Brain-building
Build healthy brains by capitalizing on authentic learning opportunities that target all domains of development: physical, cognitive, social, and emotional.
Learning never stops, and it is certainly not limited to the classroom. In fact, learning opportunities present themselves almost constantly, especially for young children who are still discovering the world. Their brains are growing and making connections all the time (2).
Children learn best when they are interested in their work and a supportive adult is there to help. Often, children are most interested and engaged when the learning is inspired by a real-life question or observation (3,15). There is also evidence that learning is more effective when it is active, as in this study of college students (6).
Below are several tools to help adults capitalize on authentic brain-building opportunities. Visit our Resources page for additional resources that can help support children’s learning and development, such as Vroom.
Let children play
Play is serious learning for children; it is the language of childhood. Giving ample time for uninterrupted play is one of the easiest things we can do to support young children’s learning and development (1,9).
Make play, which is inherently fun, the primary form of learning. Not only is this good for your child’s development and well-being (16,17), it also allows you some time to breathe (finish up some work, do chores, relax). Some examples of brain-building play include:
Building with blocks, Legos, or household materials helps children build knowledge and skills related to physics, geometry, spatial awareness, and motor coordination, to name just a few.
Fantasy or imaginative play (such as dress-up, make-believe, or dramatic play allows children to exercise creativity, problem-solving, and cooperation if playing with a sibling or virtually with a friend (13,11). One beloved make-believe setting is a cooking or kitchen area—use pots and pans, spoons and spatulas, plastic or metal containers, empty cereal boxes, and other kid-friendly materials to create a fun “kitchenette” that children can play in independently.
Games provide the opportunity to develop skills such as turn-taking and resilience when faced with loss or disappointment. Some games are also designed to teach or practice skills like working memory, literacy, and math.
Whenever children are playing together with siblings or caregivers, or even playing virtually with friends, their play is a wonderful opportunity to practice social and emotional skills like turn-taking, sharing, and cooperation. When adults join in on children’s play, it is also an opportunity to strengthen relationships while enhancing learning and development (16). (See our section on Enjoyment for more ideas and strategies related to playing with children).
Inspire creativity with loosely structured activities
A loosely structured activity is one without a clear product children are supposed to make, or process they are supposed to follow. These activities do not need any special set-up or material. In fact, they can be as simple as providing recycled paper, boxes, paper towel rolls, age-appropriate scissors, glue or tape, and perhaps markers, crayons, or paints, and letting children explore.
Loosely structured activities allow children to explore materials and exercise creativity, problem-solving, motor skills, and even academics (5). Materials as simple as recycled cardboard and a role of tape might become an art project, a marble run, a fort, or whatever else children can think up!
Some examples of loosely structured activities include:
Art projects like painting or drawing
Playing music (if you don’t have instruments at home, consider regular household items that could become instruments such as pots and pans, paper towel tubes, plastic containers, metal bowls, or wind chimes)
Dancing
Building with blocks
Writing stories
Talk about feelings as they arise
Help children learn to recognize and understand their own feelings by talking about emotions as they occur. Start by labeling children’s feelings, using words like sad, mad, excited, frustrated, happy, and joyful.
Hurt feelings, sadness, and anger are inevitable, as are joy and excitement. By labeling children’s feelings, we give them vocabulary words they can use in the future to describe their own feelings. We also validate children by acknowledging their feelings and helping them navigate emotional experiences. For example, “I know it can be really frustrating to share the blocks when you want to use all of them. Before we take your building down, would you like to draw a picture of it so we can remember how tall and beautiful it is?”
You can help build vocabulary and model ways of talking about emotions by talking about your own feelings (in developmentally appropriate ways). For example, “I started to get really upset when I broke my phone this morning. Then I remembered that I can probably get it fixed, so I felt less worried and sad.”
Teach children how to resolve conflict
Though most in-person playdates are currently on hold, many children are still playing with siblings or enjoying time with friends remotely using technology. When conflict arises, start by validating emotions and then work on problem-solving.
