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Be a participant in the play

•Observe what is happening, gather some information on what the children are doing. Do they need adult interaction and if so what would the purpose of this be?

•Follow children’s lead, if children suggest a certain role for you to play accept this and sensitively use your skill full knowledge to enhance the learning.

•Offer ideas that are related to the play, avoid asking closed questions, instead engage with the children by following their directions and tune into their ideas.

•Allow children to steer the play. It is very easy for adults to take over; this however can take away crucial elements of children’s play.

•Do the children give you eye contact?, do they look over to you ?and are they happy for you to observe them?.

•Are children involving you in their conversations? and are they trying to involve you in their play?

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THE TEN ACTION POINTS

1.Rearrange the classroom in appealing corners or areas

2.Check the content of the corners and replace unattractive materials with more appealing ones

3.Introduce new and unconventional materials and activities

4.Observe children, discover their interests and find activities that meet these orientations

5.Support ongoing activities through stimulating impulses and enriching interventions

6.Widen the possibilities for free initiative and support them with sound rules and agreements

7.Explore the relation with each of the children and between children and try to improve it

8.Introduce activities that help children to explore the world of behaviour, feelings and values

9.Identify children with emotional problems and work out sustaining interventions

10.Identify children with developmental needs and work out interventions that engender involvement within the problem area.

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•According to a study by Annemarie Hindman, Professor of Early Childhood Education and Educational Psychology at Temple University, the implications of not giving children enough wait time in the early years were mainly in relation to young children’s development on language and vocabulary skills. Not giving young children enough time may hinder their thought processes, language and vocabulary skills .

•In addition, practitioners may find it difficult to introduce wait time practically, and very few practitioners use wait time effectively . However, research shows that children provide higher-quality responses when given wait time. By rushing children for a response, practitioners may be missing out on valuable opportunities for language growth in young children

•Regular opportunities are necessary for young children to engage in back and forth conversations, they develop interaction, listening and communication skills which all help them to become good, effective communicators. If wait time is not given to the child to reflect on what they want to say and how to say it, they will not develop such skills .

•Giving children opportunities to reflect on and communicate their own answers will help them develop key language and communication skills. Answering for a child instead of giving sufficient wait time can hinder this, because they won’t have been able to practice these important skills

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•As adults, we are often guilty of expecting children to answer lots of questions, in a very short amount of time. If a child takes a while to think about a response, we may assume they don’t understand or are not going to answer and ask them something else or move away from the conversation. In fact, it takes children longer to process the question and formulate an answer. I believe strongly that this thinking process is as important as the answer itself.

•Tuning in: listening carefully to what is being said, observing body language and what the child is doing.

•Showing genuine interest: giving their whole attention to the child, maintaining eye contact, affirming, smiling, and nodding.

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•Stay Focused. The first component of active listening is to give people your full and undivided attention. ...

•Pay Attention to Nonverbal Language. Observing nonverbal language is another component of active listening. ...

•Use Nonverbal Cues. ...

•Be Mindful of How You Respond.

•With active listening, the speaker is given the time and space to speak as much as they want. And they are encouraged to continue

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Techniques to Train Your Active Listening Skills

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Techniques to Train Your Active Listening Skills

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Benefits of asking young kids open-ended questions

Through the use of language and open-ended questioning we as parents are able to expand our children's curiosity and ability to reason, their creativity, thinking ability and independence.

Benefits of asking young kids open-ended questions

Children who are taught to think about things at an early age through open-ended questions are better equipped to understand the world around them, and relate this new information to past or present experiences.

Open-ended questions have no right or wrong answers, but help to broaden children’s thinking processes, to develop their speech and language skills, and to build confidence in their ability to express themselves using words.

Why ask open-ended questions

Using open-ended questions has many benefits and they help to:

encourage children to think beyond the obvious.

encourage children to think of as many possibilities as they can, before deciding upon the best or most appropriate answer.

increase co-operation and understanding.

allow children to include more information, feelings, attitudes and understanding of the topic.

provide children with opportunities to explain or describe something, thereby expanding and developing their speech, language and vocabulary.

can require children to recall recent or past events which develops their short and long-term memory skills.

require adults to listen attentively to children’s responses and this shows the children that what they are saying is important.

Using open-ended questions

Ask "what" questions to start a conversation. Point to an item and say "what is this?" or "what is this called?"

Repeat what your child says and let your child know his or her answer is right by repeating it, “Yes, that is a cat.”

Extend on what your child says, but keep the phrases short and simple to ensure that they are able to imitate what you've said.

For example, “Yes, that is a black cat”. The conversation can continue. "What is the cat doing?" "Yes, it looks like the cat is sleeping".

The older the child, the more extensive the questions can become.

There are no right or wrong questions or answers, but caregivers should ensure that they ask children questions in a way that they can comprehend them, so that even if they cannot provide an answer, they can still think about it.

Open-ended questions often start with “why”, “how”, or phrases like “I would like to know more about”, “Tell me about”, or “I am interested in hearing more about.”

Asking open-ended questions is a habit you can adapt using a few tricks.

Starting open-ended questions:

Here are 9 easy ways to start an open-ended question:

1. What would happen if...

2. What do you think about...

3. I wonder...

4. In what way...

5. Tell me about...

6. How can we...

7. What would you do...

8. How did you...

9. Why do you think…

After asking your child an open-ended question, allow quiet time for them to think before responding to your comment or question. Young children often need extra time to decide what to say and how to say it.

Try to use open-ended questions to start a conversation with your child and not just to gather information.

The most interesting conversations with children are often those that result from a sequence of open-ended questions that move the discussion and reveal responses that you would never have imagined.

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baby products for babies products for toddlers products for preschoolers online shop online baby shop online kids nz made products nz businesses buy nz made buy new zealand made

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Under 5s - For Parents with Babies, Toddlers & Preschoolers

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Under5s.co.nz has all you need for your baby, toddler or preschooler. From places to shop, to useful tips & articles, competitions, discount offers & lots more!

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(‘Words Up’ Early Level 1 training, Highland Literacy, 2018)

For example, if the original question was “How are you making those bubbles?” we could use the following alternative comments:

Exclamation: “Wow, what beautiful bubbles!”

Label or name: “That is a small one, but that is a bigger one!”

Describe what the child is doing: “I see – you dip the wand into the soapy water and blow slowly,”

Describe from your own perspective: “I love watching them float… and then popping them with my finger, POP!”

Pondering: “I wonder how we could make an even larger bubble?”

If we consider Open, Closed and Possibility questions:

Closed questions have a single word answer, where the adult often has a particular answer that a child has to find.  Examples: “What colour is the sky?”, “How was your day?”, “What’s your favourite food?”, “Do you have a sister/brother?”

Open questions are considered beneficial in helping a child’s thinking.  This is because they have a range of answers to choose from, encourage higher levels of engagement, and stimulate curiosity, creativity, and critical thinking, e.g.“I wonder what…?”, “What do you think would happen if…?”, “How does it work?”

However, an open question can sometimes be too big or complex for a young child, a child with English as an additional language or delayed language development.  In these situations, a simple closed question is actually more appropriate.

Adult: What did you have for snack today?

Child:  ……..

A:  Did you have crackers?

Ch: No

A: Did you have….. Cheese?

Ch: No

A: Did you have…… Toast?

Ch: Yes!

A:  Oh lovely!  I wonder what you had on it….?

Again, that is about knowing the children in your care.  There may be times it is developmentally appropriate to give a child a choice (as indicated in the ‘Words Up’ video above) to choose from to support them in learning to make decisions and answer questions, e.g. “Would you like toast or an apple for a snack?”.

Closed questions can sometimes be a way to lead to an open question; however, not all children are developmentally ready for an open or a possibility question.

Possibility questions are to encourage more creative, open responses from the children; to make them think about what might be, e.g. “What was the most difficult part of building your space station?”, “How could you make it even better?”

Again, these questions require you to know your children well and whether it is developmentally appropriate to ask these questions.  Knowing your children, being aware of these different questions and their uses as part of Shared Sustained Thinking.

Sometimes questioning is not appropriate.  See Keys to Communication for other ways to engage with children to support speech and language development.

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Conversations with Children! Questions that Spark Conversations and Deepen Understanding

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This is the first article in a series about asking questions that foster rich conversations. Visiting a variety of preschool settings, we'll consider the different types of questions teachers ask and listen to children's responses.

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Let's start off with some key features. Open-ended questions:

Can't be answered with yes or no.

Don't have a right or wrong answer.

Encourage discussion, not short answers.

Don't assume too much about the activity or situation you're questioning.

Give control to the child.

They tend to start with a 'What', 'How', 'Where' or a 'Why' (and rarely a 'Which' or 'Who'). Great open-ended questions can start with a 'Tell me about...' or an 'I wonder if...' as well.

Think of them as good conversation starters. Most importantly, they should be about tuning into the child and listening deeply before responding, creating a powerful learning moment.

Close-ended questions, on the other hand, can easily impart our own expectations onto a child, blocking their creativity and their self-confidence.

What if Jack wasn't really drawing a rocket at all but a pizza restaurant, a park, or a dinosaur museum on Mars? Then our question about the rocket ship has taught him that maybe his ideas are wrong. And that there's only one way to draw a rocket.

Not good.

We loved this example from the US education department so much, we just had to include it:

See how the adult kept the questions open, and allowed the child to take charge? Coupled with some great language extension, what you have is a fleshed-out, engaging conversation between practitioner and child.
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Why are open-ended questions so powerful in the early years?

The influential 2004 study on the Effective Provision of Pre-School Education makes some strong claims for open-ended questions:

"In addition to sustained shared thinking, staff engaged in open-ended questioning in the settings where children made the most progress and provided formative feedback to children during activities."

