Behaviour

Children need to be given the opportunity to manipulate, explore, experiment and master the equipment or piece of material for themselves. They should also be allowed time to practise newly acquired skills and thought processes.

Focus experiences

By designing experiences that involve the children in problem solving, children learn the skills needed to solve problems for themselves and feel confident to take on new challenges. While providing an experience, the way you interact with the children allows you to focus the experience so that each child learns problem solving skills for themselves.

Picture of 2 children completing a puzzle together.

If children, aged four years and older, are playing together with the same material, the adult may act as a facilitator to assist and encourage the children to work collaboratively to achieve an outcome.

Ask open questions

You need to extend the child's thought processes by asking open questions or making comments that assist the child.

Examples of open questions include:

'I wonder what will happen if…'
'Can you tell me how you think it might work?'
'That's an interesting way to…'
'Just suppose we did this…then what'.

The right type of questioning is a very effective technique to enhance cognitive development. Ensure that you only ask a few at a time and that they are not onerous but are simply woven into the activity. Remember to give children ample time to answer questions. As adults, we like answers right away but children need time to gather their thoughts before speaking