There is nothing is worse than having to push a child to learn. Many children put up resistance as soon as schooling and the effort required is associated with pressure and “must”.
Don’t even let it get to that point by taking the pressure off!
Children always learn – especially through play
Let children play, as the simplest things can often lead to the coolest insights. A kitchen scale, a few gummy bears and some Lego bricks, for example, are a good way to make the concept of weight tangible. How many gummy bears weigh the same as 5 large Lego bricks?
First letters
Preschool children begin to discover their interest in letters and love to write their own name. Below are some simple exercises to direct this enthusiasm.
A tray with rice and a wooden chopstick is all you need for drawing an A, an E or an S with the help of a template.
Pre-printed forms with large letters and paper confetti are also suitable for the following little task: the children can use paper glue to stick the confetti onto the letters and thus give them colour. An alternative is to draw letters and have the children coloured them in.
What floats and what doesn’t?
Water is very fascinating. Simple everyday objects are a great way to understood physics: a bowl of water is quick to prepare; now it is time for some careful observation. A small stone, a nail, a cork, a little ball of paper, a piece of cloth, a rubber ring. What floats and what sinks?
How many ducks are swimming in the lake?
Who is the first to spot 3 green cars?
Who can find 3 completely round stones?
Thread the first counting chain with 10 beads. A perfect gift for the school cone.
Learning is not necessarily associated with letters and numbers
It is important for children to discover and build up their self-esteem. Independent everyday life tasks are a good way to promote this process.
A particularly nice way is going shopping together and writing up or drawing a shopping list for each child.
Everyone gets their list and at the entrance to the supermarket, and off they go: this helps children learn how to find their way around, make decisions and ask other people for help if, for example, the shelf is too high. Later, you meet up again at the check-out counter, compare the lists with the baskets and take real pride in the kids’ performance!
