Teachers can show students real life applications to ideas and theories that they teach during the school day. Field trips are a fantastic way to implement these learning procedures. Whether it’s through a trip to the zoo to see animals in their natural habitat, or to a local library to read books, preschoolers can benefit exponentially from learning outside the classroom.

Not only do field trips outside the classroom enrich the curriculum, but they also expand preschoolers interests in different subject areas. It is vital that educators select age appropriate and safe activities that their students will love. One of the most exciting and exhilarating aspects of a field trip for students is the opportunity to go somewhere new and learn interesting factoids about specific subject areas.

• The local library is a fantastic way to get students immersed into the wonders of reading. Reading is a lifelong skill, and getting students excited about it at a young age is critical to developing a long lasting, positive relationship about it. It is important to allow preschoolers to have the freedom of exploration. Brain development at this stage of a 4-5 year-old is critical. By allowing students to choose their own books, they are in control of reading what interests and fascinates them the most. An alternative option is to have the librarian teach preschoolers how to find books on topics they’re interested in.
• The zoo is a great way to combine science and fun into one special day. Teaching students about habitat and animals is exciting for many young preschoolers. Additionally, zoology can be easily connected with environmental work and climate change. All of these topic areas are interdisciplinary and a great way to teach children about such important and prevalent work in the 21st century. This trip can also be done in conjunction with a trip to a park. Have parents pack a picnic for their children and enjoy the day outside. Also, who doesn’t love a great outdoor day trip with furry friends?
• A restaurant or bakery offers insight for how some of their favorite foods are made. There is plenty of cool and intriguing equipment for children to learn about like the giant freezer, commercial mixers, ovens, stoves, and many more. Not only is this a great way to teach preschoolers about the importance of where their food comes from, but it is also a great way to incorporate kitchen safety into their learning experience. Safety is a great way to integrate real life lessons into a field trip. This will leave both administrators and parents thrilled with the outcome.

Field trips are an essential component to applying classroom knowledge to the real world. This is a skill that these preschoolers will be able to implement for the rest of their lives. From the zoo, to the library, to a local restaurant or bakery, children will have an incredible time learning new skills and ideas in a new and exciting setting.

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The reality we have been living in is that of a highly competitive world: jobs are becoming each time more scarce, and the market is increasingly demanding a more skilled labor force. As a result, preparation since childhood has become more and more usual among parents’ mindset.

As far as this goes, elementary school and beyond are demanding students to be as more skilled than never, what leads to preschool programs being increasingly focused on getting children ready for this stake which has been put upon them, and to kindergartners often foregoing play-time in order to work on reading and writing.

However, it turns out that it is a profoundly complicated question whether pre-K really help kids perform better over their academic careers, and new research is published monthly on the effectiveness of preschool programs and the best curricula for young learners.

What Does the Latest Research Tell?

A research from Vanderbilt University trailed a group of thousands of students who were enrolled in universal preschool programs through third grade, and found out that those who attended the preschool program scored better on tests such as math and literacy, and that they were better prepared for kindergarten and had more positive interactions with their peers compared to those who didn’t attend preschool, as in accordance to what kindergarten teachers reported. These results were also shared by Headstart programs across the country.

An interesting observation to be made, in addition, is that both studies find preschool programs are highly relevant for children who come from low-income conditions or from immigrants families.

What Are the Implications to These Results

On the other hand, as in the first research students were assessed on achievement measures every spring, it was verified that, by the end of kindergarten, those who did not attend preschool caught up to those who did and, as if not enough, by the end of the third grade, children who did not attend preschool were scoring notably higher than those who did. Besides, the same case was observed for social skills: by the end of third grade, students were getting along with each other about the same, regardless of attending pre-K, while those who did attend pre-K had poorer work skills and more negative feelings about school, as reported by teachers.

What Other Studies Suggest

A longitudinal study trailed almost one million children in North Carolina who attended state-funded preschool programs from 1995 to 2010, being through fifth grade when they were initially followed by researchers. It was then found out that students who attended preschool scored better on reading and math tests throughout elementary school.

Where Lays the Difference

The key to what differs both researches seems to be on quality. That is, a high-quality curricula in preschool must include student-directed learning, open-ended play, physical activity and personal connections with teachers. Without these attributes, therefore, the positive effects of preschool are likely to fade in later school years.

