Young Children’s Thinking Skills

Young children ages three to six are capable of making thoughtful decisions about their behaviour and keen observations about their environment.  Increasingly, today’s early childhood educators are beginning to shift their focus from academic skills such as reading and mathematics to broader thinking abilities. Many have realized that the foundation upon which children learn to make decisions, regulate their own behaviour, meet complex challenges, and take responsibility for their actions is the ability to think.  Research shows that meta-cognition – higher level thinking and problem-solving skills – develops when children are encouraged to plan, predict, pose questions and ponder. Following are some ways to develop young children’s metacognition:

1. Make planning a regular part of your day
   
   Have the child plan what he intends to do on that day.  He will begin to think in terms of what he wants to do and how to carry it out.  Be sure that it is contextual and not contrived.  It must be personally meaningful to the child.
   
   
2. Ask children questions
   
   Be an interested adult - ask open-ended questions to seek genuine information about his plans and how he intends to carry them out.  E.g. “How do you intend to make a playground for your mealworm?”  Questions about what a child did to obtain trivial information should be asked sparingly.
   
   
3. Listen attentively to children’s plans
   
   Be as interactive as possible.  We need to share conversations with our children, avoid directing them.  By listening actively to what they have to say, we will be able to advise them how to elaborate their ideas and provide alternatives to resolve their questions.  This exchange of viewpoints will add dimension to his perception.
   
   
4. Support, accept, and extend all the ways children express their plans
   
   Never force your child to express his plans in a certain way.  Do bear in mind that it is your child’s ideas, he needs your acceptance to realize his competence.  He needs to learn to have more confidence in his own decision-making.
   
   
5. Write down your children’s plans
   
   When we record our children’s ideas, they get the message that their ideas are valuable. You could key in your child’s suggestions of what he intends to do when he visits Dolphin Lagoon.  Documentation includes drawing, writing and photography.  This will enable our children to be more conscious of the process and value of planning.
   
   
6. Praise is NOT the only way to support children’s learning
   
   Praise sometimes puts an end to further interaction since it is affirming.  It cuts off the possibilities for children to elaborate their plans.  When we remain silent, some children who are used to being praised may be discouraged by the lack of affirmation from the adult.  Other strategies include listening, asking questions, commenting and recording their ideas.

(Part of this article is adapted from Ann Epstein’s “How Planning and Reflection Develop Young Children’s thinking skills”, 2003)