- The Effective Provision of Pre-school Education (EPPE) Project: Findings from pre-school to end of key stage 1
So why are they so beneficial? For one, they help children to learn problem-solving. Instead of giving them the 'right' way to do something, open-ended questions encourage independent thinking and guide children towards finding their own truth.

They give children the opportunity to try, fail, hypothesise, experiment and succeed on their own.

They also:

Stimulate more language use.

Show there's many solutions to one problem.

Affirm children's self-confidence.

Allow children to take charge.

Help to encourage creative thinking.

The first part of that quote from earlier is important too. Sustained Shared Thinking is when two or more people are involved in an extended conversation, where both of you are absorbed in the joint problem-solving.

It's been proven to be a crucial part of early development, and open-ended questions encourage it left, right, and centre. For more on Sustained Shared Thinking, we recommend this great introduction from Kathy Brodie.
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The 6 stages of open-ended questions

Open-ended questions aren't the be all and end all. Great conversations with children are crucial no matter how you question, and the most important thing is that you listen and respond to children. Open-ended questions are just one of your tools to do that.

These next six categories are rough guidelines for development through open-ended questions. Theoretically, they reflect the learning curve of a child in the early years, but they're guidelines, not rules.

We know it's easy to feel overawed by all this information. And it's not easy to stay in the moment when you're trying to recall it all!

Try not to worry too much about these 'stages'. Remember the basic principles of open-ended questions, arm yourself with a few starters like "I wonder if..." and "Can you tell me about.." and you're unlikely to go too far wrong. Tune into the child, and you won't be asking them questions they're not ready for.

With that said, here's our breakdown of the different stages, for those of you that want a deeper understanding.

The Immediate Thinker is ready to answer questions with stuff from their direct experience.

Your questions should relate to more concrete things that they can see, feel, hear or remember. They are often 'What' questions. Things like:

What can you hear outside?

What do you think it is?

Can you tell me about what you've made?

What does it feel like?

Can you find something green out here?

These questions are great because it helps them to explore their sense of self, notice detail, and encourage curiosity in the world around them.
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2. The Expresser & Comprehender

OK. So we're at point number two and we're already cheating a little because these questions actually have forms at every stage.

It's just that from here on in we get more specifically into problem-solving, while the questions we want to talk about here are still very much about their concrete environment. And that's important too!

Moving on from The Immediate Thinker, here we're asking them about what they think about their experience too. Open-ended questions like:

How do you feel about that?

What happened when you jumped off the rock?

How do you know that?

Why do you think that happened?

3. The Clarifier & Grouper

At this stage, we're dealing with how ideas relate to one another. We're looking for solutions to different situations. According to 'What to expect, when?' from the DfE, these kinds of questions are understood at around 30-50 months.

We're talking about open-ended questions like:

How are these the same?

How are they different?

Why is this here?

What else could work for that?

Can you see anything that could help us to do that?

What else do we need to make this sandwich?

4. The Experimenter

This is when children start to think about cause and effect in the here and now. They might not be ready for abstract thinking yet, but they can explore their options and think about what might happen when they make an action.

Mostly, this stage is all about 'What do you think is going to happen?', but it can be emotional too. When reading a story you could ask 'How do you think the bear feels?' or in a real-life situation you can try to encourage empathy by asking 'How do you think that made Charlotte feel?'. It helps children to begin stepping into another person's shoes.
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5. The Problem-Solver

Now we're really moving. This stage is all about encouraging children to think about the effect of something, and how they can create that effect.

As ever, it's important for children to lead the play. But rather than questions like 'What will happen if we leave the water outside overnight?' it's more 'How do you think we can make this water become ice?'. Also things like:

How could we make this structure stronger?

What else do you want to add to your creation?

What might make Michael feel better?

What helps you to feel better when you're upset?

6. The Predictor & Explainer

Probably the most advanced stage of open-ended questioning, this is all about understanding what might happen under different circumstances. It's also about understanding why things might have happened.

This can take a lot of cognitive load because they need to both consider situations outside their direct experience, and predict the future in that alternative world. This might seem a simple thing for us to do, but it's not easy for a 5-year-old. We're talking about questions like:

If that were to happen, how might he feel?

Why did the ball fall down the pipe that way?

I wonder what would happen if we turned it around? What do you think?

Four ideas to simplify questions

As many as 35% of 5-year-olds are not necessarily ready for stages four and up, so be aware of pushing children beyond what they're comfortable with.

Of course, reading the child and making sure you're not causing them distress is the key to getting this right. But if you're struggling, these four ways to simplify questions might help. Do the opposite, and you have four easy ways to make your open-ended questions more challenging.

1. Make the question concrete

2. Relate them to personal experiences.

3. Choose recent events or objects.

4. Prioritise familiar vocabulary.
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More tips for practitioners

Tune in - Respect the child and how they're feeling, including their body language, speech and actions. Don't get so wrapped up in your own thoughts that you forget to connect with the child.

Give your full attention - When children are engaged, try to keep eye contact and affirm with smiles and nods.

Don't push it - If they're too focused to answer or engage with you, leave them be. Remember, it's about interacting, not interfering or interrupting.

Extend language - Repeat concepts or actions that children are doing with more complex vocabulary to promote richer language.

Don't assume - Keep an open-mind so that you assume as little as possible. This will stop you from closing off your questions.

Don't ask a question that you already know the answer to - You'll be surprised how easily young children know when you're doing this.

Offer your own experience - Any conversation should be a two-way street. It might be more engaging for a child to hear a little about what you think on the subject too. Just remember to keep it to your opinions and preferences.

To finish up, we've got some extra, short tips for practitioners who want to improve the way the ask open-ended questions. For this, we're indebted to Professor Iram Siraj-Blatchford's 2005 presentation "Quality Interactions in the Early Years' where you can find even more ideas to support quality Sustained Shared Thinking.

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How to use open-ended questions in the Early Years | Famly

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Learn about the power of open-ended questions in the early years. Understand stages of development. See practical tips for practitioners to improve.

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One of the key findings of recent Effective Provision of Pre-school Education (EPPE) research (Technical Paper 10, DfES/Institute of Education, 2003, London) is that, 'Good outcomes for children are linked to early years settings that provide adult-child interactions that involve open-ended questioning to extend children's thinking.' However, the majority of questions that practitioners ask (over 90 per cent) are 'closed' questions. Closed questions require a single correct answer, for example:

One of the key findings of recent Effective Provision of Pre-school Education (EPPE) research (Technical Paper 10, DfES/Institute of Education, 2003, London) is that, 'Good outcomes for children are linked to early years settings that provide adult-child interactions that involve open-ended questioning to extend children's thinking.'

However, the majority of questions that practitioners ask (over 90 per cent) are 'closed' questions. Closed questions require a single correct answer, for example:

* What colour is your jumper?

* How many cars are there?

* Do you want milk or water?

It is vital that practitioners plan to increase opportunities to ask open-ended questions (where various correct answers are possible). Examples include:

* How do you think we could dry the clothes?

* What will happen if we add water?

* Why do you think Nikki isn't at nursery today?

* Can you think of a way to fix the boxes together?

Focus on Planning - Effective Planning and Assessment in the Foundation Stage, LEARN, 2004, page 51 (tel: 020 8695 9806).

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The importance of using open-ended questioning

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One of the key findings of recent Effective Provision of Pre-school Education (EPPE) research (Technical Paper 10, DfES/Institute of Education, 2003, London) is that, 'Good outcomes for children are linked to early years settings that provide adult-child interactions that involve open-ended questioning to extend children's thinking.'

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Problem solving activities for settings, Outdoors and Indoors.

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Problem solving activities for settings, Outdoors and Indoors.

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A lot of the time when we hear the term 'problem-solving', our brain jumps back to the tricky maths teasers from our school days, and we immediately recoil a little. However, problem-solving is much more than number conundrums.

Problem-solving is a key part of early years development and can support learning across many of the My First Five Years streams. The skill of problem-solving starts developing very early in a child's life and stems from the knowledge of the world that they are constantly building.[1]. For instance, your baby may cry when hungry as they know that crying gets the attention of an adult who can feed them.

Problem-solving is a part of everyday life for children, from being a baby through to their future adulthood. When children learn how to solve problems, it can support them in building resilience, self-confidence and self-esteem. Taking part in problem-solving activities with others can also help children develop social skills, communication and relationships.[2]

Psychologist Jean Piaget's theory of cognitive development also focuses on the importance of problem-solving for early childhood development. In each developmental stage of his theory, the psychologist emphasised the importance of play-based learning for young children when it comes to problem-solving, and in turn building skills across the spectrum.[3]

Supporting problem-solving

When thinking about problem-solving activities for your child, it can be difficult to know where to begin.

To keep children engaged, enabling them to take the lead and follow their interests, is key. Play-based, hands-on learning makes acquiring new skills more interesting and memorable for young children.[4]

Many activities can support children when developing their problem-solving abilities - the possibilities are wide open. When considering which problem-solving activities are the most effective, it is also important to consider how they can be adapted to multiple interests, abilities and how accessible they are when it comes to using resources and materials.

To help you out, here are ten of My First Five Years' favourite problem-solving activities that you can try with your child.

1) Den-building

Den-building is brilliant for problem-solving as it requires creative and critical-thinking, foresight, and planning. It is also a wonderful way to promote sustained shared thinking with your child. Sustained shared thinking is a way of working together that encourages individuals to evaluate the problem that they are working on and is focused on collaboration, using experiences and prior knowledge.[5]

When building a den with your child, encourage your child to take the lead. You could provide materials such as boxes and blankets, or you could even ask your child to decide what materials you need before starting, encouraging them to plan out their work. Den-building can also be done both indoors and outdoors and with children from a young age. You may find that people have already started creating these in your local woodland that you can add to, adapt, or just enjoy!