Disagreements are natural. For example, when children don’t get their way, emotions can become strong and lead to conflict. Such disagreements present a perfect opportunity to teach important social skills. The goal is to validate emotions and offer children social problem-solving skills, without placing blame or focusing on who was “right” and “wrong.”
With infants and younger toddlers – Start by validating feelings. Then, it may be best to redirect them to another activity. See Build learning and fun into transitions, below, for more on facilitating smooth transitions.
With slightly older children – Here is a template for how you might approach social problem-solving:
When feelings are hurt, it’s important to include both those who were hurt and those who did the hurting.
Listen to both perspectives. Ask children to explain, in their own words, what happened from their point of view.
Acknowledge and validate everyone’s feelings.
Offer possible win-win solutions and let children choose which they think will work best. With older children who have learned some problem solving strategies, provide opportunities for them to brainstorm solutions. This might sound like,
“You both want to use the hula hoop. Would you like me to set a timer for 5 minutes so you can take turns? Maybe while one person goes, the other can sit with me over here and color.”
“You have different ideas about how this building should be built. What do you think we should do?”
“You both want to go first in this game. How can you choose fairly who will go first?”
You can avoid some conflicts by setting clear rules and expectations relating to sharing, turn-taking, and the duration of activities. (Visit our section on Directions & Routines for more on this). It can also help to put out a few toys or activities from which children can choose.
Build language skills with natural conversations
Whether you’re eating a meal or walking around the neighborhood, you can build children’s language skills by engaging in conversation (3). Make sure to express interest as children share their thoughts and ideas whether through talking, gesturing, or making a face.
Encourage talking, especially during unstructured moments such as setting the table for a meal. You can initiate conversations by asking if there’s anything your child would like to share, asking more specific questions, or giving positive feedback on something your child is doing. For example, “You’re folding that napkin in a very special way. Can you teach me how you’re doing it?” or “You’re keeping all the water in the tub while you splash and play!”
Extend conversations by responding to what children are saying. This will promote children’s verbal communication skills and strengthen relationships by showing interest. Questions, in particular, can guide children to provide more detail when they speak. You can do this by offering suggestions (“Did you play on the swings?”) or asking open-ended questions (“What do you like to do when you go to the park near our house?”).
Check out our next Brain-building strategy, Ask a lot of open-ended questions, for more on how to use questions to extend conversations.
Ask a lot of open-ended questions
Ask questions that allow children to think and speak creatively and authentically. Avoid questions with one right answer, or questions that you and/or your children already know the answers to. The goal of open-ended questions is to guide children in developing deep thinking and language skills, not to quiz them.
Open-ended questions are questions without a correct answer. They’re typically questions about what another person thinks of feels, rather than something that can be readily observed. For instance, “What color is this cow?” has one correct answer. Conversely, “What do you think this cow will do next?” invites children to think creatively and explain their own ideas.
In addition to conversations, open-ended questions can be a wonderful way to engage in children’s play. Often, as adults, we feel tempted to take over or direct play, especially if we foresee a problem. For example, we may want to warn a child that this way of stacking blocks will not work—the blocks will fall. If instead we ask open-ended questions, we let children experience the event for themselves, build perseverance and resilience, and problem-solve (7). For example, “Uh-oh the blocks fell down. How will you stack them so the tower is more stable?” (Start by acknowledging children’s emotions if the event leads to big feelings, like the frustration or disappointment of a block tower tumbling down.)
Here are a few more examples of open-ended questions:
“Can you tell me about your drawing?”
“What are all of these animals doing in the sand?”
“I’m glad you liked this book! What did you like about it?”
“I’m sorry you didn’t like that story. What didn’t you like about it?”
