Familiarity

Very young children feel comfortable and are able to relax when they are familiar with the people looking after them. They respond to a regular routine. This will not be the same for any one family or indeed for any on child. However, it is a routine which will have been established and one which will allow children to know where they are. At this very young age, many children feel threatened by any disruption to this familiar pattern.

Obviously, however, as children get older, they need to be able to cope with changes to this familiarity. They need to learn to accept many unfamiliar places, people situations and objects as non-threatening, whilst recognizing that some others pose a threat. As children become more adept at using their senses, their family world will expand dramatically and they will gradually develop a more realistic view of what is and what is not safe.

Developing Awareness

Helping a child to be more aware of what is going on around him is very helpful in helping him to acquire general learning skills. Being ware is the cornerstone to all learning. It leads to a growing curiosity and a desire to find out more.
An initial concentration on the senses is an appropriate and easy way to introduce young children to the world and all it has to offer. Careful explanations will have their place later on, but it is much easier for a young child to learn by actively using parts of his body to explore what is happening. By concentration carefully on the senses, children can be encouraged to become increasingly aware of the delights, peculiarities and dangers that surround them.
This will lead to a greater understanding of what things mean and how of they should respond in different circumstances. The delights of the world are there to be enjoyed but when their senses are alerted to peculiarities, could suggest that they should be cautious or it could just be a new learning opportunity. When their senses tell them that something is completely out of the ordinary, this generally indicates danger and the need to react immediately to avert disaster.

Hearing game

Stand behind you child, or if you know that the temptation to turn around will be too strong, blindfold him and make several noises, it turn, for him to identify. Simple sounds include a baby’s rattle, a bell, the jingling of coins, tearing paper, brushing the floor, a tap running and so on.

Seeing games

Gather together a few objects which are each big enough to be partially covered with a cloth, such as tray, a book, a cardigan, a sock, a fork, a mug and so on. Before playing the game, partially cover each object so that it is not too easily identified and then ask your child to guess what each object is just by looking at the part he can see.
Put a large collection of different objects together on a tray so that they are arranged in a fairly random manner and partially cover one another. Know what the objects are and how many you have and ask your child to identify as many as he can without moving anything on the tray.

Looking at their bodies

Start by showing child what various parts of his body do, in order for him to understand that while movements are related to legs, arms, and joints, the senses are related to eyes, ears, finger tips, noses and tongues. Encourage him to join in, by playing a game such as ‘Simon says’. This will help him to realize which part of his body he is using to copy your movements.

Parts which make you move – legs and arms
Walk slowly backwards and forwards, run on the spot, wave and clap.

Other parts which make you bend and move - knee, elbow, spine
Kneel down, pretend to shake hands with someone and curl up in a ball.

The part which makes you see
Wink with one eye and blink with two.

The part which makes you hear
Pretend to be ‘cupping’ your ear in order to hear.

The part with which you can touch
Tap the table lightly with finger tips, pretend to stroke a cat’s fur, and pretend to be walking in sticky mud.

The part with which you can smell
Pretend to be smelling rose; hold your nose as you pretend to smell an unpleasant smell.

Why are the senses important in helping your child to learn?

For young children, the world must seem a very complex and strange place. They have very limited experiences and everything is new and potentially frightening. To change this fear into curiosity and excitement, children need to be helped to understand what is going on - what is possibly a threat and what is completely natural. This is where the senses come in as an invaluable aid. This is particularly true for children whose speech is limited when very young and who cannot express themselves clearly or understand other people’s explanations.

Concentration

Learning anything new takes time and effort and careful concentration is essential. Consider trying to learn how to ride a bike for the first time. You have to be able to balance on two narrow wheels, control both your feet on the pedals, steer and keep a careful lookout all at the same time. If you begin to think about something else, you are immediately in trouble and start to wobble as a prelude to falling off!! Now think about learning how to write. You have to hold the pencil correctly, remember where to start writing and in which direction, where to begin writing individual letters and what you want to say – again, all at once. Without concentration, you are lost! Developing concentration is a slow process as young children can only concentrate for a short time on a formal task. The beauty of this ‘every situation’ learning is that children are concentration and thinking, often without really realizing it. You will be developing concentration naturally.

How can you help your children to develop important learning skills?

You can encourage development of the important learning skills by making the most of everyday experiences. You should be encouraging you child to look at the world in a new light, noticing more and more and thinking again about familiar experiences. By asking questions about why things are happening, you will be introducing your child to the idea of discussing ideas, contributing thoughts and listening carefully to explanations. You aim is to get to a position where your child is pointing things out to you, rather than the other way round. He will then have become very aware of everything that is going on around him and will be keen to show you what he has noticed. If you have managed to excite him to the stage where he wants to know why things are the way they are or why and how things happen. You will have put him well on the way towards effective learning.

Discussion skills – Communicating and Listening – Memory

To make the most of new learning experiences, children need to be able to ask questions, listen to answers and ask follow-up questions, which can lead to a productive discussion. The more they are exposed to situations which make them think, the easier they will find this. To encourage listening skills and to help your child to understand and remember, it is very important to give simple, clear explanations. Try to link new experiences to existing knowledge wherever possible, for example, describing a ship’s anchor in terms of a dog lead which prevents a dog from running away from its owner. It is also important for children to speak for themselves at every opportunity if they are to be able to develop good discussion skills.