2) Cooking and baking

Cooking and baking are not only fun activities, but they also focus on mathematical problem-solving. To bring problem-solving into a cooking and baking activity, you can ask your child to count out simple measurements, for instance, cups of flour or sugar. Activities like cooking or baking are great for children to be able to take ownership of what is happening; encourage them to choose what you will make and allow them to do all the elements themselves.

What's great about cooking is it really doesn't matter how it turns out! Problems can arise often in cooking or baking, for example, the mixture may turn out too dry, you may be an ingredient short, or your cakes might not rise how you expected them to. If this is the case, talk to your child about what might have gone wrong and how you can rectify it next time! Then when they come to do it again, they can use their prior knowledge to help them.

3) Playing with patterns

Patterns are a great activity for mathematical problem-solving. You can create patterns of any objects that you can find! For example, with pieces of fruit, pebbles from the garden, building blocks or even snacks! You could encourage your child to continue patterns, fill in the missing pieces or even create their own for you to solve problems with as they grow more confident.

4) Sorting and categorising

Sorting and categorising objects is an activity that supports children in mathematical problem - solving and can be easily adapted to individual children's abilities . You could encourage your child to sort by shape, size, colour, or better yet , their interests . For example, if they are a dinosaur enthusiast, they could classify them by wh ich is their favourite or least favourite , or order them by the size of their feet. They may even find enjoyment in helping you with daily sorting such as recycling or washing!

5) Puzzles

Puzzles are a fun resource that can be used with children from a very young age. There are a wide variety of puzzles for children to access , such as chunky wooden puzzles or traditional shape sorters. When playing with puzzles, children will have to use their prior knowledge and experience of shape, space and measure whil e also experimenting with different angles and placements. They will use trial and error to find the best way to complete the puzzle and then will use this knowledge in future attempts.

6) Ice rescue

As well as being a great problem-solving activity, ice rescue enables children to explore seasonal changes, temperatures and develop their fine and gross motor skills using tools. To play ice rescue, freeze toys inside ice overnight. This could be in cake moulds or small bowls. Use toys that will motivate your child, for instance, their favourite small figurines.

Once frozen, place your blocks of ice in a big bowl or tray, and encourage your child to think about how they can get the items out. You could provide tools, or even get your child to find tools themselves.

7) Obstacle courses

Obstacle courses are versatile and can be made with a wide variety of resources. When setting up an obstacle course for your child, try to include sections where your child will have to stop and think about how they will have to adapt their body to move through it , for example, something that they must climb over or under, or a section where they have to move differently. You could even include them in trying to create the obstacle course and allow them to make it the most challenging they can.

8) Filling, emptying and investigation

Many children enjoy filling and emptying during play. Investigating this way helps children to get a sense of size, capacity and explore predicting and estimation. For instance, if your child likes playing with sand, you could ask them to guess how many scoops they will need to fill a container, or if they like water play you could challenge them to find a way to move the water between two containers as quickly as possible , or from one tray to another.

9) Story problems

Stories are an effective way of introducing problem-solving and they can be a highly engaging way to promote creative and critical-thinking. You could use familiar or traditional stories to help scaffold play opportunities for your child. For example, you could try building a house for the three little pigs that cannot be knocked over. You could test out different methods using materials that you can find around your home.

If you are feeling creative, you could also make up a little story using your child's favourite toys. An example of this could be figuring out how to share food between their favourite teddies during a picnic and making sure that everyone gets enough.

10) Playing with loose parts or open-ended resources

Natural materials such as leaves, conkers, sticks, acorns, and pinecones are all brilliant open-ended play opportunities (if supervised). You can also use household objects like bottle caps, curtain rings, tubes, tins, boxes, buttons etcetera in this sort of play. All it requires is a tray of different objects that you've collected and time to explore them. Your child will have to think creatively about how to utilise the objects and in doing so will be challenging their cognitive capacity by problem-solving to achieve the desired outcomes.

References

[3] Piaget, J. (1983). Piaget's Theory. In P. Mussen (ed). Handbook of Child Psychology. 4th edition. Vol. 1. New York: Wiley.

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Ten of our favourite early years problem-solving activities

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A lot of the time when we hear the term 'problem-solving', our brain jumps back to the tricky maths teasers from our school days

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Problem Solving for Preschoolers: 9 Ways to Strengthen Their Skills

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We highlight 9 proven approaches for building your preschoolers’ problem solving skills.

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Speaking slowly, so that children have time to process the information you give them, as well as clearly and calmly.

Using short sentences so that they aren’t overwhelmed with language

Making eye contact, getting down to the child’s level if necessary.

Modelling the right pronunciation and sentence structure, making sure to enunciate each word and sound – for example, it helps children learning to speak if you say ‘going to’ rather than ‘gonna’.

Not using ‘baby words’ – children will need to learn the adult version from somewhere, and if you model it for them, they’ll learn it more quickly.

Labelling objects and actions around you to teach them more vocabulary – for example, ‘look at that dog!’.

Listening carefully when children are talking to you – give them your full attention.

Not interrupting when they are speaking.

Giving them opportunities to respond by leaving pauses after your sentences – this helps them learn turn-taking in conversations, but also gives them time to think and anticipate your next sentence.

Making signs, gestures, or actions as you speak to help convey your meaning.

Using expressive language to discuss objects, actions, and emotions – for example, ‘that’s a beautiful picture!’, ‘look at that tall tower!’. This will help children to expand their vocabularies.

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Speaking through what you are doing with the children

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This video explains the importance of modelling language appropriate to the child’s stage of language. For example, when modelling language for

young children not yet expressing themselves through language, use single words rather than phrases.

children using single and simple words to communicate, start modelling short phrases to expand their language.

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Modeling words to help promote early language development

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A running narrative is a narrative of recognising and describing the learning that is taking place through a child play, helping to expand the child vocabulary and knowledge.

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Reading books with them and asking what they think will happen next

Call and response games - the ministers cat etc

Singing songs

Playing describing games - eye spy

Nursery rhymes

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Problem solve using every day activities 

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Problem solve using every day activities 

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Figuring out different actions eg. Playing/working as a team or in a group

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Figuring out different actions eg. Playing/working as a team or in a group

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"You should describe experiences using the correct vocabulary, playing alongside children. Encourage and support children with their first attempts to use wider vocabulary".

"Enriching and widening vocabulary, within the context of understanding the world, should happen daily. Talk is a key resource and is relevant for all children, from the very youngest, to those who will soon transition to reception".

"Enhance ecological awareness by using words to describe changes within the natural world, including animals, plants, flowers, trees and birds. The seasons are a natural resource for children to observe, feel and experience the weather".

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Widening vocabulary - Help for early years providers - GOV.UK

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Learn more about widening vocabulary as part of the early years foundation stage (EYFS) including advice from experts and suggested activities.

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During the first years of a child's life, an important set of cognitive skills known as problem-solving abilities are developed. These skills are used throughout childhood and into adulthood.

What is Problem Solving?

So, what exactly is problem solving? Quite simply, it refers to the process of finding a solution to a problem.

A person uses their own knowledge and experience, as well as the information at hand to try and reach a solution. Problem solving is therefore about the thought processes involved in finding a solution.

This could be as complex as working out how to get oneself out of a financial crisis or as simple as a child working out how two blocks fit together.

What are Problem Solving Skills?

Problem-solving skills refer to the specific thinking skills a person uses when faced with a challenge. Some problems require the use of many skills, others are simple and may only require one or two skills.

These are some examples of problem-solving skills for preschoolers []:

Why is Problem Solving in Preschool Important?

Problem solving is a skill which cannot suddenly be developed in an adult. It can still continue to grow slowly in an adult, however, the majority of learning occurs during the early years.

Preschool is the best time for a child to learn to problem solve in a fun way. The benefits of learning early will last a lifetime and the beauty of learning anything at a young age is that it is effortless.

It is like learning to play an instrument or picking up a new language - it's just much easier and more natural at an early age.
Of all the many things preschoolers need to learn, what makes problem solving so important?
There aren't many situations in life, at work or at school that don't require some level of problem resolution.

Child's play itself is filled with opportunity upon opportunity to solve all kinds of tricky situations and come up with solutions to challenges.

Preschool

During the foundational years, children are constantly solving problems as they play. Here are just a few examples of everyday situations that could require some level of problem solving:

Resolving a fight over the same toy

Reaching a ball that's stuck in the tree

Forming a circle with a group of friends

Making a bridge to connect two block towers

Tying or untying a shoe

Making up rules for a new game

Trying to get the consistency of a mud cake right so it stops falling over

The more creative play opportunities and challenges children are given, the more they get to exercise the problem-solving muscles. During free play there are non-stop experiences for this, and parents and teachers can also encourage specific problem-solving skills through guided activities.

Formal Schooling

During the grades, children experience problems in many forms, some of which may be related to their academic, social and emotional well-being at school. Problems may come in the form of dealing with life issues, such as:

Problems with friendships

Struggling to understand something during a lesson

Learning to balance the demands of sport and homework

Finding the best way to study for a test

Asking a teacher for help when needed

Problems will also form a large part of academic life as teachers will be actively developing this skill through various activities, for example:

Solving a riddle or understanding a work of literature

Working on projects with a friend

Finding solutions during science experiments

Solving mathematical problems

Solving hypothetical problems during lessons

Answering questions and completing exam papers

Children who have had practice during preschool will be a lot more capable when facing these challenges.

Solving Problems in Mathematics

Mathematics needs to be mentioned separately as although it is part of schooling, it is such a huge part and it depends heavily on a child's ability to solve problems.

