In this post we will switch gears to cognitive development from language development. We will be looking at the area of learning, Math, with two of the components with their learning expectations and performance indicators. Remember I am taking my information from the Tennessee Early Learning Developmental Standards (TN-ELDS).
The first component we will discuss is Numbers. The first learning expectation for this component is: Continues to build understanding of quantity and size. Its performance indicator is: Makes requests for "more" in a variety of situations; begins to compare size by using words such as big, little, small. This learning expectation and performance indicator assume a great deal of previous exposure which many children do not receive. While the concept of "more" and asking for "more" is probably one of the first lessons American children learn, comparing size can be an entirely different matter. They might understand one is bigger than the other, but many children do not have the language background to assign the right word to the comparison at this age. This is one of the first areas I begin to work on when they come in the door and sometimes 3 and 4 year olds do not have the language understanding to assign the right word to comparisons. You cannot assume children will pick this up from everyday conversation anymore. You must show them big, little, and small if you want them to actually know what these words mean.
The second learning expectation for the component Numbers is: Begins to count by rote. The performance indicator for this one is: Participates in songs and finger plays involving counting. Some children in this country get exposure to songs and finger plays that teach rote counting and some do not. Those that have previous experience do participate in these types of songs during group times or at home. Those that do not have previous experience with these types of songs usually pay no attention, act out, or do other things while you are singing such songs. Exposure, exposure, exposure to these types of songs cannot be overstated. Once a child becomes familiar with these types of songs, it becomes incredibly easier to get them to participate. Make sure that children see and hear you, the adult, count a lot whether it is in songs, finger plays, or just plain old counting objects. Rote counting is learned by modeling.
Now we will move on to the next component - Patterns. The learning expectation for this component is: Continues to understand the relationship between objects, solving simple jigsaw puzzles and matching similar objects. The first performance indicator for this one is: Completes 3-4 piece puzzles. Again, this assumes a great deal of previous experience that many many children do not get today. Trying to get some children to do puzzles can be downright difficult. Even the chunky puzzles can be a challenge for this age group when they have never tried to do puzzles before this point. Some of the problem stems from immature fine motor skills for many children these days. The type of play that developed fine motor skills in previous generations has been traded for screen time, and our children are paying a heavy price for it. Puzzles is one of those things that develops fine motor skills, spatial sense, among a host of other things. They are important. The hissy fits over puzzles became so bad at my childcare that I had to make puzzles a lesson unto themselves. It took months to get some children to develop skill with puzzles and believe me, the wailing and gnashing of teeth that ensued when I handed out puzzles for group time was unbelievable. I still have puzzles as one of my rotating lessons because they touch on not only academic skills, but they also work some character issues that children seem to have lost nowadays as well. Puzzles take attention, patience, persistence, etc, which are all character traits some adults nowadays do not have.
The last performance indicator we will cover in this post is: Begins to point out the differences in objects rather than the similarities. This performance indicator assumes that children point out the similarities. Some children do notice similarities at this age and some do not. Some children have a hard time noticing much of anything. I have noticed a serious uptick in children with focusing issues and attention problems. In order to notice similarities and differences, a child must be able to focus and pay attention. Of course, this is also something that can be improved with practice. If you have children that tend not to notice much of anything, begin to point out similarities first, and when they conquer similarities, begin to point out differences. Some children do not understand that paying attention to detail is even necessary. Until you begin to point this out to them, they just plod through life in their own little world. This is yet another area gravely affected by lack of play and too much screen time. Children used to notice everything and some still do. Sadly, more and more children notice very little of their surroundings until you begin to open their eyes to the world around them.
I hope you have enjoyed this post. Goodbye and God bless!!
Check out Natalie's children's books at: https://www.amazon.com/author/nataliewade7457
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