PREOPERATIONAL THINKING
According to Jean Piaget the ages between
two and seven are preoperational
Four, five, and six year olds think of only their
activities and what they perceive in the moment
Learn from symbols – objects and words can
represent something
Learn from make believe
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Fantasy or Dramatic Play
Imitate real life situations
They have an egocentric viewpoint
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View the world in terms of their own thoughts and
feelings
Limited Focus
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Focus on one thing at a time
What is intelligence
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At this age children learn to read and count
Bases for the rest of their school years
Alfred Binet developed the first intelligence test
Lewis M. Terman for Stanford Univ. made some major
revisions to it
Stanford-Binet common intelligence test given today
Terman created a mathematical formula that could be
used to give a child’s intelligence a number value.
IQ- number obtained by comparing a persons test
results to that of students the same age
Average IQ is 90 to 110
Negative effects of IQ tests
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You cannot get an accurate measure of a child’s
mental ability. It only measures one kind of mental
ability, ignoring others
Factors can influence the test. Sick child
Test don’t reflect specific abilities or strengths and
weaknesses.
Multiple Intelligences
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Howard Gardner has issued a new way of looking
at intelligences
There are many different ways of using the mind
and body to experience the world
Activity
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You will be assigned one type of intelligence
Explain the learning type
Give examples of activities
List famous people that exhibit that type of
intelligence
August Rush
Multiple Intelligence
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Verbal Linguistic- language, learn best through words
Logical Mathematical-arithmetic and science. Find
patterns to connect facts and observations
Visual Spatial- drawing, construction. Learn through
pictures and colors
Musical-rhythm and sounds
Bodily-kinesthetic- moving the body through space
Interpersonal- social skills, good communicator
Intrapersonal-more private less social, strong will and
independent, prefers to play alone
Naturalistic-plants, animals, process of nature,outdoors
Helping Children Learn
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Excited to learn
Talk about everyday life
Talk to them about what they are doing “Wow that is a
long race track you are building”
Explanations and suggestions are helpful “Instead of
lifting the basket of toys, try pushing it.”
Ask a child for their advice “Which shoe looks better
with this skirt”
Trips and activities
Nature walks
Helping Children Learn
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Helping around the house – strengthens the family
bond, develops responsibility, maturity and
independence
Curious about their bodies and where babies come
from. Answer in simple terms they can understand
Appreciate Reading
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Children who enjoy reading will find learning to be
easier
Books, open up the world and the people in it, to
children.
Phonemes- the ability to hear the individual sounds in
words
Rhyming words and books will help
Alphabet Book
Chubby Cheeks
Polar Bear
Appreciate Reading
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Alliteration – words that begin with the same sound
Alphabet books are a good example
Once children have learned the sound they can
connect the letter to it.
Bilingual children pick up reading a new language
easier. They understand that words have a
meaning behind them.
Choose Books
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Young children love books, so we want to keep them
reading as they grow older
Library
4-6 year olds like books that are about experiences
different from their own.
Enjoy humor, funny rhymes and unusual situations.
Guidelines for Choosing Books
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Are pictures colorful and
easy to understand?
Will the story appeal to
the Childs interest?
Does the story include
action that will hold the
child’s interest?
If you are considering
buying the book, is it
make will to stand up
under hard use?
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Will the child
understand most to the
words?
Does the book use
descriptive language
that brings the story
alive?
Is the story short enough
to read in one sitting?
Introducing Art and Music
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Express feelings
Creative
Use a variety of materials
Encourage children to
experiment with art
materials
Don’t criticize or correct
work
Experience the creativity
rather then the end
product
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3-6 year olds enjoy
rhythm games and singing
simple repetitive songs
Finger plays, chants are
popular
Give children the
opportunity to play
instruments
Pots, pans, and spoons can
be used as instruments
Five Little Frogs
The school experience
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Positive attitude from
the start
Smooth transition from
home to school
Start with preschool
Enter kindergarten at
age 5
Required physical
exam and
immunizations
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Kindergarten can be a
major adjustment for
children
School is large with
many children in it at
various ages
School bus
Making the Transition
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Name, address, and telephone number
Visit the school, or explain what to expect
Plenty of rest
Choose a backpack and a lunch box. Pick out new
clothes and school supplies
Positive attitude
Ask the Experts
Page 95
Speech Development
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By the time a child enters kindergarten all the basic
language forms have been formed
Children can use nouns, verbs, and adjectives to
form a sentence they just haven’t learned to label
those words yet.
6 year olds understand approximately 2,500 words
Articulation has improved to saying approximately
90% of words correct
Speech Development
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Improvement in speech comes with physical
development
B,M, P are produced be moving only the lips – 3
years
F and V involve the lips and teeth – 5 years
J, ch, st, pl, and sl are produced by the lips, tongue
and throat muscles – 6 or 7 years
Speech Difficulties
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Most develop good language skills at home
Provide children with rich language in detail
 Go
– jog, race, creep
 Big
 Pretty
 Fast
 Good
Speech Difficulties
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Children who speak a language other then English
at home
Children who move to different parts of the country
may have problems with different pronunciations
Physical problems
Emotionally immature
Speech difficulties can make it hard for children at
school, get help before they enter.
Review
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What is the extent of an average six year olds
vocabulary?
Why are sounds represented by j, ch, st, pl, and sl
the most difficult for children to make?
What are some problems that may cause speech
difficulties in children?
Children with Special Needs
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Learning Disability
Unusually high
intelligence
Learning Disability
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A problem in a person’s mental processes that
prevents him or her from learning in a normal way
Difficulty mastering academic work
Development is uneven, unlike that of others
Learning problems are not due to living in a
disadvantaged environment
Learning problems are not due to mental or
emotional problems
Learning Disability
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Physical handicaps such as blindness is not a
learning disability
Learning disabilities result from problems in how the
brain works
6 to 10% off all children have a learning disability
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder
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A child who cannot control his or her activity or
concentrate for a normal length of time
Often fail to finish what they started
Don’t seem to listen
Easily distracted
Difficulty staying in their seat
May lack emotional control
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder
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Caused by an imbalance of chemicals in the brain
Linked to heredity
Linked to environment – taking drugs during
pregnancy
The only true way to determine if a child is ADHD is
to have a brain scan – very expensive
Medications available – controversial
Teach learning techniques that help them change
their behavior and relax
Dyslexia
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A problem that prevents a person from
understanding printed symbols in a normal way
The brain does not process some visual information
normally
These kids are often intelligent but may have
problems in reading, writing, and math
May have problems with left and right
Dyslexia
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Children with dyslexia will need special help
Use a phonics approach when teaching reading
http://www.bing.com/images/search?q=Dyslexia+
What+They+See&FORM=HDRSC2
Children with learning disabilities can learn, but
they need a special approach specific to their
needs.
Parent involvement
Gifted and Talented Children
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3 to 10% of students are gifted
Students who have unusual intelligence or a special
talent in a gifted area
These students need recognition and acceptance,
they need challenging activities
Benefit from playing with a variety of children but
also need time with other gifted learners
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Gifted and Talented Children
Gifted and Talented Children
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Avoid overwhelming children with unreasonable
expectations
They need opportunities to explore their gifts
These children can become bored and frustrated
May be labeled as behavior problems because they
don’t follow classroom procedures
They like to argue and give unexpected answers to
questions
Some become poor students because they are not
challenged
Gifted and Talented Children
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Some schools have special programs for these kidsTAG
Special Schools
Most gifted or talented children show signs b age
two. They may talk early using complete sentences,
unusually large vocabulary, read before starting
school
Curious and ask challenging questions