The entire subject of mathematics is based on solving problems. Whether you are adding 2 and 3, working out how many eggs will fit into each basket, or solving an algebraic expression, there is a problem in every question.

Mathematics is just a series of problems that need to be solved.

What we refer to as problem solving is usually answering word problems. The reason many children find these so difficult to answer is that the question is presented as a problem through a story, rather than just numbers with an operation telling you what operation to use (addition, division, etc.)

This means a child is forced to think carefully, understand the problem and determine the best way to solve it.

These problems can involve various units (e.g. mass, capacity or currency) as well as fractions, decimals, equations and angles, to name a few. Problems tend to become more and more complex over the years.

My experience in the classroom has shown that many, many children struggle with solving word problems, from the early grades right into the senior years.

They struggle to analyze the question, understand it, determine what information they've been given, and what exactly they are required to solve.

The good news is that exposing a child to regular problem-solving activities and games in preschool can greatly help him to solve word problems later on in school.

If you need one good reason to do these kinds of activities, let it be for a smoother experience in mathematics - a subject so many children unnecessarily fear.

Why These Skills are Important in the Workplace

Adults in the workplace seldom thrive without problem-solving skills. They are required to regularly solve problems.

As adults, employees are expected to independently deal with the frequent challenges, setbacks and problems that are a big part of every working environment.

Those who can face and solve their own problems will go further and cope better than those who seek constant help from others or cannot show initiative.

Some career websites even refer to problem solving as a universal job skill. They also mention that many employees are not good at it.

Again, although it may seem far removed, learning this skill at a young age will help a child cope right into adulthood and in the working world.

How to Teach Problem-Solving Skills in Preschool
If preschool is the best time to grow these skills in your young child, then how does one go about teaching them?
Can Problem Solving be Taught?

Problem solving can be taught in such a way that you expose your child to various opportunities where they will be faced with challenges.

You would not necessarily sit your 3-year-old down and tell or "teach" him all about fixing problems. Instead, you want to create opportunities for your child to grow this skill.

Using the brain to think and find solutions is a bit like working a muscle over time. Eventually, your muscle gets stronger and can handle more "weight." Your child will learn to problem solve in two ways:

If you make a point of encouraging thinking through games and activities, your child will develop stronger skills than if you let it all happen incidentally.

Problem-Solving Strategies and Steps

If we take a look at the steps involved in solving a problem, we can see that there are many layers involved and different types of skills [ ].

Step 1: Identify the problem

Step 2: Define the problem

Step 3: Examine the options

Step 5: Look at the consequences

Therefore, activities at a preschool level need not present complicated high-level problems.

A simple activity such as identifying differences in a picture can work on the first skill needed - identifying a problem.

Playing with construction toys can develop a child's ability to try various solutions and examine the options when, for example, trying to find the best way to build something.

Playing would make a child predict the consequences of placing their mark in a particular square.

The most basic of activities can work on all these skills and make children competent solution finders.

How to Teach Problem Solving with Questions

The language you use around your child and your questioning technique will also greatly affect their understanding of a problem or challenge as merely something waiting for a solution to be found.

While your child is playing or when she comes to you with a problem, ask questions that will guide her in finding a potential answer independently. Use the steps listed above to formulate your questions.

Here are some examples of questions:

What do you think made the tower of blocks fall down?

If we build it again, how can we change the structure so that it won't fall down next time?

Is there a better way we can do it? If you think of a different way, we can both try it and see which works better?

Did that work? The tower fell again so let's try another solution.

Resist the temptation to fix every one of your child's problems, including conflict with friends or siblings. These are important opportunities for children to learn how to resolve things by negotiating, thinking and reasoning.

With time, your child will get used to seeing a problem, understanding it, weighing up the options, taking action and evaluating the consequences.

Problems will be seen as challenges to be faced logically and not "problems."

This post contains affiliate links for educational products that I personally recommend. If you purchase through one of them, I earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Read the disclosure for more details.

10 Problem-Solving Activities for Preschoolers

Here are 10 simple, easy games and activities you can do with your child at home. Many of them are the kinds of activities your child should have daily exposure to.

1. Puzzles

Puzzles are one of the best thinking activities out there. Each puzzle is basically one big set of muddled up things to be sorted out and put back together again. Find out why puzzles are important for development.

Children should have regular exposure to puzzles. They are great for developing thinking skills.

The best types to choose are wooden puzzle like these ones . They last longer and the frame provides a structure to guide children when building.

2. Memory games

Memory games (like these) will develop your child's memory and attention to detail.

Use pairs of matching pictures and turn them all face down, shuffled, on a table. Take turns choosing any two cards and turning them face up on the table. If you turn over a matching pair you keep the cards and if the pair doesn't match, turn the cards back over until it is your turn to try again.

Encourage your child to concentrate and pay attention to where the pictures are and try to find a matching pair on each turn.

3. Building with Construction Toys

Construction toys such as engineering blocks, a proper set of wooden blocks or should be a daily staple in your home.

Everything your child builds is a challenge because it requires thinking about what to build and how to put the pieces together to get a design that works and is functional.

Leave your child to construct freely and occasionally set a challenge and ask him to build a specific structure, with conditions. For example:

Make two towers with a bridge joining them together

Build a creature that stands on its own and has 3 arms.

Then watch your child wracking his brain until he finds a way to make his structure work.

These activity books are really fun and develop a child's ability to identify problems and search for information.

What's Wrong with this Picture books - These books are great for looking at a picture and spotting what seems a little odd. There may be subtle or obvious problems with the drawings and your child needs to think carefully to notice them.

- The best hidden picture books are the Hidden Picture booksWhere's Waldo or Where's Wally books. Children must search through a sea of people to spot Waldo. They might be a bit advanced though, so this is a good alternative.

5. Following Patterns

This simple activity can be played with a set of coloured blocks, shapes or counters.

Simply make a pattern with the blocks and ask your child to continue it. Vary the pattern by changing the colours, shapes or sizes.

This activity will train your child to analyse the given information, make sense of it, recognise the pattern and re-create it.

6. Story Time Questions

Get into the habit of asking questions during your daily story time that develop higher-order thinking skills. Instead of just reading and your child passively listening, ask questions throughout, concentrating on solving problems.

Here are some examples:

Why do you think the bear did that?

Do you think his friend will be happy? Why?

What would you do if you were the monkey?

How do you think Peter can make things better with his friend?

If the crocodile had decided not to eat the rabbit, how could the story have ended?

7. Board Games

Board games are an excellent way to develop problem-solving skills.

Then, introduce games that require some planning and deeper thinking, such as Monopoly Junior . Although Monopoly Junior is recommended from 5 years of age, it can still be played with a younger child if a parent is explaining and playing together with the child.

Card games like Go Fish are also great for teaching young children to think ahead and solve problems.

This is a perfect game to teach decision-making skills, thinking before acting and weighing up the possible consequences.

Use a Tic Tac Toe Board or draw a simple table like the one above on paper or a chalkboard. Take turns to add a nought or a cross to the table and see who can make a row of three first.

Your child will probably catch on in no time and start thinking carefully before placing their symbol. This game can also be played with coloured counters or different objects.

9. Classifying and Grouping Activities

This activity can be done with a tin of buttons or beads or even by unpacking the dishwasher. The idea is to teach the skill of classifying and categorizing information by learning with physical objects. Here are some other ideas for categorizing:

Separate the washing - mom's clothes, dad's clothes, etc; or socks, tops, shorts, etc.

Empty out the cutlery drawer for a clean, mix all the utensils up and then sort into knives, tablespoons, teaspoons, etc.

Classify and sort out the toys in your child's bedroom together - all books, construction toys, soft toys, etc.

Here are more button activities for kids.

10. Building a Maze

This activity is lots of fun and suitable for any age. It is also going to be way more fun than doing a maze in an activity book, especially for younger children.

Draw a big maze on the paving with sidewalk chalk. Make passages, including one or two that end in a dead-end. Teach your child to find her way out!

As your child gets better at figuring out a route and finding the way out, make the maze more complex and add more dead-end passages.

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10 Simple Activities to Teach Your Preschooler Problem Solving

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During the first years of a child's life, an important set of cognitive skills known as problem-solving abilities are developed. These skills are used throughout childhood and into adulthood. So, what exactly is problem solving? Quite simply, it refers to the process of finding a solution to a problem.

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Reading stories aloud expands a child’s understanding of new language while giving them visual cues to relate this to through pictures in the book.

Promoting imaginative play with props such as doll houses, dress up costumes etc, to encourage acting out their play and using their language skills.

Promoting use of language during snack times by having the children communicate what they would like to eat from the choices in front of them.

Songs and rhymes give the children new ways to use and explore language.

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The Problem Solving Superhero | A story about independence

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Helping Children Learn New Words: Early Years

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Helping Children Learn New Words: Early Years

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"Children need to know lots of different words in order to be able to talk in sentences and tell stories. Knowing lots of words also helps children when they learn to read and write, and it helps them to do better at school".

"In typical development:

Children say their first words about the age of one (although they understand some words for some time before this).

By about 18 months, children might use about 20 words, but they’ll understand more.

By two years old, most children can say 50 words and understand between 200 and 500.

By three years old, most children can say about 300 words.

By the time a child reaches five years old, they’ll know and use as many as 2,500 words".

How can I help children in my setting to learn new words?

"Remember, children learn words best from other people. Play and chat with the child often to help them learn new words.

Use gesture or actions to teach new words. This can give children an extra clue about the word’s meaning. For example, if you are talking about a ‘huge’ elephant you could stretch your arms really wide.

Repetition is really important. Children need to hear a new word lots of times before they learn it properly, so keep saying the word you want them to learn!

