by Sarah Major, M.Ed
All learning materials are not created equal! Some exercises can be done with minimal brain activity going on. On the other hand, there are some learning activities that engage the whole brain and make for a memorable learning experience for children. Below are some simple questions to ask as you evaluate activities that will help you select what is best for your kids. Hint: The most basic question to answer is "Who is working harder in school? My child or me?"
Questions to ask and things to note:
1. If there are questions to answer or blanks to fill in, is the answer right there so the child just has to copy it? (1 brain cell used)
2. During this activity, is it possible for the child to fill the time, but to actually be daydreaming instead? (As in “Go read for 15 minutes." Tick, tick, tick, but did anything happen upstairs?)
3. Does this activity ask your child to just repeat information by rote? (Such as “write this word five times” which he could do while thinking about the last cartoon he watched.)
4. If the activity involves a page to complete, how much on that page is actual problem-solving, and how much of it is cute illustrations and decorations? (I remember teaching math in lower el and wincing when I passed out the math books – counting only four problems on pages that were heavily illustrated. FOUR problems! It took longer to pass out the papers than it did for the kids to work the problems!)
5. How much of the activity involves memorization? Drill? Sorry, but this stuff might not stay in their heads past two hours. Making active connections in order to remember will be more effective.
Examples of effective activities:
1. Let her figure out the piece to be learned. If she has to figure something out for herself, she will most likely remember it. For example, instead of telling her that 2+5=7 and 1+6=7 and 3+4=7, give her 7 pebbles and two little bowls. Ask her to tell YOU how many ways she can make seven. Rule here? Don’t tell her; let her figure it out for herself. The guidelines are that she will need to use ALL the pebbles each time and number combinations cannot be repeated. In other words, if she puts 3 pebbles in a bowl and 4 in the other, the combination is the same as if she puts 4 in the bowl first and then 3 in the other.
2. Puzzles engage the brain because, again, there is a problem to be solved, and the brain loves to solve problems! Instead of giving the child a list of words and their definitions, play a game that gives clues and ask the child to select the word that matches those clues. For instance, display a group of words such as the following: ASK, RUN, YES, AM, LET, INTO, HIM, CUT, BE, GOT, ITS, US. Then say:
1. Find the word that is the opposite of TELL. (ASK)
2. Find the word that is the opposite of WALK. (RUN)
3. Find the word that is the opposite of NO. (YES)
4. Fill in the missing word: “I ___ five years old.” (AM)
5. Fill in the missing word: “Mother ___ me go with her.” (LET)
6. Find the word that is made of two little words. (INTO)
7. Find a word you would use when talking about a boy. (HIM)
8. Find the word that tells what a knife does. (CUT)
9. Fill in the missing word: “When I grow up I will ___ a nurse.” (BE)
10. Fill in the missing word: “I ___ stung by a bee.” (GOT)
11. Which word could mean something belongs to your pet? (ITS)
12. Fill in the missing word: “Come with ___.” (US)
3. Find patterns in learning. The brain loves to sort through seemingly unrelated details to figure out how the things are related, who belongs to whom, what came first, how are they alike, how are they different, etc. If you let the child find patterns for himself, learning will become meaningful. For example, if you are interested in teaching a phonics concept or a sound spelling, don’t just tell the child or don’t let the workbook tell him. Instead, give him a tactile activity and let him figure out the concept for himself.
In the following game, you are teaching or reviewing the concept of the final Pinchy E and what it does to the vowel sound in words such as KIT or MAN (it turns them into KITE and MANE). So rather than just say, “Pinchy E makes the vowel sound long,” give her a bunch of words on little cards and ask her to do two things: First she will sort them into families that have something in common with each other (words with a final Pinchy E and those without: a pattern-seeking activity), and then she will match up the words that make a “before and after” such as KIT-KITE, AT-ATE, etc.
4. Instead of telling HIM, let him tell YOU. This type of learning activity takes more time, and yet it is a lasting experience. Our children are drenched and soaked in experiences that allow them to just watch and remain passive (TV being the finest culprit). If you are riding in the car, ask him little questions to get his brain fired up and ready to evaluate. This process is at the root of guiding him into higher level thinking.
When you ask him to spend 15 minutes a day reading, read the book first so you can give him a challenge to look for and report to you. As he reads, his brain will be on alert, scanning for the answer to your question. When you have the TV on, instead of just watching it together, or far worse, turning on the TV and walking out of the room, engage in a discussion about what is on. Ask him questions to make him think. For example, “Do you think that could really happen? Why or why not?” Questions that will encourage him to evaluate situations and to imagine consequences, all will help him develop a strong basis for making his own good decisions in life. OK, but I have to warn you; I did these very things when my own children were growing up and I heard a lot of “OH MOM!”s. They wanted to just watch the dumb movie, not TALK about it! But looking back, I can see that the many discussions we had taught them to think, evaluate, and choose well.
Sarah Major, CEO of Child1st Publications, grew up on the mission field with her four siblings, all of whom her mother homeschooled. As an adult, Sarah homeschooled a small group of children in collaboration with their parents, and has taught from preschool age to adult. Sarah has been the Title 1 director and program developer for grades K-7, an ESOL teacher, and a classroom teacher. As an undergraduate student, Sarah attended Wheaton College in Wheaton, Ill. and then received her M.Ed. from Aquinas College in Grand Rapids, MI. In 2006 Sarah resigned from fulltime teaching in order to devote more time to Child1st, publisher of the best-selling SnapWords™ stylized sight word cards. In her spare time Sarah enjoys gardening, cooking, pottery, quilting, and spending time with her family.
