How Young Children
Learn
Renee Cairns Workforce Development
Contents Page
1. Introduction
2. The influences on children are learning through quality Learning Experiences.
2.1. The influence of individual activities on children’s learning
2.2. The influence of social activities on children’s learning
2.3. The influences of play on children’s learning
2.4. The influences of routines on children’s learning
2.5. The influences of responsive and reciprocal relationships have on children’s learning
3. Children’s learning experiences can be relating to the learning theories.
3.1. Piaget’s Cognitive Development Theory,
3.2. Bronfenbrenner’s Ecological Theory,
3.3. Vygotsky’s Socio-Cultural theory.
4. The learning theories influences an
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2.2. The influence of social activities on children’s learning
This play happens when two children do begin to interact with each other. They are not yet able to play in a bigger group but become quite comfortable with each other. Sometimes they are ‘lost’ when their friend stays away from a centre or is not available to play with at home. Learning play in this social way becomes increasingly important to the child. If they go to play centre in the morning they may be tired in the afternoon because socialising is hard work, and they may be grumpy because they do not have someone to play with (Penrose, 2013).
2.3. The influences does play on children’s learning
Play has long held a revered place in early childhood curriculum. Play is regarded as a vehicle for learning as well as a place where children can demonstrate their learning. Traditional views of play emphasise it as a positive experience, where children exercise choice, autonomy and freedom. Play has been promoted as a child-directed, rather than an adult-directed, experience. In this discussion, we provide a brief overview of traditional approaches to play, and then consider more recent trends in understanding and promoting play-based pedagogy (Penrose,
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The child can be stuck- lacking the skills or ideas to change the play. In such a case, the adult can help a child to plan, to consider the alternatives and to help evaluate what happens. And children may need help in dealing with conflict. Stating the situation helps a child look beyond his/her own interests, though the child will not get this message the first time or even the second time we give it! For example, I see Sam looking sad. I wonder what happened. ‘Asking ‘How do you think that funny cloud came to be up there? Invites children to think about the world around them. Adults can also extend children’s knowledge by asking questions, especially questions that the adult does not know the answer to and that require the child to think, e.g. open-ended questions- ‘Why do you think the clouds are moving?’, or’ What would happen if you put the block there?’. Open-ended questions require answer that cannot be wrong, and the child learns to think things through for him/her while at the same time his/her self-esteem is fostered (Hampton, 2014 class