Build STEAM learning into play and everyday chores
Young children are naturally budding scientists, always curious about the world. They learn Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Math (STEAM) by experimenting, building, moving, writing and drawing, and even doing everyday activities around the house. Opportunities to teach STEAM are endless, and often come up naturally during the day. Here are several ideas for how to teach STEAM without any special materials or preparation:
Building with blocks – When building with blocks, children are learning academic skills like physics and geometry, as well as resilience and perseverance when structures fall down and social skills if they are working with a sibling (10). If a child is engrossed in building a structure out of blocks, you can ask questions related to physics and math to promote STEAM learning. For example, “I see this square made of four blocks stands still, but this triangle made of three blocks moves a lot. What could you do to make this triangle part more stable?”
Cooking and baking – When preparing food, children learn how to measure (and, sometimes, how to help clean up spills), identify different textures (ooey gooey, sticky, rough), discuss cause-and-effect (how that soft dough turned into a crunchy cookie). More importantly, children see the fruits of their labor and have helped create something the whole family can enjoy. (Cooking vegetables together is also a great way to help children eat healthy!) However, children sometimes make mistakes and recipes may not always come out as planned. This is part of the learning process and the fun of experimentation, but it also means we may need to practice a little extra patience.
Support STEAM thinking in any activity by practicing science vocabulary – STEAM thinking and language go hand-in-hand (14). Young scientists use words like notice, observe, wonder, predict, plan. Allow children to wonder, and wonder with them. Ask ‘how,’ ‘why,’ and ‘what if’ questions. Figure out the answer together by experimenting, whenever possible.
Build STEAM into daily routines – There are wonderful resources available to help integrate STEAM learning throughout the day, such as Bedtime Math.
Go outside (whenever possible) – The natural environment is the perfect backdrop to engage in awe and wonder with our children. Nature provides young children with rich and diverse experiences that cultivate science readiness in the form of early scientific attitudes (sense of wonder, exploration, appreciation), scientific thinking (observing, hypothesizing, sequencing, reflecting), knowledge (labeling and identifying), and approaches to learning and discovery (creativity and innovation) (12). For example, you might notice together that there are more leaves and flowers blooming in the spring.
Build learning and fun into transitions
It’s hard to stop something we’re enjoying and switch to something else. Engaging children as we move between activities can prevent power struggles and other challenges (8). For example, try singing a song, having a conversation, practicing academic skills, or even playing a game while transitioning from one activity to another. Here are a few more specific strategies for making transitions fun and engaging:
Transitions can be a good time to talk about social and emotional skills such as,
why it’s important that we all help clean up,
how to work together to clean up quickly and safely, or
how it feels to stop when we’re having fun.
They can be a good time to reinforce academic knowledge and skills like,
counting blocks as they are put in a bin,
naming colors as colorful toys are placed on a shelf, or
while putting away books, pointing to letters on the covers and naming the letters or making their sounds.
Transitions are challenging—both for children and adults. Lessen the stress of transitions by finding ways to incorporate fun. For example, you might race to see who can pick up the most puzzle pieces. Let your child win and comment excitedly on how quickly they’re cleaning up: “Wow, you’re cleaning up so fast! Thank you so much for helping with this, I definitely couldn’t have done it so fast without you.”
Practice motor skills during daily activities and routines
Young children are still learning to control their bodies. There are many ways to practice physical control, or motor skills, while staying physically distant from others.
Gross motor skills involve large muscles of the body that enable children to walk, run, jump, kick, lift, and throw. Fine motor skills involve small muscles in our hands and wrists that enable children to grasp small objects, hold a pencil, write, trace, paint, and cut paper. Some opportunities to practice gross and fine motor skills include:
Going for a walk, while keeping adequate physical distance from other people. Walk on uneven surfaces like dirt or grass to practice balance.
Stretching or yoga.
Riding a bike or scooter.
Helping with household chores such as gardening (pulling weeds, picking up leaves) or tidying up (putting toys away). Children often can’t do these chores as quickly or neatly as adults, so this may take a bit of extra patience. But children will get better at these tasks over time, and often enjoy helping.