Add one word to what the child says. Remember to say the grammatical parts of sentences like ‘a’ and ‘ing’ as this helps the child know where the words go in sentences. For example, if the child says, ‘Cat’, you could say, ‘Yes, a fluffy cat’ or ‘The cat’s hiding’".

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Speech and Language UK: Changing young lives

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Helping children learn new words: Early years - Speech and Language UK: Changing young lives

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Helping children learn new words: Early years - Speech and Language UK: Changing young lives

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Problem solving is the foundation of young children's learning. The role of the early childhood teacher in facilitating problem-solving behavior in children involves trusting children's attempts to learn through problem solving and maintaining a classroom environment that encourages problem solving. Curricula that foster children's problem solving are those that encourage children's decision making, provide a framework for integrated learning, use a project approach to facilitate cooperative learning, and organize work through themes and units. Teachers can foster children's problem solving by providing enlarged blocks of learning time, rearranging classroom spaces to facilitate cooperation, and providing a variety of materials for children's use. A model of problem solving in an early childhood classroom involves four steps: (1) identifying the problem; (2) brainstorming solutions; (3) choosing and implementing one solution; and (4) evaluating the solution used. In order to determine whether a particular problem is appropriate for children, teachers can ask whether the problem is interesting, can be solved at a variety of levels, requires new decisions to be made, and requires a solution that can be evaluated. Encouraging children's problem solving in these ways equips them with a lifelong skill useful in all areas of learning. (BC)

Descriptors: Classroom Environment, Curriculum Design, Decision Making, Early Childhood Education, Group Activities, Learning Activities, Problem Solving, Teacher Role, Teacher Student Relationship, Teaching Methods, Young Children

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ERIC - ED355040 - Problem Solving in Early Childhood Classrooms. ERIC Digest., 1993

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Problem solving is the foundation of young children's learning. The role of the early childhood teacher in facilitating problem-solving behavior in children involves trusting children's attempts to learn through problem solving and maintaining a classroom environment that encourages problem solving.

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Parents boost language development in early childhood by naming what children see, touch, smell, taste and do as they play.

What do you see, watching young children wander from one object to another, feeling, holding and playing with whatever they find of interest? In a single hour, toddlers will typically touch around 100 different objects, spending just 10 seconds, on average, playing with each.

In this whirlwind of exploration, I see a huge opportunity for adults. Children's play offers a chance for them to name and describe what catches their children's attention. In this way, they can support language development and foster the basic building blocks for literacy, maths and socio-emotional skills. Any parent can do it, but many don't recognise the benefits that talking can offer.

Parents - and even some educators - mistakenly regard a child's foraging play as frivolous. Instead of perceiving a wonderfully exuberant, exploring, learning child, some adults worry that their young children are inattentive, too easily distracted, and lacking in concentration.

Some parents will try to persuade their busy two-year-olds to keep playing with the dolly or the building blocks, concerned that toddlers should already be able to meet the requirement for school-age children to sit still and regulate themselves emotionally and behaviourally. They may even fear - as a child moves from one object to another - that this wandering signals the beginnings of eventual failure in class. Sadly, some adults may be happier when children are sitting quietly in front of a screen. In that case, parents may imagine that their children are actively engaged. But, in fact, they are simply mesmerised and not learning much at all.

It's time to revive the ideal of exuberant children and work alongside them to foster language development in early childhood. When toddlers wander through space, carrying and fingering things, moving from object to object, they are learning so much about how objects feel and work, and about what they can do to manipulate them or create imaginary play scenes.

"It's time to revive the ideal of exuberant children ... as children engage in different types of play, what they hear from adults can promote specific skills and language development in early childhood."

Children are also exercising self-agency. Often, they don't choose toys. Children love to swing doors, press buttons on electronic devices and bang pots as well. Anything can become an object for play. In affluent homes, young children certainly play with an abundance of toys. However, they spend around 40 per cent of their time playing with ordinary household items - remote controls and toilet paper are such fun toys!

Support language development in early childhood

As children play in different ways, what they hear from adults can promote specific skills and language development in early childhood. For example, when children pretend play - feeding a teddy, say, or putting it to bed -a parent might join in with a supportive narrative. 'Teddy is hungry - why don't you feed him,' mom or dad might ask. Or they might say: 'Teddy is tired - is it time to put her to bed?'

By using internal and mental state words, pretending teddy is hungry or tired, parents help their children appreciate the emotional states that underpin actions, scaffolding children's understanding of other people's minds and thoughts. These actions help develop vital social and emotional skills.

Such contingent, responsive conversation from adults-labelling, describing and talking about what interests the child in the moment-has an important impact on language development in early childhood. The process needs attuned, talkative parents. But it also requires freedom for inquisitive, searching children to forage and explore lots of things in the environment during their play. A child who never picked up a candle or a pillow or a spoon would be less likely to hear and therefore learn the words for these objects.

Language development in early childhood helps maths and literacy

When children play with puzzles and blocks, they are likely to hear language for counting and for moving objects: "Put it on top ... it's fallen down ... place it next to ... behind ... around". Such prepositional phrases are spatial, relational terms that support the development of maths skills. And they all arise from children playing with, and talking about, different objects.

Likewise, play and adult engagement help children learn verbs. Think of all the actions that could be involved with play -for example, turn the knob, press the button, throw the ball, or pull the string. As children manipulate objects and adults respond by labelling possible actions, a vocabulary rich with verbs naturally grows.

Research has sometimes lacked insight into these processes of language development in early childhood. When studying play, researchers tend to give children and their parents some toys and then film their interactions to observe how well the parents are attuned to their children. But these studies have taken place in contrived settings, where parents and children have little else to do besides play with the toys in front of them. We've not followed little children in their daily lives to understand what they do in their everyday environments. We have few norms for how children interact with objects under conditions that aren't artificial.

"Follow the child's lead. Name the objects that the child touches and find words to describe their actions."

Lacking a real understanding of what's OK for young children, I sometimes find, well-off parents worry because, instead of sitting still and playing with his toys, their 15-month old likes to wander off and try different activities. Parents should not expect toddlers to act like five-year-olds. Sitting still is not developmentally appropriate.

Moving around a lot is evolutionary and adaptive for toddlers and young children. It fits what we know from neuroscience, which shows that synaptic connections grow rapidly in early childhood. These connections will be pruned back in later years as children become more focussed. Adults should talk to toddlers and young children about the objects of children's play and follow the children's lead, rather than forcing children to sit still.

Show parents how to support language development in early childhood

It's important to get this message out to parents. I recently conducted research in the homes of disadvantaged families. I watched exuberant, exploring children touching different toys. But many of those children played amid adult silence. Their parents didn't view children's play as an opportunity for learning language. As a result, the children weren't exposed to valuable language inputs that might help them to connect words to their play actions.

Why not? Parents said their children were occupied and they were happy to let them be. That's understandable for parents who may see their role as keeping children nourished and safe, and intervening only when children are unhappy. Those roles are paramount. Yet we should also help parents recognise the benefits of talking with children while they are playing. That play is not frivolous. It matters.

Easy for adults to give words to play

Our workshops with parents - which demonstrate how to include language in everything young children do - have been extremely successful. Some parents didn't understand that children's everyday activities during play offer valuable opportunities for children to learn language. Once parents were shown this, they found it quite easy to talk about whatever their children were doing.

Such interventions are much simpler than the sometimes complicated child-rearing prescriptions that parenting programmes offer. Our message is straightforward - follow the children's lead, be it at bath time or play time or during meals. Name the objects that the children touch and find words for their actions. Parents have the tools to do this. They just have to get the message.

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Talking to toddlers while they play transforms language development

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Parents boost language development in early childhood by naming what children see, touch, smell, taste and do as they play.

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Today I reveal how I discovered the best preschool problem solving strategies for my child.

Once upon a time when I had time for myself, I decided to spend time catching up with the world.

After wasting two hours reading celebrity nonsense and drooling over recipes I would never make, I decided to be productive instead.

At this point, I began looking for which preschool-type would put my little one on the path to becoming a certified whiz (those strategies are coming - wait!).

That's when I came across the preferred preschool type for some innovative and trailblazing folks.

After reading on about this method, I found that the creative peeps at some tech company love this school-type because it emphasizes problem solving and independence.

"Sign us up for that!" I thought.

Next came the blackout and the revelation:

After seeing the price for this popular method, I came to on my couch with magnetic cars resting on my hips.

After realizing I hadn't hallucinated... I decided to try out for myself the strategies that churn out such smart preschoolers.

Yes, you can pay a pretty price to have someone else take on this challenge. But if you can do it yourself, why would you?

From me to you: the best strategies for problem solving - free, tested by my preschool cuties and tailored for home use.

1. Let them do it

First step to helping your child problem-solve is to admit you have a problem.

We're all guilty of opening that water bottle, zipping up that tricky jacket and fastening that lunchbox the right way. Stop it.

We do it because we love to nurture. And gosh darn it if it doesn't save us ten minutes of "But it's too hard!" moaning.

Stop because you are robbing your kid of meaningful and organic problem solving opportunities.

Fastening a lunch box? Yes. It's not a problem for you but it is a small one for them.

When your little one begins to wear you down with an "I don't know how!" patiently instruct them on how to proceed and reassure them you believe in them.

When they realize they can tackle little challenges, they will confidently take on big ones.

2. Create a meaningful mantra

Along with letting them try things on their own, give them a little something to boost their spirits when they're down in the problem solving dumps.

Try, "Every problem has a solution" or "I can do this!"

This type of positive thinking doesn't sell millions of books a year for nothin'!

You'll find that instead of storming out when something hard presents itself, they'll stop to pep-think themselves up to any problem (after much, much practice).

3. Model perseverance

The key to solving problems is to be able to fail. And then fail again. And then keep at it.

The best way for your child to learn how to persevere is to see it done first.

