How Children Learn
Understanding the amazing ways young minds grow, discover, and develop
Thoughts About Young Children
Children Learn From Choosing
To achieve a reliable sense of right and wrong, children must make choices.
Children Learn From Experiencing
To interpret reality, children must experience their surroundings through imagination and discovery - seeing, touching, and exploring.
Children Learn From Playing
To enliven and integrate real and imaginary experiences, children participate in the process of play.
Rooted in the experiences of early childhood are the values that individuals will carve for themselves in later years, their capacity to live according to these values, and their attitudes toward themselves and the human community.
Children need unhurried periods to explore and experiment with objects, toys, and materials. To understand and affirm a true idea of freedom, children must have the security of loving, thoughtful, and appropriate restrictions.
10 Points to Understanding the Brain
Over the past two decades, research in neuroscience has provided significant new knowledge about how the human brain develops and learns
Rapid Brain Growth
The average newborn brain weighs a mere 330 grams at birth. By age 2, brain weight will triple, and by age 7, its approximately 1,250 grams will represent 90% of adult weight.
Parents Are First Teachers
Parents are the first and most important teachers in their child's life. Staying involved and providing children with a supportive, nurturing environment will help to strengthen the learning process.
Windows of Opportunity
Although there are optimal times for learning certain tasks, most "windows of opportunity" never close completely. However, when it appears that there is a delay in the learning pathways, early intervention is the key to future learning success.
Myelination Matters
Brain regions must go through a process called myelination. According to Dr. Jane Healy, "trying to make children master academic skills for which they do not have the requisite maturation may result in mixed-up patterns for learning."
Appropriate Stimulation
The brain needs to be stimulated and challenged; however, activities and curriculum need to be considered in terms of what is "brain appropriate" or developmentally appropriate for this age level.
Active Engagement
Being actively involved in the environment and socializing stimulates growing brains in an appropriate way. Activities that engage interest and imagination help to enrich the brain's growing power.
Time to Process
Children hurried from one activity to another may get a lot of sensory input but will be short-changed on the time-consuming process of forming association networks to understand and organize experiences meaningfully.
Using the Brain
Genes may set the outline of mental ability, but how children use their brains determines how their intelligence is expressed.
Language Shapes the Brain
Language helps to shape the brain. Children need many types of language experiences, including being read with and conversation. Storytelling, nursery rhymes, and play-acting all enrich the language experience.
Academic Component
As schools introduce more academic rigor at younger ages, Chancy and Bruce is proud to announce the additional 10th pathway which assesses students in basic academic abilities. This pathway is just one slice of the entire process and helpful in determining school readiness.
The 10 Pathways to Learning
Understanding and supporting each developmental area with fun, engaging activities
Gross Motor Skills
The development and awareness of large muscle activity. Gross motor skills can be observed by having your child do activities that will demand the ability to use the large muscles of the body.
Try These Activities:
- Hop on one foot
- Walk along an 8-foot line
- Catch and bounce a ball
Fine Motor Skills
The development of the small muscles of the body. Fine motor skills can be observed by having your child participate in activities that take precision in using hand-eye coordination.
Try These Activities:
- String beads
- Trace and copy objects
- Cut with scissors
Visual Discrimination Skills
The ability to visually differentiate the forms and symbols in one's environment. Visual discrimination can be observed by seeing if your child can visually determine the differences in objects.
Try These Activities:
- Practice matching colors and forms
- Sort objects by size, color and content
- Match letters and numbers which are the same
Visual Memory Skills
The ability to recall accurately prior visual experiences. Visual memory can be observed by having your child remember and recall what they have seen.
Try These Activities:
- Show a picture in a storybook, then close it and ask about 3 things they saw
- Arrange items in order, mix them up, and have your child recreate the order
- Have your child close their eyes and describe something familiar
Auditory Discrimination Skills
The ability to receive and differentiate auditory stimuli. Auditory discrimination can be observed by determining if your child is hearing the differences that sounds make.
Try These Activities:
- Verbalize experiences together (when traveling, talk about what you're seeing)
- Play musical records and encourage humming and singing
- Share nursery rhymes and have your child repeat them
Auditory Memory Skills
The ability to retain and recall auditory information. Auditory memory is observed by seeing if your child can recall or recite things that they hear.
Try These Activities:
- Ask your child to repeat outstanding events of the previous day
- Name as many animals, foods or articles of clothing as they can remember
- Give simple directions: color the tree, touch your head, etc.
Receptive Language Skills
The ability to understand words in accord with chronological age. Receptive language can be observed by determining your child's ability to receive verbal information and process it.
Try These Activities:
- Describe something in the room and have them guess what you've described
- Give directions to place something behind, in front of, between, under, and next to objects
- Show pictures of animals and give description words to match
Expressive Language Skills
The ability to express oneself verbally. Expressive language can be observed by seeing how well your child can express thoughts verbally.
Try These Activities:
- Use a play or real telephone and practice conversations
- Use a play microphone for introductions, songs, and nursery rhymes
- Show pictures with purposeful mistakes and have them explain what's wrong
Comprehension Skills
The ability to use judgment and reasoning as the child understands their environment. Reasoning comprehension can be observed by seeing if your child can make comparisons, understand differences, and recognize cause and effect.
Try These Activities:
- Play games that involve problem-solving and reasoning
- Ask "what if" questions during daily activities
- Discuss cause and effect in everyday situations
Social-Emotional Development
The ability to relate meaningfully to others and be accepted in both one-on-one and group situations. Social-emotional skills can be observed by witnessing how your child acts among other children - cooperation, expressing feelings, and demonstrating responsibility.
Try These Activities:
- Arrange playdates and observe cooperation skills
- Practice identifying and expressing emotions
- Encourage sharing and taking turns during play
Ready to Support Your Child's Learning Journey?
Our comprehensive assessments help identify your child's strengths and areas for growth across all developmental pathways.