All kids learn at their own pace, which means there’s no right or wrong speed at which they’re going to build up their skillset. However, you can’t and shouldn’t make them skip the steps during this process. After all, the foundation of knowledge and skills they create in childhood has to be strong enough to support additional levels of knowledge and skills as they grow up. Otherwise, the whole structure could crash. It’s always helpful for parents to know how kids develop thinking and learning skills so that they can foster them properly. That said, keep in mind the following.
Kids learn through their senses
From the very first day they arrive in this world, kids rely on their senses to act and react accordingly. When you think about it, babies will make the most out of different sensations such as touch, sight, sound, smell, and taste in order to make connections about what’s happening around them. Soon after, they’ll start to crawl, make sounds of their own, reach out to hold or grab things, move objects they grab, and so on. This is the natural process of acquiring the learning and thinking skills that strengthens the brain.
Therefore, it’s so important to let very young kids proceed with the activities they desire if you want their brain pathways to form without obstruction. It might seem a bit farfetched in the beginning, but these simple sense-powered actions will lead to the growing development of other skills such as language, movement, critical thinking, and so on.
Kids learn a lot through language
Language acquisition takes off between the age of 2 and 7. This is when kids learn their mother tongue instinctively, but their brain power can be increased simply by exposing them to more words and interesting stories. This is why it’s always beneficial to read or tell stories to your kids from an early age.
However, what many parents don’t know is that introducing a foreign language simultaneously to the natural acquisition of their native one can significantly improve the learning and thinking skills of a young child. There’s no reason to worry about kids getting confused from two different languages because this practice actually helps them rewire their brains so that they can recognize different structures easier and understand logic and reason a lot better. You can enroll your young child to a learning centre for young learners where classes and lessons are crafted to cater to the children’s age in particular. Spending time in a class with their peers will also boost the development of social skills, which typically remain a bit dormant during this childhood period.
Kids learn through logic and reasoning
As they grow older, and especially after the age of 7, kids start to understand the logic behind more abstract concepts and find connections in the world around them more efficiently. If we add boosted brainpower from early language learning, the whole process is bound to show more obvious results.
Essentially, logic and reasoning are an important part of critical but creative thinking, too. The development of these skills continues throughout the child’s teenage years as well. What’s more, abstract thinking that enforces the power of logic and reasoning is also important for the development of social skills. After all, thanks to the ability to recognize more abstract concepts in logic, kids also learn to recognize abstract concepts in people’s behavior. That way, children grow and develop to become kind and understanding humans, with a valuable circle of friends. As you can see, every building stone of thinking and learning skills fits perfectly with one another.
Kids learn through physical movement
Motor skills are also a very important part of proper brain development in kids. This is why it’s crucial that you encourage your kids to move and spend time outdoors from a very early age. Not only is fresh air very beneficial for young children, but the world they get to experience around them offers plenty of possibilities to get their brains running, making connections wherever applicable.
Remember that physical health for kids means better development of motoric skills, but getting active from early childhood also means experiencing the whole new world of skill-learning resources. Kids will use different things they find in nature to play with and boost their imagination, they’ll make friends with their peers on the playground, they’ll learn the importance of getting up when they fall, and so on.
As a parent, it’s paramount that you observe and listen to your child’s needs and actions. Every child moves forward at their own pace, with their own unique likes and interests growing together with them. The best thing you can do is to support them wholeheartedly in a way that suits their development speed and personality, without forcing anything more than they’re ready for.
