In the two cycles that this academic stage includes, as explained by the Ministry of Education and Vocational Training, care is progressively addressed to affective development, movement and body control, linguistic manifestations, elementary guidelines for coexistence, the discovery of the physical and social characteristics of the environment, obtaining a positive and balanced image of oneself and the acquisition of personal autonomy. Study techniques for Early Childhood Education must therefore pursue the reinforcement of these aspects, a mission to which we can contribute through different initiatives that can be applied naturally and straightforwardly to our day-to-day lives.
Learning the alphabet and numbers with pictures and songs
Learning letters and numbers is essential throughout this period. As with so many other areas, if we rely on games, we will contribute to the internalization of knowledge without the children, immersed in a fun, hardly noticing. Presenting challenges using songs, pictures, or toys will help them progress in this regard while developing other skills.
Reinforcement of routines
During these ages, daily routines take on outstanding importance. The main reason is the security they provide to our children to whom, to consolidate these behaviours, we can simultaneously propose initiatives that enrich the experience, such as music or different visual stimuli.
Improvement of verbal expression
To perfect verbal expression, we can take advantage of tongue twisters and other ideal children’s folklore modalities to develop phonetics, morphology, syntax, memory and vocabulary. The clarity, brevity, grace, and ingenuity of these formulas make them perfect for learning entertaining without moving from home.
Association of concepts
The association of concepts is an effective strategy for children to advance in the knowledge of the environment surrounding them. A task can be put into practice by representing each element through drawings or even using children’s letters, toys or everyday objects. When you return from shopping, for example, it would be a good idea to separate some products and ask them to classify them according to where they should be stored:
- Fresh food in the fridge
- Cleaning supplies in the cupboard
- Canned goods in the pantry
And so with any other alternative that occurs to us.
Development of imagination
Among the study techniques for Early Childhood Education, the imagination’s stimulation occupies one of the most relevant positions. It also contributes to the understanding of the stimulating environment, and it is possible to stage proposals for this purpose in a simple way and from any location. Inventing stories from material elements or memories allows our children to let their thoughts fly in a playful environment. If the rest of the family joins in, we will also be promoting communication between the different members of the family.
Progress of fine motor skills
Fine motor skills affect movements made with the tongue, lips, fingers, hands, wrists, and feet. To exercise these parts of the body and evolve in the precision of its handling, there are countless possibilities, from writing to doing crafts or culinary tasks, going through almost all kinds of actions that require interacting with objects.
Improvement of gross motor skills
Something similar occurs with gross motor skills, which correspond to those carried out using large muscle groups such as walking, jumping or climbing. And, also given the importance of their development at these ages, they could not be excluded from the main study techniques for Early Childhood Education that we can work with children in our day today.