You are your preschooler's first and most valuable teacher. Teach them about perseverance. This is not only a great preschool problem solving strategy, but a great lifelong skill too.

When a problem arises, push on and solve it.

Say you've run out of gas in the middle of the highway (I knew of someone to whom this happened *wink), narrate your thought process as you persevere to find the most efficient solution.

Whatever you are feeling (frustration, sadness, or fear) during these moments, it helps your child realize that when he feels the same when facing challenges, it's normal.

Pro Tip: Help Your Child Become Better at Problem Solving

Enroll your child for the Atlas Mission and let your child play with this award-winning educational program. Your child will become better at problem solving without even realizing it!

4. Problem solve along with your kid

You've modeled how to be awesome, help your kid do the same.

When he comes up against a challenge that he can easily take on (e.g. that toy he won at the arcade - that you knew he would lose - is lost in the couch cushion abyss), think it out.

Ask, "What do you think we should do?"

Try out his theories with him. Don't shoot anything down. You are there to be a problem-solving facilitator and to witness and celebrate his successes.

5. Encourage research

When your kid inquires about how you can tell an alligator from a crocodile, instead of going for the oft used "Ask your dad," or the more practical, "Ask your teacher!" try to find the answer alongside her.

Researching is a form of problem solving and encourages your child to nurture her curiosity about her world.

Where might you find out about crocodiles and alligators? How will you prove that what you read or see is correct?

Teach your preschooler that it's fun to not only wonder but to figure out answers as well.

6. Encourage play

You already know that if your preschooler could, she would do nothing but play outside all day. The classroom? "Gross - forget that!" you can hear her say.

Play, apparently, is where it's at.

Researchers in Canada found that play (like the type that is done outside with friends) activates the entire neocortex in the brain. That's the part that does the important stuff, like thinking and problem solving.

To further support their claim that play helps with the type of thinking necessary for school success, the study cites academically successful countries. There, more recess means higher test scores.

I mean, what else are those preschool dears doing when reaching the tops of trees, making it across the monkey bars without falling, or winning the hide-and-seek wars, if not solving problems?

7. Ask a friend

This one doesn't seem like it fits in with the rest, but it's incredibly important. When you teach your child to ask a friend (another preschooler or child of any age), you are asking them to use a precious and ready resource.

When your child can't complete a preschool task on her own (like tying her shoes), asking a friend may provide her with an explanation suited to her way of thinking.

Collaboration is a lifelong skill and an integral one for tackling many problems. Two preschool heads are definitely better than one.

8. Use the environment as a third teacher

"What the what?" was my reaction when I first came across this brilliant advice.

The environment teacher is a quizzical term for two things. First, it means letting your child be inspired to wonder and ask about her immediate environment.

Second, it simply means organizing your child's space in a problem-solving-friendly way.

To be clearer: keep open-ended materials around that your child can use to build sturdier buildings, or create contraptions to fulfill various needs.

There are a slew of really cool (and really expensive toys) that can serve this purpose, but open-ended materials can be bought anywhere.

Here are some easy-to-find preschool problem solving bits that will inspire your little thinker: pipe cleaners, all-purpose glue, tongue depressors, construction paper, clothespins and paper cups.

I know that these materials aren't always cheap (especially when your preschooler goes through glue like water), but if your child learns to find multiple uses for just one thing, you're getting the best bargain.

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The 8 Best Problem Solving Strategies for the Preschool Mind - Atlas Mission

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Today I reveal how I discovered the best preschool problem solving strategies for my child. Once upon a time when I had time for myself, I decided to spend time catching up with the world. After wasting two hours reading celebrity nonsense and drooling over recipes I would never make, I decided to be productive instead.

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Show ways dealing with problems. May have to learn from mistakes. Break down the simple task into smaller steps. Use open ended questions. May have to take risks in task.

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Methods of teaching and correcting language

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Methods of teaching and correcting language

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https://ncse.ie/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/Modelling-and-Recasting-to-Support-Speech-and-Language.pdf

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How to encourage problem solving in children and young people:

Using prompting questions such as

What do you think comes next

Is there any other way we could try?

Which bit is it you’re finding tricky?

What did you think about that?

Set the right level of challenge -

ensure the task isn’t too tricky

Is it at there right age and stage

Slow down and sit back, allow the child to problem solve as you might find they are more than capable of doing so it might just take them a little longer.

Giving the child hints but minimal help to allow the child to get to the next step themselves

Praise the child and use language like “well done” and if they couldn’t quite get it use language such as “that’s ok, we can try again tomorrow”

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Promoting independence is helping the children have control of their lives and decisions they make. It gives them a sense of importance and belonging which is important for building relationships, becoming a confident individual and contributing to the world.

It is important to promote independence to promote confidence and self-esteem as well as motivation and perseverance in ELC, school and throughout life.

You could promote independence by; encouraging children to make their own decisions by providing them with options and asking them to choose, communicating with them about routines, encouraging them to carry out daily tasks independently such as handwashing, self-service at snack, getting wellies and waterproofs on and tidying up.

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Kathy Brodie's Simple Techniques for Improving Sustained, Shared Thinking:

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Kathy Brodie's Simple Techniques for Improving Sustained, Shared Thinking:

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"Positive Questioning:  Questioning should not be an interrogation; questioning should be peppered with other techniques such as pondering aloud, using question starters like “I wonder if…”."

"A running narrative technique, where the adult comments on what the child is doing without pressure, is suitable for shy children or children with English as an additional language.

Creating an atmosphere that encourages children to ask questions is essential".

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Sustained, Shared, Thinking – Early Level Portal

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Many theorists believe, and research shows that sustained shared thinking is fundamental to how practitioners approach children’s learning and development:

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Supporting Children’s Independence - Nurseries

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Supporting Children’s Independence - Nurseries

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Children’s independence is vital, in this article we outline 6 ways to encourage independence in young children.

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How to Build Independence in Preschoolers - Child Mind Institute

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From birth, children are on a quest for independence. We see this as babies try to spoon-feed themselves or insist on taking off their own diapers, as toddlers demand to dress themselves or turn the faucet on at the sink.

Opportunities to develop independence are immensely important for building a sense of self and self-esteem - not to mention frustration tolerance and perseverance!

Still, as parents it's hard not to groan at the thought of our preschoolers racing for the step stool, climbing up, and then trying to pour themselves a glass of milk. Letting children carry out tasks often means that the task will take twice as long - and be three times as messy. And it can be hard to watch your child try, fail and feel frustrated or disappointed.

Given how high our stress levels are at the moment, our tolerance for inconvenience and mess may be more limited than usual. But being home-bound during COVID-19 also creates a great opportunity for parents to nurture budding independence - and eventually get some more space for yourself. Here are some simple ways to do just that.

It may seem surprising, but establishing a consistent routine is important for nurturing independence. Just like adults, when children can anticipate their day, they are better equipped to take on responsibilities. Not to be confused with a schedule (though the two might overlap), a routine is any sequence of events that occurs throughout the day. Even the act of brushing teeth is a routine, because it has multiple steps that always go in the same order: turn on the water, rinse the toothbrush, put on toothpaste, brush, rinse, dry hands and mouth. Likewise, going outside involves putting on coat and shoes, maybe packing a snack or remembering a favorite toy or doll.

As children experience these routines over and over, they learn to anticipate what comes next, and they start to take on more responsibility with less help. If you let your child do some of the prep work, such as putting the toothpaste on their toothbrush, or finding their coat and shoes, they will increasingly take on more of these steps on their own. And you are communicating to them that you have faith in their ability to do these steps without you, but also that you are there to help if they need it.

Another way to support your child's independence (and to fill time in the endless COVID days!) is to give them choices. Involve them in deciding what to wear, what to play or who to call. This does not have to mean they have free rein. Provide two or three options, and then praise their great ability to make a choice! Providing choices is especially valuable when your preschooler insists on doing something their way. For example, they might want to cross the street by themselves, which might be something you can't let them do. By offering a choice - to hold your hand or to be carried - they can feel empowered even while you keep them safe.

Children love to help! In addition to building independence, this is a great tool for calming tantrums or redirecting behavior by giving them a sense of control. When you allow your child to help, you foster their confidence and give them an opportunity to learn something new. While this may involve adding an extra step or two, it is also a great way to involve your child in daily routines and activities.

For example, when making scrambled eggs, an adult might pour the milk directly into the bowl and dispose of the shells directly in the garbage. As an alternative, consider pouring milk into a small cup or pitcher and asking your child to pour it into the bowl. Likewise, collect the eggshells in a small bowl and ask your child to help dump them in the garbage.

Again, you are communicating to your child that you trust them to take on these tasks, and these moments also provide an opportunity for back-and-forth conversation about an activity with a shared goal. Plus, kids are more likely to get excited about, and then eat(!), food that they helped prepare. So having your child snap off the ends of string beans may be another way to sneak more greens into their diet.

Even preschoolers can start to have chores. These, of course, will look different than those older children, but they are important steppingstones for building up to larger tasks. A lot of research supports chores for children as a way of building a sense of responsibility and self-reliance, developing executive functions, teaching teamwork and nurturing empathy.

Simple tasks like picking up toys or putting laundry in the basket allow your child to have reasonable responsibility and help with maintaining structure throughout the day. In fact, these chores can be embedded into your daily routines. For example, part of your child's mealtime routine can include bringing their plate to the sink or even helping load the dishwasher (keep the knives for yourself!).

Be sure to allow your child to try things that are hard and to solve (small) problems on their own. Many times, we project our stress or frustration onto children when, in fact, they are happy problem-solvers. When children are first learning to crawl or walk, we must let them fall. Similarly, when children are learning to put on their shoes, we must allow them to put them on the wrong feet. Wait until your child asks for help or provide a small hint to get them to the next step.

