An activity that is appropriate for children in the preschool program
There is a need to use various kinds of rhymes for preschool children. Nonsense rhymes such as “putting shoes on the shoe rack” can be used. Older children have the ability to come up with their own rhymes, poems, and songs. This is useful in learning novel words and how they are created. When at home, parents should sing the rhymes their children learn in school with them. This improves the child’s rhythm, repetition, rhyme, and language. Parents should repeat the rhymes made by their children. Moreover, parents should sing songs for their children to see whether the children will repeat them. Parents can help their children repeat sounds made by animals and vehicles (Santrock, 2012).
Activities for improving cognitive skills in young children
Cognitive skills help children to resolve challenges and learn meritoriously. Cognitive development also involves the acquisition of knowledge regarding the environment. Moreover, development in cognitive skills increases the ability to interact. Depending on the age of a child, they acquire different cognitive skills. Therefore, there is a need for parents to use learning activities so as to enhance their children’s cognitive development. Cognitive development can be enhanced through concentration, language, math, and creativity (Piaget, 1964). Reading is a vital activity that enhances cognitive growth in children. It is important for parents to begin reading to their children at an early age. This should continue as the children grow. It is recommended that parents and children should read together. As the children grow, parents should listen to them reading and correct them.
Accomplishments of children during early childhood stages
While interacting with their children, it is important for parents to be aware of the things that children are capable of and not capable of doing. So as to comprehend autonomy, kids utilize possession of objects. Santrock (2012) argues that before a child is able to share fully, he should first learn how to own fully. Parents should know that parents have a difficulty in remembering since they only remember those things that are significant to them. A child cannot fully understand the feelings of others, which makes it difficult for them to say “I am sorry.”
How the activities improve children’s cognitive skills
Generally, reading enhances verbal and language capability. Moreover, it enables a child to learn novel vocabulary. The interaction that is accessed through books enables the enhancement of visual and spatial growth. Concentration is also vital in enhancing cognitive development in children. According to Perret-Clermont (1980), concentration can be achieved through sorting games, constructing toys, card-matching games, and contemporary jigsaw puzzles. There are various ways through which creativity can be enhanced. Music and art promote a wide array of knowledge and create linkages with the brain. Music is associated with many benefits in a child. A parent should try as much as possible to incorporate music into the child’s life. For example, a parent can record her child singing and let the child listen to the music later. Older children can be taught music using musical instruments, which increases concentration, memory skills, and math (Santrock, 2012). Parents should inform their children about numbers during everyday activities and count with them so as to enhance mathematics skills. Parents should always spend time with their children so as to monitor their development and make the necessary improvements.
References
Perret-Clermont, A. N. (1980). Social interaction and cognitive development in children. London: Academic Press.
Piaget, J. (1964). Part I: Cognitive development in children: Piaget development and learning. Journal of research in science teaching, 2(3), 176-186.
Santrock, J. W. (2012). Life-span development (14th ed.). Boston: McGraw Hill.