In other words, in the Tennessee pre-K program, students spent 25 percent of each eight-hour day in transition between activities, with the most common learning activity being whole-group instruction, where one teacher lectured to the entire class, while only an average of 15 minutes per day were spent on the playground or in a gym.

However, students who took part in the North Carolina program experienced something quite different: infant day care with developmentally appropriate care through age 5, meeting the attributes for a high-quality curricula with low class sizes, plenty of time for free play and little whole-group instruction.

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Benefits of a Less-extensive Preschool Program

It is true that the the far-reaching North Carolina program showed great results over students’ lifetimes, but researches also points out that less extensive, high-quality pre-K programs are also able to produce positive outputs. An analysis revealed that preschools which had free play as their focus encourage literacy skills like recognizing letters and numbers, understanding the elements of spoken language, writing skills and remembering lists of sets of objects. Another meta-analysis suggested that children who attended preschool programs with an emphasis on social and emotional development were less likely to engage in antisocial behaviors like breaking the rules, physical aggression, cheating and stealing later in life.

What to Conclude of All This?

Preschools are really able to produce positive impacts on the lives of children all the way to adulthood. Nonetheless, certain details are required for these successful effects to flourish: strong bonds between students and teachers, student-directed learning, free play physical activity. These are the things which really matter.

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Fortunately, several aspects of mathematics can be found in everyday life, and can easily be incorporated into an education for preschoolers, without becoming too overwhelming or excessive. A prime example is shapes and the concept of space, that can eventually become very complex mathematical concepts, but at an introductory level, can be a fun and easy way for children to become introduced to mathematics.

Here are some easy ways to incorporate learning some basic mathematics in everyday life, according to naeyc.org:

• Recognizing and comparing different types of shapes: it’s important for children to become exposed to mathematics at an early age, and by teaching them to begin recognizing different types of shapes and concepts of space at earlier ages, they will transition into learning basic mathematics much easier.
• Identify Shapes – most children have already come in contact with shapes of various types, they just haven’t learned to properly identify them yet. Help them label certain basic shapes, such as triangles, rectangles, circles, and allow them to find and trace out these shapes themselves, so they can grow accustomed to them.

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• Differentiate between shapes using methods the children are already familiar with, such as colour. Teach them to outline or draw out all the equilateral triangles with red and the obtuse triangles with green, for example.
• Introduce new vocabulary – as the children are learning to identify and differentiate different shapes, encourage them to use the correct vocabulary to label their new learning. Not only will this new math vocabulary help them as they venture further into their education, but will also help them associate these new words with others, expanding their vocabulary as a whole. To help with this process, try and provide images or drawings that the children can associate with the words, to help them learn to associate the correct vocabulary with the images and objects they’re already familiar with. Make a math word wall or some other organisational system incorporating colours to make it easier for the kids to learn the words.

Copyright: Oksana Kuzmina

• Help them recognize the difference between 2-D and 3-D – although the concept of dimensions and space may be difficult to teach to kindergarteners, by teaching them and helping them recognize the differences between two dimensional and three dimensional objects, they can begin to comprehend and grasp the concept. Asking questions like “how is the piece of paper different from the book?”, can help the children realize the differences that lie in the dimensional space of objects. A fun activity can also be to make imprints of three-dimensional objects on paper, using paint. This would allow the children to realize that there is a 2-D and a 3-D version of the same object.
• Find examples in real life – the best possible way to teach new concepts is to draw inspiration from examples children encounter in everyday activities. Encourage the children to find shapes and identify them in different settings, whether it be at home, in the classroom, or outdoors, and congratulate and reward them once they successfully label a shape. As they progress, encourage the use of correct vocabulary, and further develop onto their current knowledge base to help them grow as learners. For example, take your child on a walk in the park, and as you pass by a pole, ask them what shape it is, and whether or not they think it’s 2-D or 3-D, and ask them to justify their answer. Applications in real life situations will also help children learn the relevance and importance of learning mathematics, and even help instil an appreciation for learning at an early age.

Copyright: Oksana Kuzmina

• Make learning fun! Introduce as many games and activities as possible involving shapes and dimensions to make learning new, and potentially daunting, concepts enjoyable for your child! It’s easy to incorporate shapes into already known games, such as the hokey pokey, only now teach the children to put in different shapes into the circle instead of their arms and legs, and while doing so, ask them to state the names of the different shapes (encouraging them to use and expand their vocabulary). Shape guessing games, playing with geobands, and shape puzzles, are only a few of the many other games you could play that incorporate learning.
•  Let the kids create and design their own shapes! Shapes provide a prime opportunity to aid in the development of creativity and innovation, and in doing so, give the children a sense of autonomy and control over their education, in turn making them more appreciative and engaged in learning the subject matter. Making shapes, deconstructing them, and experimenting with drawing shapes versus creating them out of solid matter, can all help children better grasp the concepts of basic geometry and mathematics.