Presenting your child with tasks that are a little bit challenging, but still within the realm of what they can do with some support, helps them learn to deal with frustration, solve problem, and stick out challenging situations. You can acknowledge that something is hard and let your child know that you are proud by offering praise for trying new or difficult things. However, be sure to praise the effort rather than the outcome or skill: "I'm so proud of you for sticking with that even when it got hard," rather than, "You're so good at tying your shoes!"

Projects, which can include anything from coloring to building to puzzles to crafts, provide opportunities for children to focus their attention on a contained activity for a period of time. Commenting on and complimenting your child's work gives them a sense of accomplishment and self-esteem, and praising your child's effort helps with the development of grit. When you encourage your child to keep trying to string beads into a necklace, you are communicating to them that you believe in their ability to do something, which translates into confidence and, after he has been successful, accomplishment and pride.

Independent and unstructured play is very important for fostering creativity, problem-solving and autonomy. However, most preschool children will still need (and want!) some engagement from parents during unstructured play time.

Offer your preschooler a variety of art materials (crayons, markers, chalk, finger paints), building materials (blocks, MagnaTiles, Legos) or imaginary play props and let them construct their own craft or play. You can also include materials that are not toys at all. Repurposed materials and recyclables, such as paper towel rolls, coffee canisters and cereal boxes can be used in endless ways. A paper towel roll can be a telescope, a tube, a car, a plane, a magic wand. A cereal box can be a barn for animals, a building block or a steppingstone.

Observe your child and notice what they're drawn to. One child may be interested in stacking and construction, while another wants to play pretend. Use these observations to guide and extend their play. If they seem stuck or confused, you can model a solution or comment on their actions, and then encourage them to try again on their own.

As you watch, try not to intervene. You might comment on what they are doing and praise their efforts, but do not do the work for them. For example, if they are stacking cannisters, you might comment, "Wow. I see you are stacking cans. You are making a tall tower." As your child plays more, you can play less. You can make suggestions or model how to use materials in different ways, or even introduce some new materials. This will help to extend play and, over time, your child will be able to play on their own for longer.

In addition to setting up opportunities for your child to build independence, it's important for you to let them know that you see them - their efforts, their persistence, their bravery, their growth. By offering verbal feedback, you are giving positive attention to the qualities that you want to foster in your child and making it more likely these behaviors will happen again.

What we call the "P-R-I-D-E" skills are strategies that have been shown to help increase positive behaviors in young children:

RAISE: Praise your child's appropriate behavior. This helps increase the specific behavior that you are addressing and contributes to a warm interaction with your child. For example, "Great job lining up those blocks!" or, "I'm proud of you for sticking with that puzzle!"

EFLECT: Reflect appropriate speech. This helps demonstrate to your child that you are listening and understanding. For example, your child says, "I made a tower." And then you say, "You made a tower!"

MITATE appropriate behavior and play. This gives positive attention (the most powerful reward) to good behavior and promotes cooperation. For instance, when your child builds a tower, you begin to stack blocks too.

ESCRIBE your child's appropriate behavior. This reinforces your child's positive play and draws their attention to it. You might say, "I see you drew a rainbow!" or, "We are building a tower together."

Be ENTHUSIASTIC! This makes your interactions feel warmer and keeps your child interested. For example, you can use a playful voice, exaggerate your emotions when you're talking and smile often.

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How to Build Independence in Preschoolers - Child Mind Institute

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Strategies for helping youngsters develop skills to do things on their own -- self-confidence, planning, and problem-solving.

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Expand on the child’s language; if a child says “milk” while pointing at it, model back “milk please?” or “can i have the milk please?”.

Repetition; a child must hear a practitioner using a certain word or phrase a number of times then use it a number of times themselves in order to consolidate their understanding.

Model descriptive words; if a child is to say they like a certain food, a practitioner could reply back “i like apples because they are sweet”.

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Independence is an essential life skill and one that needs to be nurtured from an early age. The term is often understood to mean a range of skills, from helping children to be apart from their families to developing skills in dressing and encouraging them to think for themselves. In fact, all aspects of independence are important for children to learn to be self-sufficient individuals. The drive for independence starts from babyhood. Young babies rapidly make decisions about what they play with, what they like to eat and who they prefer to be with. Toddlers will thrive in a healthy environment where they have opportunities to do more and more for themselves.

Independence is an essential life skill and one that needs to be nurtured from an early age. The term is often understood to mean a range of skills, from helping children to be apart from their families to developing skills in dressing and encouraging them to think for themselves. In fact, all aspects of independence are important for children to learn to be self-sufficient individuals.

The drive for independence starts from babyhood. Young babies rapidly make decisions about what they play with, what they like to eat and who they prefer to be with. Toddlers will thrive in a healthy environment where they have opportunities to do more and more for themselves.

Practitioners, however, recognise that children will only be sufficiently confident to start to deal with the world themselves if they come from a background of security, support and adult love. Two restrictions to a child's growing independence occur when they are overprotected or where they are pressured into achieving developmental milestones too early.

Healthy toddlers strive to develop skills that enable them to become less physically dependent on adults. They insist on trying to dress and feed themselves, and they want to move to explore new territories. Many parents welcome this and encourage their young children to become practical and useful family members. They are shown how to take responsibility for small tasks such as watering the plants and laying the table. Older children build on this, but as a consequence of the varying opportunities they have had at home, children start nursery with very different levels of physical and functional independence.

Practitioners recognise that those children who are already self-sufficient are likely to adapt more easily to life in a group setting. They feel more in control of their lives, and this gives them self-respect. Children who are more dependent need time and encouragement to do things for themselves.

However, if we look at independence in a broader sense, it includes children becoming independent learners.

Anyone who has worked in or visited an early years setting where children make decisions about what they are doing, where and with whom, cannot fail to be impressed with the competence and responsible autonomy shown.

It becomes clear that when children are supported and encouraged to think for themselves, they show themselves to be very capable. However, this does not just happen. Some of the most important attributes of independent learning include children being able to use the environment for themselves, to make choices and decisions and to start to develop their own thoughts and views. Young children need to be introduced to these attributes and then encouraged to practise them.

Case study

At home, two-year-old Elise was never allowed to try to climb stairs and only permitted to walk outside with an adult on a rein. When she started nursery aged three and a half, her parents were persuaded to allow her to do more for herself and to have more freedom. But by this time she was tentative about taking the smallest risk and her movements were poorly co-ordinated.

Elise's parents, with the best of intentions, had failed to encourage their daughter to learn through trial and error, with the result that her confidence and physical development were delayed.

Suggestions for practice

Promote physical and functional independence:

* Help children to tidy resources. For example, provide a dustpan and brush for clearing up dry sand and a floor cloth or short-handled mop for coping with spillages.

* Encourage children to take responsibility for their own possessions, such as clipping Wellington boots together with a named wooden peg.

* Play a game to help children know where things are kept. Put articles such as crayons, counters and blocks in a drawstring bag. Ask children in turn to take an item from the bag and return it to its proper place.

Offer choices and decision-making in activities:

* Painting: provide paper of different shapes, sizes and colours. Make the paper easily accessible by placing it on a low table

* Construction: provide options. Add pebbles, sticks, stones and shells to the block area. Provide rubber bands, masking tape and Blu-Tack for fixing.

Have available collections of miniature play figures to add to the construction.

* Storytime: offer alternatives for a story and ask children to vote for their choice.

Encourage reflection:

* Offer a structure to support independent thinking. For example, provide an attractive pictorial chart and gradually introduce the following questions. 'What do I want to do? Who do I want as a working friend? What things do I need to work with? Where do I find them? How well did we do it?' Talk through each of these questions with the children and model examples of how they might respond to them. Over time, children will come to use these questions for themselves.

Questions for practitioners

Which of the following things have I done today that the children could have done for themselves?

* clearing away

* delivering messages

* setting up the outdoor play

* preparing materials such as making playdough, mixing paints and combining ingredients for cookery

* choosing food for snack time

* selecting materials for constructions.

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Independence is an essential life skill and one that needs to be nurtured from an early age. The term is often understood to mean a range of skills, from helping children to be apart from their families to developing skills in dressing and encouraging them to think for themselves.

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Top Tips to Encourage Independence in Toddlers

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At Only About Children, we believe that promoting the development of independence in children enables them to become active participants in their own learning as well as active and confident members in their community.

Here are our top 8 age-appropriate tips that you can try at home with your toddler as you encourage independence.

Ways to encourage independence in children:

1. Allow choice

Let your child follow their own ideas and make their own choices throughout the day. This could be as simple as allowing them to choose what book they'd like to read at bedtime or what colour cup they'd like to drink from.

2. Encourage reasonable risks

Step back and let your child take reasonable risks. During outdoor play your child may get wet, dirty or be sore if they scrape their knee while bike riding, but they will be full of pride in learning new skills and testing themselves.

3. Step back

Give your child the space and opportunity to fix their own problems and resolve conflicts without your assistance.

4. Self-feeding

Encourage your child to feed themselves from an early age. Give toddlers finger food that they can pick up with their hands.Teach your toddler to use a fork and spoon. Preschoolers and Kinders might plate up their own main meal or pour their own drinks - even if it may be a little messy!

5. Involvement in household tasks

Identify small tasks around the house that your child can do independently, such as setting the table at meal times, putting their dirty clothes in the laundry basket or working alongside you in the garden.

6. Practical set up at home

Arrange your home to encourage independence - have a stool near the basin so your child can wash their own hands, give your child a small towel to dry themselves after bath time, keep tissues around the house so they can blow their own nose.

7. Dress for success

Make simple clothing choices so that it is easy for your child to dress and undress without your help. Think pants with an elasticised waistband and Velcro shoes.

