Three Simple Ways to Encourage Learning Through Play

Children are learning all the time and building the person they will become in the future. How they interact with others, develop their movement and coordination, create and problem solve all happen in their daily routines and activities. Here are 3 simple ways you can encourage best outcomes in children’s learning. Observe your child and take note of their interests and abilities, choose hands -on activities based on your observations that allow children to make choices independently, and finally plan ahead and make time everyday for uninterrupted play . 

Make Observations

Each age and stage of your child's development will be different. Thus, making careful observations will help you to choose activities that are appropriate and that will meet your child's needs. At North Star Montessori our preschoolers who are 3 and 4 years old love to manipulate small objects. One activity that children enjoy that builds pre-reading skills is sorting different objects like little colored Bears into the appropriate colored cups. Additional activities include organizing items by size, shape, texture, and likeness. If your child shows interest in letters and building words, you can introduce a puzzle with letters that builds a word (as pictured).  At North Star one of the kid’s favorite word building activities  is Melissa & Doug's all natural wooden letter matching cards that are non-toxic and eco-friendly. 

Set up Your Space

If we want children to be able to choose activities independently, we must set up and organize the space to make it easy for them. Children love order and if they have an uncluttered environment where activities are organized and easy to get out they will have the freedom to choose materials to work with independently.  At North Star we set boundaries and expectations. For example, children can choose one or two activities to get out at a time and when they're finished playing with those they return them to the shelf and can choose more during class time. 

Plan Ahead

Schedule time each day for play. Children need an uninterrupted play time whether they do it independently, with family members, or a combination of both. Pack up those devices, turn off the TV, and create a space  where learning can happen.  Be in the moment, and available to guide your child as needed.  You can introduce how to use new tools through activities such as painting with watercolors or cutting out shapes using Play-Doh. The most important thing is making time each day for your child to play and engage in learning.