Preschool is an important developmental stage in your preschooler’s learning journey, when your child will be exposed for the first time to ideas and concepts that he or she will build on for the rest of their schooling lives.
While preschool may still be too early for your child to formally hit the books, there remains much you can do by way of gentle introduction to words (languages), numbers (Mathematics) and how the world works (Science).
Games and activities can be a fun and effective way to do so, especially for Mathematics, as these concepts are easily applied to your child’s everyday environment and require relatively little set-up. It’s something we do at The Learning Lab for our students too, and if you’re looking for suggestions look no further than the 6 below.
One way we introduce Maths to students in our TLL Early Years classes is by having a Number of the Week. For example, if that number is three, before our young students come to class their teachers tell them to go around the house to search for three chairs, three cups or any other objects that come in trios.
This activity helps children become more familiar quickly with basic numerical concepts, and gives their nascent problem-solving skills a workout.
It’s also something that parents can easily replicate at home, and to mix things up you can even start a quick game of ‘I Spy’ (‘I Spy… three tables!’) with your child!
We also tap on games and activities to expose our students to other simple mathematical concepts such as length and weight.
The simplest of these involves getting students to compare two objects of differing length, such as pencils, so that they can see for themselves that ‘Pencil A is longer than Pencil B’ or ‘Pencil B is shorter than Pencil A’.
This is also a good foundation from which to move on to teaching students about measurements. Young children learn best through experiences, and such activities provide these experiences in a way that pictures in a book cannot. And once again, it’s an activity that you can do at any time with your child.
Of course, not everything can be fun and games in class and our students do have to tackle Maths questions. But what if we turned the solving of questions into a game? The options range from simple quizzes for the fastest thinkers or fingers, to fashioning a goal to complete a puzzle.
The latter involves giving students a puzzle piece for each question solved — to complete the puzzle they must answer all questions.
This little game gives students added incentive to solve the questions, gives them a greater sense of achievement when they do so, and trains two different skill sets simultaneously. You can put your own spin on this activity at home too, by substituting puzzle pieces for the letters of a new word you want to teach your child, for example.
This is an activity that teaches children how to count and hones their problem-solving skills. It is also an activity where parents have a distinct advantage over our teachers. Why so?
That’s because the in-class version amounts to an activity sheet with the picture of an open luggage bag and a second sheet of stickers featuring shoes, socks and clothes. Our teachers then ask students to “pack” three pairs of socks, two T-shirts and three shorts by sticking the corresponding stickers on the activity sheet.
The obvious limitation is that, even though toddlers learn best through lived experience and mimicking adults, our teachers cannot give each student a luggage bag of their own! As parents, however, you have everything you need at home: a bag and many clothes that belong to your child.
Another option you can consider is turning the learning of Maths into a veritable adventure. Our teachers utilise some role-playing elements in class but as parents you can really let your imagination run wild.
Your child is already the star of your story, but this is your opportunity to make them the star of a story you create for them (and teach Maths at the same time).
Conjure up for them a journey into the lands of Addition and Subtraction, and reward them for completing quest(ion)s as intrepid mathe-magicians. Not to mention, it’s a great way for you to bond with your child too!
Finally, you may also want to think of exposing your child to the concept of money by taking them along with you when you go shopping, perhaps at the supermarket.
Enlist their help by giving them a small budget and list of items to buy, and throw in a little reward for completion in the form of pocket money or a snack.
As a bonus, this could also be a good opportunity to start the conversation with your child over spending responsibly and saving for a rainy day — if they get 50 cents each time they help you out in this shopping activity, how long will it be until they’ve saved up enough to buy a packet of their favourite snack? You get the idea.
Find out more on how you can raise a money-smart child here with us.
Early childhood is a wonderful time for your child to absorb new information and concepts because the pure joy of learning has not yet been tempered by the pressure of deadlines and examinations.
Investing the time and effort to devise games and activities to enhance your child’s learning could be well worth the while.
At The Learning Lab, we believe in maximising your child’s preschool experience to build a strong foundation for future academic success. We do this through a holistic blend of rigorous course material and value-added classroom activities.
Click here to find out more about our holistic blend of rigorous course material and value-added classroom activities.
The Learning Lab is now at 8 locations. Find a location that suits your needs.
If you have any questions about our range of programmes or class schedules, you may contact us at 6733 8711 or drop us an email at enquiry@thelearninglab.com.sg.
The Learning Lab is now at 8 locations. Find a location that suits your needs.
If you have any questions about our range of programmes or class schedules, you may fill in the form below or contact us at 6733 8711 / enquiry@thelearninglab.com.sg.
(+65) 6733 8711
enquiry@thelearninglab.com.sg
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