How Young Children Learn
By Scott B. Hamilton, Psy.D., HSPP; Director of the Russel & Mary Williams Learning Project at Park Tudor School
Early childhood is a period of rapid, remarkable growth and change. Although children develop at their own unique pace, they typically accomplish a progression of physical, cognitive and social-emotional development between the ages of 3 and 6.
Physical development is apparent in the gross motor (e.g., large muscles) and fine motor (e.g., small muscles of the fingers and hands) skills they master in early childhood.
Cognitive development includes thinking and language skills. In early childhood, children master concepts such as cause and effect and comparing and contrasting experiences and objects in the real world. Sorting, organizing, and classifying skills emerge during this period. They begin to apply previous knowledge in new learning situations.
Social-emotional development is another important task in early childhood. Children at this age build interpersonal skills such as sharing, negotiation, recognizing others’ rights and taking turns.
Play is an important aspect of children’s physical, cognitive, and social-emotional development. For optimal development, young children should have ample time each for unstructured free play.
Read the full article, "How Do Young Children Learn?," at right for more detailed information about these concepts and how parents can help their children develop learning skills.