MIND-BLOWING FACTS ABOUT PSYCHOLOGY IN CHILDREN PART 2

 You may not know these as a parent.

Playing with blocks increases neuron count in children

Schools are endangering a student’s creative intelligence when they replace all scheduled playtime with academic study. As the trend moves more towards structuring a curriculum that teaches to a standardized test, psychologists who study play are screaming that this is the wrong move.

In a Community Playthings article about the wisdom of play, researchers note that something as simple as toy blocks can have incredible impacts on a young student’s mind. Even with 15 minutes of free play, children will use some of that time learning about mathematical and spatial principles. Blocks, one of the simplest and longstanding toys, teach geometry, patterns, shapes, colors, and physics.

Even high-tech industries like NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory take into consideration a person’s background of play when they are hiring new scientists. This is because research shows that children who have ample opportunity to play and manipulate the environment creatively, will be the most innovative and original thinkers as adults.

 

7. Teaching kids at a very early age is counterproductive to their learning

What is more beneficial–to teach a child how to use an object, or to allow them to explore the object without direct instruction? The research outlined in Alison Gopnik’s article on Slate (dot) com gives us some startling facts.

When children in a controlled study were given a toy that did multiple things like squeaking, play music, etc., the children who had a teacher instructing them on how the toy worked did not explore it further than the directions given by the adult. However, the students who were given the toy with no specific instructions discovered the way it worked, as well as several different other mechanisms that weren’t immediately obvious.

Psychologists are drawing the conclusion that early academic learning structured around directive teaching not only inhibits creativity, but stunts a child’s natural curiosity to discover how the world works.

 8. Music and movement augment children’s language capabilities during the preschool years

Music has a calming effect on children and adults alike. Though much of modern education focuses primarily on visual sight for learning, the auditory processes are critically important for language acquisition. The younger the child, the more important music becomes.

Children who engage in music from a young age have a more finely tuned ability to speak and communicate

For example, when children learn nursery rhymes that are set to a steady beat; they learn to appreciate the pacing of words and how to speak more clearly. Songs that are taught for the purposes of remembering routines (like cleaning up or going to bed) activate the part of the memory that is used when memorizing sight words and other rote principles.

Research shows that children who engage in music from a young age have a more finely tuned ability to speak and communicate. Music must continue to be a part of a young child’s learning environment.

 

9. Green spaces or natural backyards elevate children’s learning through discovery

How important is it for children to play and interact with the great outdoors? Does it really make a difference in the educational process? The research says yes. Not only is it critical for children to have time to play outside, but the type of outdoor environment is important as well.

Research documented in Colorado University’s Journal of Children, Youth, and Environments noted that students who were given access to green woodlands, ponds, and other natural habitats had an increase in social cooperation and creativity, as opposed to the children who were given an asphalt yard with a jungle gym.

Not only did the student’s enjoy the environment more, but the teachers also incorporated the outdoor area into their formalized curriculum. It became a place to learn about ecosystems, science, gardening, and preserving the Earth.

The more natural and open the environment, the greater the invitation for discovery through curiosity.

 

10. Drama and comedy in the classroom encourage children to listen and participate

Teachers are constantly thinking about new and innovative ways to encourage active participation with their students. An engaged child is one who is more likely to absorb information, retain it, and make real-life associations with the knowledge.

In order to engage students, several activities or processes need to be present. In Beyond the Journal, authors and educators Judy R. Jablon and Michael Wilkinson outline the following:

Some prior understanding or knowledge of the material

An environment that fosters questions and investigation

The ability to work in a group or collaborative setting

Offering multiple choices so students can be self-directed

Independent thinking

Games, drama, and humor

It might not come as a surprise, but laughter is a great indicator of engagement. Just like tears or anger, it is a vibrancy of emotion that shows a student’s entire mind and feelings are engaged in the activity.

 

11. Children who construct their own video games experience increased cognitive and social growth

In a primitive society, children learned necessary survival skills by mimicking their elders. It was essentially, learning in action. In modern times, academics are often taught rather than “shown”- removing this type of opportunity from the educational process.

However, research outlined in the Lookstein Online Journal indicates that children show cognitive growth when they are given the task of creating their own video game. In order to develop such a game, students must use prior knowledge, create links between scenes, and take control of their learning through trial and error.

In essence, it is another way to create and active learning environment similar to ancient history. Children must use logic, survival skills, and generate new ideas and solutions in order to complete the game.

 

12. Interest areas in the classroom promote a child’s autonomy and choice making

When children catalog an experience in their minds, research shows that they are more apt to remember the place or location, than the person or thing. This acute sensitivity to detail is one of the main reasons that architects and educators should pay careful attention to the types of spaces they are designing for classrooms.

According to the Undergraduate Research Journal for the Human Sciences, Jaclynn Shaw, of Kansas State University reports that children have four major needs while in their learning environment; the ability to move around the space, the ability to engage all five senses, the need to feel a sense of confidence, safety, and success, and a level of independence and control. One way to accomplish this is through interest areas.

Interest areas are different sections in the classroom that focus on a certain skillset or study; science, social collaboration, art, reading, etc. When the students are paired in groups and given the chance to move from area to area, it helps foster a sense of control.

They get to make choices, move in the classroom, and explore independently. These skills build confidence in young students.