Child1st Publications, LLC
www.child-1st.com
704-879-4047
3302 S New Hope Rd
Suite 300B
Gastonia, NC 28056
All learning materials are not created equal! Some exercises can be done with minimal brain activity going on. On the other hand, there are some learning activities that engage the whole brain and make for a memorable learning experience for children. Below are some simple questions to ask as you evaluate activities that will help you select what is best for your kids. Hint: The most basic question to answer is "Who is working harder in school? My child or me?"
Questions to ask and things to note:
1. If there are questions to answer or blanks to fill in, is the answer right there so the child just has to copy it? (1 brain cell used)
2. During this activity, is it possible for the child to fill the time, but to actually be daydreaming instead? (As in “Go read for 15 minutes." Tick, tick, tick, but did anything happen upstairs?)
3. Does this activity ask your child to just repeat information by rote? (Such as “write this word five times” which he could do while thinking about the last cartoon he watched.)
4. If the activity involves a page to complete, how much on that page is actual problem-solving, and how much of it is cute illustrations and decorations? (I remember teaching math in lower el and wincing when I passed out the math books – counting only four problems on pages that were heavily illustrated. FOUR problems! It took longer to pass out the papers than it did for the kids to work the problems!)
5. How much of the activity involves memorization? Drill? Sorry, but this stuff might not stay in their heads past two hours. Making active connections in order to remember will be more effective.
Examples of effective activities:
1. Let her figure out the piece to be learned. If she has to figure something out for herself, she will most likely remember it. For example, instead of telling her that 2+5=7 and 1+6=7 and 3+4=7, give her 7 pebbles and two little bowls. Ask her to tell YOU how many ways she can make seven. Rule here? Don’t tell her; let her figure it out for herself. The guidelines are that she will need to use ALL the pebbles each time and number combinations cannot be repeated. In other words, if she puts 3 pebbles in a bowl and 4 in the other, the combination is the same as if she puts 4 in the bowl first and then 3 in the other.
2. Puzzles engage the brain because, again, there is a problem to be solved, and the brain loves to solve problems! Instead of giving the child a list of words and their definitions, play a game that gives clues and ask the child to select the word that matches those clues. For instance, display a group of words such as the following: ASK, RUN, YES, AM, LET, INTO, HIM, CUT, BE, GOT, ITS, US. Then say:
1. Find the word that is the opposite of TELL. (ASK)
2. Find the word that is the opposite of WALK. (RUN)
3. Find the word that is the opposite of NO. (YES)
4. Fill in the missing word: “I ___ five years old.” (AM)
5. Fill in the missing word: “Mother ___ me go with her.” (LET)
6. Find the word that is made of two little words. (INTO)
7. Find a word you would use when talking about a boy. (HIM)
8. Find the word that tells what a knife does. (CUT)
9. Fill in the missing word: “When I grow up I will ___ a nurse.” (BE)
10. Fill in the missing word: “I ___ stung by a bee.” (GOT)
11. Which word could mean something belongs to your pet? (ITS)
12. Fill in the missing word: “Come with ___.” (US)
3. Find patterns in learning. The brain loves to sort through seemingly unrelated details to figure out how the things are related, who belongs to whom, what came first, how are they alike, how are they different, etc. If you let the child find patterns for himself, learning will become meaningful. For example, if you are interested in teaching a phonics concept or a sound spelling, don’t just tell the child or don’t let the workbook tell him. Instead, give him a tactile activity and let him figure out the concept for himself.
In the following game, you are teaching or reviewing the concept of the final Pinchy E and what it does to the vowel sound in words such as KIT or MAN (it turns them into KITE and MANE). So rather than just say, “Pinchy E makes the vowel sound long,” give her a bunch of words on little cards and ask her to do two things: First she will sort them into families that have something in common with each other (words with a final Pinchy E and those without: a pattern-seeking activity), and then she will match up the words that make a “before and after” such as KIT-KITE, AT-ATE, etc.
4. Instead of telling HIM, let him tell YOU. This type of learning activity takes more time, and yet it is a lasting experience. Our children are drenched and soaked in experiences that allow them to just watch and remain passive (TV being the finest culprit). If you are riding in the car, ask him little questions to get his brain fired up and ready to evaluate. This process is at the root of guiding him into higher level thinking.
When you ask him to spend 15 minutes a day reading, read the book first so you can give him a challenge to look for and report to you. As he reads, his brain will be on alert, scanning for the answer to your question. When you have the TV on, instead of just watching it together, or far worse, turning on the TV and walking out of the room, engage in a discussion about what is on. Ask him questions to make him think. For example, “Do you think that could really happen? Why or why not?” Questions that will encourage him to evaluate situations and to imagine consequences, all will help him develop a strong basis for making his own good decisions in life. OK, but I have to warn you; I did these very things when my own children were growing up and I heard a lot of “OH MOM!”s. They wanted to just watch the dumb movie, not TALK about it! But looking back, I can see that the many discussions we had taught them to think, evaluate, and choose well.
Sarah Major, CEO of Child1st Publications, grew up on the mission field with her four siblings, all of whom her mother homeschooled. As an adult, Sarah homeschooled a small group of children in collaboration with their parents, and has taught from preschool age to adult. Sarah has been the Title 1 director and program developer for grades K-7, an ESOL teacher, and a classroom teacher. As an undergraduate student, Sarah attended Wheaton College in Wheaton, Ill. and then received her M.Ed. from Aquinas College in Grand Rapids, MI. In 2006 Sarah resigned from fulltime teaching in order to devote more time to Child1st, publisher of the best-selling SnapWords™ stylized sight word cards. In her spare time Sarah enjoys gardening, cooking, pottery, quilting, and spending time with her family.
Child1st Publications, LLC
www.child-1st.com
704-879-4047
3302 S New Hope Rd
Suite 300B
Gastonia, NC 28056
