Childhood is the tender period for cognitive development. Each experience will contribute to the child’s ability to understand the world, develop foundational skills, and think critically. As the level of education increases, they evolve, and teachers become their experts by increasingly teaching them the value of hands-on experience. More experiential learning is used as a dynamic catalyst for mental growth. Some of the best schools in Trivandrum use this approach to give children a head start with global education standards by emphasizing active learning.
As parents and educators look for impactful ways to foster children’s cognitive development in early childhood. Understanding more about hands-on learning is crucial and everyone should know how these facets of cognitive development in children to provide value and nurture the child.
The science behind cognitive development
Research in psychology emphasizes that cognitive development helps children rely heavily on experiential learning and interactive engagement. When children use hands-on activities, they engage better. Their brains build connections that underpin motor and cognitive skills, thus influencing brain development. Active learning strategies work well in giving a learning environment to the children where they can engage, strengthen their memory, and enhance understanding.
- Cognitive growth through sensory stimulation: Cognitive development helps children with learning activities that involve sensory engagement. Using sound, touch, and sometimes taste helps in the growth of sensory stimulation. These are the proven activities for cognitive development that include tactile playing with materials like clay, sand, textured balls, or any other materials. This activity encourages neural connection and mental agility.
- Motor skills as Catalysts: Some fine motor skills play a crucial role in a child’s brain development. By using movement with learning activities, schools can provide dual benefits of improving children’s motor control while also working with stimulating cognitive abilities. This synergy of motor skills and brain development is the foundational element in early education.
Benefits of experiential learning in childhood
Experiential learning uses hands-on activities to create an environment that creates smooth decision-making, emotional intelligence, and critical thinking. This approach develops impactful cognitive behavior and supports their skill-building activities beyond the classroom. Some of the benefits of experiential learning are:
- Boost curiosity and self-motivation- Experiential learning taps into children’s natural curiosity and inspires them to explore, ask questions and be intriguing. This builds a sense of autonomy and motivation in them to pursue knowledge out of interest rather than obligation. Children when they feel in control often lose the potential to love learning. This proactive attitude comes with experiential learning classes.
- Develops motor skills- Experiential learning is all about physical actions like working around small objects in art and craft to moving and balancing the outdoor activities. These actions redefine the fine motor skills and help them in coordination. It not only enhances their cognitive abilities but also promotes spatial awareness, focus, and control.
- Boost emotional intelligence- Working in groups and on hands-on projects promotes communication, empathy, and teamwork. It fosters emotional intelligence among children. With this practice, they learn to express more about their ideas, listen to others, and handle disagreements better. These collaborative skills develop social interactions, and lay the foundation for positive relationships in and outside the classroom.
- Strengthen critical thinking- Experiential learning boosts children to think on their feet and solve problems independently. While participating in real-world scenarios they learn about trial and error, which strengthens their critical thinking skills. Moreover, this type of engagement builds resilience, adaptability, and confidence in them.
- Enhance memory retention- Hands-on activities help children engage with the learning material in a better way. It develops multiple senses in them which helps them retain the information better. On the other hand, experiential learning helps them in better memory retention.
Learning through play: The foundation of cognitive development
Learning through play is a very unique methodology to introduce foundational cognitive skills in early childhood. This approach helps the children naturally grow an attitude of curiosity and allows them to create, explore, and learn in an unstructured manner that promotes cognitive development without any formal pressure:
Music and Rhythm-based activities- Music sessions help children’s memory and auditory processing skills. They learn a song and practice the rhythm which stimulates different parts of the brain. This method is effective in boosting cognitive flexibility and recall.
Construction and manipulation- Games like building blocks and assembling puzzles help children understand the environment and test hypotheses. This fosters critical thinking and spatial awareness among students. The hands-on activities for cognitive development provide practical problem-solving experience that improves a child’s attention span and focus.
Role-playing games- Some activities and programs like role-playing theatre shows encourage imaginative thinking and help children grow an understanding of social rules and relationships. By engaging in play, they learn to take other’s perspectives and enhance emotional awareness and empathy.
The role of motor skills in cognitive development
Some motor skills set the foundation for cognitive development in children. It ties directly to the brain growth of children. Some physical activities not only promote body control growth but also support the brain’s ability to process complex tasks. The role of motor skills in the development of children are:
- Cognitive control- Some activities like coloring, sculpting, clay, and drawing build hand-eye coordination and motor control. By engaging in such tasks, children activate the brain areas that are responsible for planning and executing complex actions.
- Spatial awareness- Some games like running, jumping, and throwing develop gross motor skills among students. This supports spatial awareness and body coordination in students. Gross motor activities build their understanding of how to navigate in physical space.
- Combination- Certain games require both physical and cognitive areas to activate. These activities help children to think on their feet and make decisions quickly. By doing so, they click on their cognitive senses and make it flexible.
Active learning strategies for cognitive development in early and middle childhood
To support cognitive development in early childhood and middle childhood, some of the best schools in Trivandrum are using a mix of structured and unstructured active learning strategies. They tailor these activities for age-appropriate development that maximizes the benefits of hands-on learning.
- Hands-on for kindergarten: Children here come across activities for cognitive development that focus on simple problem-solving, sensory exploration, and motor skills development. Teachers engage them with sorting games, coloring, and exploring texture through touch, thus promoting early cognitive growth.
- Cognitive growth in middle childhood: During middle childhood, hands-on activities are more complex. Practical science experiments, problem-solving challenges, team-based tasks, and projects help in planning and building their cognitive sense. These help children to apply their knowledge in a meaningful way. It refines their critical thinking, teamwork, and abstract thinking skills.
Why do international schools in Trivandrum prioritize hands-on learning?
Some international schools especially those like DiYES International incorporate hands-on activities for cognitive development as the core part of their curriculum. They realized that active learning helps students shape cognitive abilities among students in an impactful way. It ensures students are developed as per the global standards of education.
- Global standards: By focusing on active learning strategies and experiential learning, some international schools focus on global educational standards. Such schools work on holistic development by providing students with values. They bring forth opportunities to engage in practical, real-world applications of their knowledge.
- Diverse curriculum: Schools must adopt hands-on learning approaches that offer diverse activities to various learning styles. This flexibility helps students in developing cognitive abilities from the starting point.
Conclusion
Hands-on activities in the course are an important part of the cognitive development in children. It enhances their memory, improves critical thinking, and nurtures motor skills that support long-term cognitive abilities. Some international schools in Trivandrum particularly aim for high standards. They aim for experiential learning in their educational philosophy. By using these active learning strategies children are taught to adopt development needs from early to middle childhood. Here parents and educators contribute equally to a child’s cognitive growth by laying the foundation for future learning and success.