All our activities are focused on the development of skills, rather than just the transfer of knowledge. We do incorporate knowledge in the programme, but ensure that each activity involving that knowledge also develops skills. The children have been learning about squares these past few weeks, and one of the activities they had to do was to make holes with a headless matchstick around a big square and a small square drawn on a polystyrene tray. While reinforcing an understanding of squares, this little one was also developing his finger muscles in preparation for holding a pencil. He is also improving his eye-hand coordination, as he has to follow the line carefully, and is working on his motor planning, because his brain has to decide which muscles must do what, when and in what order. Can you see how important this activity is for formal education? Yet it costs nothing to make and can easily be replaced.
Learning about shapes-and other skills!
