When it comes to preschool learners, there is not much difference between them and their older counterparts. Professional educators follow learning laws when creating courses and preparing instructions. We can use some of these to teach our children.
Learning laws are similar to the laws of physics. They are tested and proven theories that show effective ways of learning. Using these can help us to create a proper foundation for our preschoolers before they learn from somewhere else.
There are certain things that are important to us as parents and we want our children to know the “right†way something is done. To do this best, we need to be the first person to teach them and reinforce the idea over and over.
The first law I want to discuss is the Learning Law of Primacy. This states that the first thing we learn or hear sets the foundation for the topic. For example, my father is a die-hard democrat. He constantly discussed why they are better over the years. As I grew up, this became my foundation. It was not until adulthood that I started to venture off on my own and study the views of all the political parties and make a choice for myself.
The same is probably true for lots of opinionated items like sports teams, brands, etc. What we learn first, we learn best. Think about those things you do not want anyone else to corrupt in your child. Could it be religion? Social skills? Whatever it is, be the first person to teach it to your child.
The last rule I will discuss is the Learning Law of Exercise. This law states that to really get something down, you must practice it in repetition. This is why our teachers had us write our spelling words twenty-times each. The more you do something the more it becomes a part of you. “Practice makes perfect†is an adage we all have heard. In reality, it should be “perfect practice makes perfect.†If we do something over and over again the wrong way, it is incredibly hard to relearn it.
Kids at this age love to repeat the same things over and over again. They could watch the same movie every night and read the same book before bed. So let’s take advantage of this as well. Have them practice writing their letters over and over again. Make it a game. Just be sure they are doing it the right way each time or at least working towards the correct method.
We can be the first to teach our kids the things we want them to know and then reinforce over and over again.