away each time and ask them what is missing.

This builds up children's ability to visualise and use visual memory skills. As your child gets better at the game you can increase the number of items on the tray.

Use Technology

Although too much screen time can be a bad thing, technology can also be great for enhancing children's cognitive development and is certainly a useful skill for modern life.

There are plenty of apps with memory games for children that would help to improve children's memory skills and games which incorporate logic, brain training or problem-solving. These would make a valuable contribution to children's cognitive development.

Read Together

Reading for pleasure is the single biggest indicator of children's academic success so take the time while they are little to read a variety of different books with them.

This helps with language acquisition but also gives children a positive disposition towards reading and books which in time will hopefully translate to a love of reading.

Construct Together

Constructing with age-appropriate materials hones a whole host of skills that contribute to children's cognitive development.

Building with blocks requires concentration, dexterity and a growing understanding of balance, gravity and the properties of shapes, whilst modelling with waste materials requires more creativity and planning as well as experimenting with different joining techniques.

Are you a preschool teacher or working in Early Childhood Education? Would you like to receive regular emails with useful tips and play-based activity ideas to try with your children? Sign up for the newsletter!

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A Guide to Intellectual Development in Early Childhood - Empowered Parents

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Try these activities to boost intellectual development in early childhood and read all about Jean Piaget's stages of cognitive development.

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Simulations in early childhood refer to activities or experiences that allow children to imitate or pretend to be in different situations. It could be playing house, pretending to be a doctor, or even engaging in imaginative play. Simulations help children develop their creativity, social skills, and problem-solving abilities.

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At-Risk for Early Childhood Educators - Kognito

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At-Risk for Early Childhood Educators is an interactive role-play simulation for educators who work with young children

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Algorithm design in early childhood refers to the process of creating step-by-step instructions or rules to solve a problem or complete a task. It's like giving directions to a friend on how to play a game or build a tower with blocks. Algorithm design helps children develop their logical thinking, sequencing skills, and problem-solving abilities.

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Integrating algorithm tasks into early years teaching - Teacher…

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Algorithms are a key component of computational thinking, and the foundations for developing these skills starts in the early years.

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Pattern recognition in early childhood is the ability to identify and understand recurring sequences or arrangements of objects, sounds, or actions. It's like recognizing a pattern in a series of shapes or colors. This skill helps children with their cognitive development, problem-solving, and even language acquisition.