Although it may appear daunting to introduce mathematics to children at such a young age, concepts like shapes and space can be easily and seamlessly taught and incorporated into preschool learning, and can better provide children with a basis for their educational development later on.

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When it comes to the pleasure of spending time swiping phone or tablet screens, toddlers and pre-schoolers are no exceptions to adults in today’s digital-focused world. It is safe to say that toddlers and preschool-aged children spend more time swiping screens than turning pages in books. Luckily, this development doesn’t have to be all bad news; the right educational applications can have a very positive impact on children’s interactions and learning. So, how to find the most child-friendly and most educational apps online?

Copyright: Yury Kozlov

Here are the 10 apps we think are fun, educational helpful, engaging and appropriate to be explored by toddlers and pre-schoolers:

1.  Peg + Cat Big Gig

The app features the characters Peg and Cat who dance and sing along to easy math exercises such as counting up and down. Through singing, children learn to count, identify numbers and repeat patterns.

2.  Monkey Preschool Lunchbox

Pre-schoolers are entertained by helping the monkey to fill up its lunchbox with healthy food. The Monkey Preschool Lunchbox app aims to introduce letters, shapes, patterns and colours by asking the children to solve puzzles, match pictures of fruits.

3.  A Parcel of Courage

A Parcel of Courage focuses on the story of a family who help their grandmother in overcoming her fear of flying. This interactive book app combines story telling with solving story-based games. The four games provide educational activities by enhancing pre-schoolers’ working memory, eye-hand combination, and listening and problem-solving skills.

4.    AlphaTots Alphabet

The app focuses on 26 action verbs that help toddlers learn the alphabet. Alphabet sing-a-longs and puzzles are two examples which the app uses to keep toddlers’ interested and encourage them to learn letters on their own.

5.  LEGO ® App4+

Children can create their own truck and have to move it around a bumpy track to collect coins that unlock more parts of the game. Targeting kids between the age of four and seven, the LEGO App4+ is a game that helps to improve imagination and building skill.

Copyright: Twin Design

6.  Hoopa City

The app features the Hippo names Hoopa who needs help to construct cities. Hoopa City is designed for pre-school children who have to combine elements in order to create houses, streets and gardens to ultimately. By using their imagination, children enhance their problem-solving skills in this interactive kids role-play.

7.  Alphabet Flashcards

Alphabet Flashcards is an app that supports pre-schoolers to learn the alphabet by using digital flashcards. The flashcards show images of a word that begins with the chosen letter and children can also listen to the sound of the letter if they like.

8.  Preschool Arcade

The Preschool Arcade app will make children feel as if they were at the boardwalk. The four educational games feature an ABC Invasion, Pinball 123, Claw-Crane Matching, and a Whack-a-Mole. While the games help to learn basic counting and the alphabet, kids will be drawn to the animations and sound effects.

9.  Sago Mini Road Trip

Choosing between six destinations, the app allows children to enjoy their own road trip from packing a suitcase, choosing a car and stopping for petrol or a car wash on the way. The game is aimed at toddlers at the age of two to four years and enhances their creativity skills.

10.  The Monster at the End of This Book

All children who enjoy Sesame Street will love this interactive app book which is a recreation of the classic picture book. The character Grover asks children to untie ropes, knock down brick walls and tickle Grover. The app offers a way to begin a children friendly conversation about emotions and fears by focusing on the monster at the end of the book.

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Learn Through Play

It seems that digital games on tables and smartphones were tailored-made for toddlers: easy to use, inviting animations and simple swipe instructions that have the ability to engage children for long times. But in the end, it’s not good for children to spend unlimited time in front of these apps. Recommendations made by the American Academy of Pediatric advise parents to limit the screen time for children to one or two hours a day and to schedule lots of outdoor activities.      

The Academy also gives the advice to allow plenty of time for unstructured game activities during the day and to ensure that children are entertained when using apps. This is due to the risk that children get bored or lose interest in the activity when parents leave them with too many pieces of information. After all, the apps aim is to give children the chance to learn through play.

American Academy of Pediatric study.

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