Preschool Children’s Learning Styles
What do we mean by learning styles? If you could still recall, in some of our previous articles, we did establish that based on the observations about preschool child learning, certain theories have been put forward as the key to facilitating preschool child’s learning.
Those theories have been inferred from a wide range of informal activities which have been found to have worked and are working with the children at the preschool.
Learning style is therefore a term that describes these activities and strategies through which children learn. These shall be identified and highlighted in the next few sub-sections in this unit.
Learning through Exploration, Experimentation, and Discovery
The preschool child’s first style of learning is usually through exploration, experimentation, and discovery. In experimentation, exploration, and discovery, the young child learns about his environment. In other words, he learns about what theories are and what they do.
The preschool child, therefore, needs to be provided with different types of materials and facilities, such as will encourage him to explore, experiment, and discover things by himself. Toys and games come in handy at this stage. It is also important that the child be given freedom.
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This implies that the teaching approach to these preschool children should not be rigid or restrictive. They should be allowed free observation, free play, free speech, free choice of toys, and what to learn at a particular moment.
Learning through Rhymes, Songs, Questions, and Anecdotes
This learning style could help make the preschool child’s experiences more meaningful and more comprehensive enough to him.
Learning through rhymes, songs, questions, and anecdotes is facilitated through what has been described as “referential association”.
This learning style requires that we make information items meaningful to the preschool child using some of the ‘meaning-fostering’ techniques like the Question Technique and the Anecdote Technique.
The Question technique is described as one by which questions are used in teaching to evoke thinking associated with problem-solving. The Anecdote technique on the other hand is described as one in which meaningful stories are woven around the learning task.
Rhymes and songs will help the preschool child add new perceptions and information items to his previous body of experience and this makes new events and experiences more meaningful. This will in turn aid the preschool child’s learning.
Children Learn through Playing
By now, you must have recognized that children learn best when they are playing. In play activities, the preschool child should be allowed a free choice of play items and play materials. This is very crucial to the idea of developing confidence in self through play.
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Preschool children should be allowed to play with water, sand, and with clay. This means that their programs should include measuring water, floating pieces of wood and paperpaperishwater; provision sand trays on which the preschool child can play freely, trace freely, and draw freely.
In summary, preschool children should therefore be made to learn in freedom and to regard the preschool institution as a second home.
Play and learning are inseparable concepts in early childhood education. Play-based learning offers significant gains both for the first preschool pupils and teachers.
Preschool children’s learning styles consist of activities that facilitate learning informally among preschool pupils.
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