Pre-KG 2021/ 22 Blog 34
HANDS-on learning
The Pre-Kindergarten children are continuing to learn about their body and their family and they do so through a lot of hands-on activities and learning.
Hold on…….hands-on ? Sounds familiar ?
Most people, especially ones who work in Early Childhood education have heard this term. It is used often and very important for a good reason.
In a Merriam-Webster Dictionary,“hands-on” is defined as “relating to, being, or providing direct practical experience in the operation or function of something; involving or allowing use of or touching with the hands; characterized by active personal involvement; gained by actually doing something rather than learning about it from books, lectures, etc.” (Source: https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hands-on)
Hands-on learning is learning by doing and it can happen in many ways, in different spaces, using a variety of materials and activities. Children are natural hands-on learners from the day they are born. Experiences are key to developing understandings of the world around you. Babies don’t learn from worksheets, babies learn by exploring their environment, and so do older children and even adults.
If you look at how often the word” hands” is used in phrases of all languages, you can easily understand why this part of the body is so important for children.
Washing hands has become an often repeated daily ritual these days.
Parents of young children are very familiar with asking their children “don’t touch “ every day.
So we asked the children what they use their HANDS for and they came up with a lot of ideas: to clap, to open a book, to cook, to wave, to play, to pose, to wash ……
They were also aware that we should not use our hands for hitting or pushing or poking people.
With so many good suggestions around, we also made our hands dance to a charming little song, which you can try at home together.
The Pre-Kindergarten children are very active and they make many new discoveries every day through hands-on learning.
The week started with a very hands-on activity, namely planting sweet potatoes. The children enjoyed this activity that connects them to nature with the whole of Early Years.
We are very grateful to the Rokko Island Beautification Committee and Mrs.Kameda for this wonderful opportunity.
The whole week was defined by hands-on learning, so please enjoy the photos of the children’s activities which show that children are natural inquirers and use their hands for all kind of activities.
The children plant sweet potatoes.
Tamaki covers the potato plant with soil.
Suzu and Veronica open the flaps of a book.
Emma waves along to our newest song about hands.
Kai finishes an intricate fish pattern puzzle.
Suzu buttons up a doll’s dress.
Alice combs a doll’s hair.
Amaru opens and closes the flaps of a wooden puzzle.
Aiki pours water through a funnel.
Malin climbs up the wall to the slide.
Veronica connects two wooden pieces of a train track.
Mamoru puts his inside shoes on.
This week of discoveries at Pre-Kindergarten ended with the children using their hands for lots of clapping as we celebrated Suzu’s birthday on Friday.
Happy 3.Birthday, dear Suzu, we loved celebrating and singing with you!
And thank you so much to Suzu’s parents for providing delicious cupcakes and very charming key holders engraved with each friend’s name.
The children were super excited about the gift and couldn’t wait to get their hands on it.
Have a lovely weekend, everyone!
Yours,
Anita Ursula Mönch
DSKI Pre-Kindergarten homeroom teacher
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