Coloring with sidewalk chalk.
Writing a letter to loved ones your child is missing.
Creating works of art by cutting, coloring, or forming figures using play dough.
Measuring, scooping, and pouring. This can be done as part of a cooking or baking project, in a sandbox, or with water in a sink, bucket, or tub.
Tying shoelaces or buttoning a shirt (with help from an adult, as needed).
Dressing a doll or stuffed animal, combing its hair.
Give choices
As much as possible, empower children by providing them with options. Give choices that fit into the schedule and routines you’ve established, such as choosing which book to read or whether to use Legos before or after lunch. (See Directions & Routines for more on how to establish and maintain routines).
Offering options and alternatives to children gives them a sense of control, while maintaining the structure provided by regular rules and routines at home. This can help reduce the stress caused by COVID-19 and major changes to daily life that are outside children’s control (3,4). For example, you might let your child select a story to read or offer three activities and let your child choose. You can even let children participate in creating the daily schedule or routine.
References
1. Bongiorno, L. (no date). 10 things every parent should know about play. National Association for the Education of Young Children.
2. Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University. (no date). Experiences build brain architecture.
3. Christakis, E. (2016). The importance of being little: What preschoolers really need from grownups. New York, NY: Viking.
4. Copple, C., & Bredekamp, S. (2009). Developmentally appropriate practice in early childhood programs serving children from birth through age 8. Washington, DC: NAEYC. (See NAEYC’s 10 Effective DAP Teaching Strategies.)
5. Daly, L., & Beloglovsky, M. (2015). Loose parts: Inspiring play in young children. St. Paul, MN: Redleaf Press.
6. Deslauriers, L., McCarty, L.S., Miller, K., Callaghan, K., & Kestin, G. (2019). Measuring actual learning versus feeling of learning in response to being actively engaged in the classroom. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 116(39), 19251-19257.
7. Dweck, C.S. (2016). Mindset: The new psychology of success. New York, NY: Random House.
8. Hemmeter, M.L., Ostrosky, M.M., Artman, K.M., Kinder, K.A. (2008). Moving right along... Planning transitions to prevent challenging behavior. Young Children, 63(3), 18-25.
9. Hirsh-Pasek, K., Golinkoff, R.M., Berk, L.E., & Singer, D. (2008). A mandate for playful learning in preschool: Presenting the evidence. New York, NY: Oxford University Press.
10. Koralek, D. (2015, March). Ten things children learn from block play. Young Children, 70(1). NAEYC.
11. Paley, V.G. (2009). A child’s work: The importance of fantasy play. Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press.
12. Reyes, C. R., & Cerezo, A. (2014). Why Child-Nature Connections Matter to the Health and Development of Young Children (and the Planet) [Unpublished article]. New Haven, CT: Yale Child Study Center.
13. Scholastic Parents Staff. (no date). The importance of pretend play: Imagination-driven play builds your young child’s developmental skills. Scholastic.
14. Vygotsky, L.S. (1978). Mind in society: The development of higher psychological processes. M. Cole, V. John-Steiner, S. Scribner, E. Souberman (Eds.). Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
15. Willingham, D.T. (2009). Why don’t students like school? A cognitive scientist answers questions about how the mind Works and what it means for the classroom. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
16. Yogman, M., Garner, A., Hutchinson, J., Hirsh-Pasek, K., Golinkoff, R.M., AAP Committee on Psychological Aspects of Child and Family Health, AAP Council on Communications and Media. (2018). The power of play: A pediatric role in enhancing development in young children. Pediatrics, 142(3).
17. Zigler, E. F., & Bishop-Josef, S. J. (2006). The cognitive child versus the whole child: Lessons from 40 years of Head Start. In D. G. Singer, R. M. Golinkoff, & K. Hirsh-Pasek (Eds.), Play=learning: How play motivates and enhances children's cognitive and social-emotional growth (pp. 15-25). New York: Oxford University Press.