8. Look for signs of readiness

Children who are asking questions or trying to involve themselves in household tasks may be ready for more independence.

Remember to be patient with your child as they challenge themselves with new tasks and more responsibility. Sure, a task may take longer to do with the involvement of a little helper, but practice makes perfect and repetition is key to your child improving their independence!

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Top Tips to Encourage Independence in Toddlers

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Independence is an important way to build self-identity, self-esteem and confidence in children. Learn some top tips.

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By problem solving then they will gain experience and lifelong skills. Their confidence soars making them feel good .

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Modelling Language and Building Vocabulary with a Child who has ASD

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Modelling Language and Building Vocabulary with a Child who has ASD

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"You can start by watching your child carefully and noticing your child’s attempts to communicate. This will help you work out what level of communication your child is using right now and what step is best to teach next.

For example, if your child cries in the kitchen as a way of asking for food, it might be too hard for your child to learn to say ‘hungry’ or ‘food’. Instead, the next step could be teaching your child to point to or reach for the food. You could do this by modelling – that is, showing your child what to do by pointing at the food yourself. You could also help your child physically by guiding their hand to point to the food.

Or if your child communicates by pulling your hand towards the things they want, the next step could be using words or picture cards. You could model this – for example, by saying ‘teddy’ or using a ‘teddy’ picture card when your child pulls your hand towards their teddy".

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Communication and autistic children

Communication skills are important for all children. These skills help children express their needs and wants. When children can do this, it helps them with behaviour, learning and socialising.

Autistic children have a range of communication skills and abilities. Some autistic children have very good communication skills, whereas others find it harder to relate to and communicate with other people. Also, some autistic children have difficulties developing language, find it difficult to understand or use spoken language, or have no language at all.

Autistic children often need support to learn and practise skills for communicating with other people.

Communication is the exchange of thoughts, opinions or information by speech, writing or nonverbal expression. Language is communication using words - written, spoken or signed (as in Auslan).

How autistic children communicate

Autistic children sometimes communicate differently from typically developing children. They might:

use language differently

use non-verbal communication

communicate through behaviour.

Use of language
Autistic children might:

mimic or repeat other people's words or phrases, or words they've heard on TV, YouTube or videos. They repeat these words without meaning or in an unusual tone of voice. This is called echolalia

use made-up words

say the same word over and over

confuse pronouns, referring to themselves as 'you' and the person they're talking to as 'I'.

When autistic children use language in these ways, they might be trying to communicate. But it can be hard for other people to understand what children are trying to say.

For example, children with echolalia might learn to talk by repeating phrases they associate with situations or emotional states, learning the meanings of these phrases by finding out how they work. A child might say 'Do you want a lolly?' when they actually want one themselves. This is because when they've heard that question before, they've got a lolly.

Over time, many autistic children can build on these beginnings and learn to use language in more typical ways.

Nonverbal communication
Autistic children might:

physically manipulate a person or object - for example, a child might take a person's hand and push it towards something they want

point, show and shift gaze - for example, a child might look at or point to something they want and then shift their gaze to another person, letting that person know they want the object

use objects - for example, a child might hand an object to another person to communicate.

Behaviour
Autistic children might behave in difficult ways, and this behaviour is often related to communication.

For example, self-harming behaviour, tantrums and aggression towards others might be a child's way of trying to tell you that they need something, aren't happy, or are really confused or frightened.

If your child behaves in difficult ways, try to look at situations from your child's perspective to work out the message behind your child's behaviour. Our article on managing challenging behaviour in autistic children can help you understand why your child is behaving in certain ways.

Working on autistic children's communication

It's best to work on communication skills for autistic children gradually, by teaching skills that are just one step on from where your child is now.

You can start by watching your child carefully and noticing your child's attempts to communicate. This will help you work out what level of communication your child is using right now and what step is best to teach next.

For example, if your child cries in the kitchen as a way of asking for food, it might be too hard for your child to learn to say 'hungry' or 'food'. Instead, the next step could be teaching your child to point to or reach for the food. You could do this by modelling - that is, showing your child what to do by pointing at the food yourself. You could also help your child physically by guiding their hand to point to the food.

Or if your child communicates by pulling your hand towards the things they want, the next step could be using words or picture cards. You could model this - for example, by saying 'teddy' or using a 'teddy' picture card when your child pulls your hand towards their teddy.

When you're working on your child's communication skills, it can help to label items around your house with words, like 'bickies', 'train', 'ball', 'brush' and so on.

And it can also help if you praise your child each time they use the communication skill you're working on.

If you want to work on your autistic child's communication skills, it's a good idea to get support from a speech pathologist or other autism professional. If your child is getting NDIS early intervention support or your child has an NDIS plan, you might be able to get funding for this support.

Making the most of autistic children's attempts to communicate

Here are some ways you can encourage communication with your child:

Use short sentences - for example, 'Shirt on. Hat on'.

Use less mature language - for example, 'Playdough is yucky in your mouth'.

Exaggerate your tone of voice - for example, 'Ouch, that water is VERY hot'.

Encourage and prompt your child to fill the gap when it's your child's turn in a conversation - for example, 'Look at that dog. What colour is the dog?'

Ask questions that need a reply from your child - for example, 'Do you want a sausage?' If you know your child's answer is yes, you can teach your child to nod their head in reply by modelling this for your child.

Give your child enough time to understand and respond to questions.

Practise communicating with your child on topics or things they're interested in.

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You can work step by step on communication skills with autistic children. Start by assessing what level of communication your child is using right now.

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The Problem Solving Superhero | A story about independence

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•Use of eye contact is an important social skill and a key aspect of communication. Eye contact allows the child to pick up on facial expression, gestures and how we are talking, including our mouth movements

•Eye contact grabs the learner's attention and sends the message, “I see you and want you to know that you are involved in this conversation.” If that eye contact is preceded by a question, the majority of learners perceive that they are being given the floor to speak

•Creates a bond with others. ...

•Displays honesty. ...

•Improve understanding between people. ...

•Build respect. ...

•Eye contact helps others remember what you said. ...

•Eye contact can help with self-awareness

•Reasons a Child May Avoid Eye Contact

•

•

•A lack of eye contact does not always indicate a child is autistic. A child can avoid eye contact because they:

•Are fearful of or dislike the person who is attempting to make eye contact

•Are hard of hearing or deaf and are unaware that they should look at someone

•Feel a general sense of social anxiety or shyness

•

Improving eye contact

•Position yourself at your child’s eye level if possible. It’s less eye strain and easier to look at you this way.

•When you give your child an object, hold it to your eyes, so that (s)he must reach out and grab it. You are right there, behind the object!

•Whenever your child does look at you, celebrate him/her for it! Tell them how much you appreciate them looking. (S)he may not know how special it is to you

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Get down to your child’s level: Play the name game when out and about

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A film demonstrating how you can get down to your child’s level when out and about, part of the Early Language Intervention Measure resources from Tiny Happy People.

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Resource Library - Sheffield Children's NHS Foundation Trust

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Language strategies: Getting down to your child’s level - Resource Library - Sheffield Children’s NHS Foundation Trust

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Language difficulties are nobody’s fault but changing the way you talk can really help your child. How do I use this strategy? When you are playing with your child get down to their level so you are ‘face to face’. When you and your child are playing together get down on your child’s level so… Continue Reading Language strategies: Getting down to your child’s level

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When you talk to your kids (or any kids for that matter) how do position your body? Hmmm, is that a strange question? I have a good reason for asking, so give it some thought. 😉

Do you stand tall over them and look down?

Or do you squat down and look them in the eye?

The simple action of getting down on kid level will make for an even stronger connection in the conversation. Don't worry if you can't squat. There are lots of ways to get down to kid level! Sit on a chair, sit on the ground, squat or kneel down. Anything that brings you eye to eye.

Look at Little M's neck in this picture. She has to lean her head way back to talk to her Auntie L. Their faces are actually very far apart and eye contact is difficult. Can you imagine talking to everyone like this?

When Auntie L squats down in front of her, Little M easily shares her story face to face. Getting down on kid level helps kids learn the important skill of eye contact while conversing. It also show's that you are ready to give your full attention. Doesn't that sound like a wonderful way to enter a conversation?
So I ask again, how do you position your body when talking to kids?
Simple parenting tricks like this one can make all the difference when comes to really connecting with your kids.
And that's why I decided to say YES!
Limit Screen Time
This post originally appeared on May 9, 2012. Dinner Conversation

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connect with kids - look them in the eye

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This one simple trick will make it so much easier to connect with kids. First answer this question... how do you position your body when you talk to kids?

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1-Children are more likely to respond positively when they feel that they are being heard and acknowledged. By getting down to their level, you show them you value their opinions and ideas. . You will see things as they see them and be more aware of their interests and what they might want to talk about.

•2-This also allows you to respond appropriately to their needs and concerns and offer appropriate guidance. It will be easier for you to follow your child’s lead. You may realise that some sounds, noises, eye contact or body language are directed at specific things you didn’t notice before. This may be your child’s conversation, and you will be in a good position to notice and join in!

•Your child will be able to see your mouth movements as you model words for them.

3-A relaxed and comfortable environment also helps to foster positive relationships between the teacher and the child. . You will see things as they see them and be more aware of their interests and what they might want to talk about.

4-When children feel they are being listened to and valued, they are more likely to speak up and express their ideas and opinions. This can help to build their confidence and self-esteem, which can have a positive impact on their overall development.

In conclusion, getting down to a child’s level while speaking to them is a critical aspect of effective communication with young children. It helps to establish a connection, build trust and rapport, and create an environment conducive to learning. By adopting this approach, teachers and caregivers can create a positive and engaging environment that supports the social, emotional, and cognitive development of young children.