Hands-on learning at daycare centers offers a variety of benefits for your little one. He or she is given valuable opportunities for growth and development which would not be available anywhere else. This is a crucial stage in your child’s life and can influence him or her for years to come. Early education needs to be fun and interactive for children. Their senses should be fully engaged, and they should be utilizing a variety of new and developing skills.
Hands-on learning is the best way to enhance your child’s learning and development, while also ensuring that they enjoy themselves! We don’t believe that children should passively sit through their early learning experiences. Your little one deserves the best, and the best comes with hands-on learning.
What is Hands-On Learning and What are Some of its Benefits?
Hands-on learning encourages children to be active participants in their own learning experiences. In the classroom, they work with various materials and objects, discovering and exploring as they go. They move around the classroom and the playground, and they interact with their peers.
The job of the teacher also changes. He or she becomes a facilitator in the learning experiences, rather than just standing in front of the class giving instructions to the children. The teacher gives guidance with questions and suggestions, rather than forcing by giving orders. Instead of the teacher telling the children how to paint a wooden block, the teacher might ask questions such as “how could you make the block colorful?” or “what object can you paint with?” The child becomes a responsible participant in their own learning.
Children discover and learn best through movement and their senses. A child’s curiosity and eagerness also drive this process. At Providence Children’s Academy, our hands-on, curriculum-based methodology turns every activity, exercise or game into an exciting learning opportunity. With this multi-faceted and interactive approach, kids become self-motivated lifelong learners and explorers.
What are Some Different Hands-On Learning Activities?
A good hands-on classroom activity will require your child’s concentration and their imagination. It will involve all their senses and promote development. At a state of the art preschool, hands-on learning can be facilitated in many ways. Children should be able to play, dance, smell, create, speak and listen.
Using art in the classroom is a wonderful way for children to explore and discover. Assorted items such as crayons, paints and recycled materials help them use their creativity and express themselves. Objects as simple as blocks made from varied materials (wood, plastic or felt, for example) allow for important open-ended play and discovery. Children can work together while negotiating, sharing and creating. During daycare, children should be allowed to work without specific instructions from teachers. This does not inhibit the learning process. If anything, it enhances it!
With items such as building blocks, children learn vital skills, including problem-solving and interacting with others, as well as divergent thinking. The foundations for math and physics are also set as children grapple with a variety of objects and materials. That hanging mobile that your little one made from flowers was not just a pretty addition to your living room. It was also a chance for him or her to work on a range of skills.
Children develop and learn by exploring, playing and interacting with anything and everything around them. Daycare centers facilitate these invaluable experiences and promote healthy, enriching learning environments. In a hands-on learning environment, children gain emotional, social and academic development which they would not be able to achieve if they weren’t at a quality daycare center. Both fine and gross motor skills are also built as children engage with the world around them and teachers facilitate these interactions. Give your little one the best education and put your hands up for hands-on!