Understanding what's inside your child's head<\/p>\n
By Novita Tandry<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Understanding how your children's minds works
\nwill help you teach them at home, says Dr. Richard Woolfson, a
\nchild psychologist working for the headquarters of Tumble Tots
\nPreschool in London.<\/p>\n
If you want your children to learn at home it's useful to
\nunderstand more about how they learn and the basic skills they
\nneed to develop, he adds.<\/p>\n
There are five skills every child needs to master to learn
\nproperly: listening, language, memory, concentration and problem
\nsolving.<\/p>\n
For example, if you ask them to fit a triangular shape into a
\njigsaw, they will need to listen to what you want them to do,
\nhave a good knowledge of language to recognize the word
\n\"triangle\", remember which shape a triangle is, concentrate while
\nstudying the shapes and solve the problem of matching the shape
\nto the hole.<\/p>\n
Understanding how these skills develop will help you formulate
\nthe approach to teaching your child.<\/p>\n
Memory<\/p>\n
A good memory is essential for your child to learn and store
\nfacts, but the memory needs to be trained to work efficiently.
\nChildren have five different types of memory: a store for sounds
\n(auditory memory), one for sight (visual memory), another for
\nwords and meaning (semantic memory), one for smell and taste
\n(olfactory memory) and one for body movements (kinesthetic
\nmemory).<\/p>\n
The more types of memory that are involved in remembering
\nsomething, the easier it is to recall. For example, if children
\nare learning the alphabet, showing them the letters in an
\nalphabet book or frieze helps them associate them with the name
\nand picture of familiar objects. Give them plastic letters so
\nthey can feel the shapes, and sing the alphabet song so that the
\nchild associates each note with a letter.<\/p>\n
When learning to count, use actual objects they can see and
\nfeel; so that the child can pick them up and put them down while
\nmemorizing the numbers.<\/p>\n
Children are also more likely to remember facts if they can
\nlink them to something they already know. For example, if you say
\n\"o\" is for orange, they will immediately associate the round
\nshape of the letter with the shape of the orange. But if you say
\n\"o\" is for orangutan, they won't make an immediate association,
\nand will probably forget it.<\/p>\n
Listening<\/p>\n
The ability to listen ensures your child is good at receiving
\ninstructions, and is essential when learning to read and spell.
\nChildren must bee able to identify the different sounds that make
\nup words.<\/p>\n
To encourage children to listen, you need to get their
\nattention. The best way to do this is to come down to their eye
\nlevel and look at them while talking. Afterwards, ask them to
\nrepeat what you have said. This will ensure they have heard and
\nunderstood everything, and the repetition will help commit it to
\nmemory.<\/p>\n
When reading stories, discuss what's happening so the child
\nthinks about what they are hearing. Let them sit quietly with a
\nstory cassette, so they can concentrate on the tale. Play nursery
\nrhymes and song cassettes, and get your child to sing along so
\nthat they listen carefully to the notes.<\/p>\n
Talk about other sounds around you -- one good game is to sit
\nquietly in the garden and name the sounds you hear: cars, birds
\nsinging, bees humming and so on.<\/p>\n
Language<\/p>\n
The more time you spend talking to your child, the faster
\ntheir vocabulary will expand. Talk about what you are doing as
\nyou go about everyday tasks and they will soon begin to absorb
\nnew words and concepts. Even if your child is slow to talk, they
\nwill be 'filling away' the words you use and understand far more
\nthan what the child can say.<\/p>\n
Once talking, encourage them to describe their thoughts on
\nthings: \"Did you like that story?\" \"Why?\" \"What are buildings?\"
\n\"A castle?\" \"Who do you think lives in the castle?\" By listening
\nto them, you'll give the message that their ideas are valued,
\nwhich in turn will encourage them to voice their thoughts and
\nexpand their vocabulary.<\/p>\n
Concentration<\/p>\n
Young children often find it hard to concentrate for more than
\na few minutes, but concentration improves with age and practice.
\nChildren who are naturally quiet and enjoy passive activities
\noften concentrate better than those who are constantly on the go.<\/p>\n
If your child finds it hard to sit still, begin giving them an
\nenjoyable task -- such as painting or drawing -- in a quiet room
\nwith no distractions. Let them spend a few minutes on it. When
\nthe child tires, let them do something else, but next time
\nencourage them to spend just a little longer doing an activity.
\nBut remember, children are far more likely to concentrate if
\nthey are motivated. The task must be enjoyable and rewarding, or
\nthey will quickly lose interest.<\/p>\n
Problem Solving<\/p>\n
Most children enjoy problem solving, but are often thwarted by
\ngrown-ups who insist on doing things for them. While it may be
\nexpedient to help children with tasks, like dressing when you're
\nin a rush, try to make time to let them tackle as many new
\nchallenges as possible, and be patient while they learn by their
\nmistakes.<\/p>\n
If they really can't manage something, like opening a
\ncontainer, show them how it's done -- in stages. Then give it
\nback to them to try. Children who confidently tackle new problems
\nhave a head start when they start school.<\/p>\n
Confidence<\/p>\n
Even after children have developed the five key skills, the
\nmay still have troubles learning if they lack confidence. If they
\nare anxious about failing, they won't be able to concentrate when
\ntrying to learn.<\/p>\n
This is illustrated by a recent study involving a group of
\nfive year-olds who had just started school. They were split into
\nthree reading groups: one group was made to feel anxious by
\nensuring they failed a word-reading task, another group was made
\nto feel good by succeeding at the same task, and a third group
\nwasn't given the task at all. Then all the children were given a
\ngeneral educational test. Researchers found that those who were
\nmade to feel anxious scored the lowest.<\/p>\n
You can increase children's' confidence by tackling one
\nlearning step at a time, and giving them plenty of practice at
\neach stage. When choosing a new learning activity, pick one that
\nis more difficult than the one they have completed, but not so
\ndifficult that they will need a lot of help. Praise them and
\navoid comparing their progress with other children's; if children
\nfeel they aren't keeping up they become anxious or lose interest.<\/p>\n
Novita Tandry is director of Tumble Tots Preschool for
\nchildren from six months to seven years old, Blok M Plaza, South
\nJakarta.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/understanding-whats-inside-your-childs-head-1447893297",
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