According to Jean Piaget in the Theory of Cognitive Development, at the age of 0 up to 2, children are at the stage of sensory motor. In this time, children use all of their senses to gain experience and information from the surrounding. Kids use eyes to see, nose to smell, ears to hear, tongue to taste and skin to feel, to explore various things that attract their attention. Hence, no wonder you may find your kid busily mixing flour, rice, and sugar and then licking it only to satisfy his curiosity about its taste.
Building the Intelligence
Kids’ world is the world of playing. However, not all games can develop their intelligence. Only games that stimulate the senses have the potential to increase kids’ intelligence. The more senses used, the more information is stored in the children’s brain. Parents are supposed to be wise in preparing the games that can activate the sense of sight, smelling, hearing, tasting and feeling so that it can help to build the intelligence.
Playing with Concretes
According to the Theory of Playing uttered by Lev Vygotsky, a Russian psychologist, children haven’t been able to think abstractly since for them meaning and object are in one unity. At the phase of sensory motor, parents are supposed to prepare concrete games and not stuffing them with abstract concept that may confuse them. Use the nearest things can be found like water, paper, glasses, plates, table, chairs, etc.
Involve the Five Senses of Baby
What kind of games to stimulate as many as possible senses and where to buy? To get that kind of games, it turns out that parents shouldn’t have to buy, but make use the existing media at home instead, for example by playing at the kitchen. Don’t make kitchen a forbidden area for kids to play since there are so many media kids could explore. A cooking class for example can stimulate all five senses of kids to work.
Kids’ sense of smelling works when smelling various different spices like turmeric, ginger, zedoary and also when smelling various aromas of food being cooked. The sense of touching works when distinguishing the texture of rough, smooth, flat, slimy, etc. The sense of sight works when recognizing kitchen utensils and also various types of vegetables. The sense of taste works while tasting sweet in sugar, salty in salt or sour in tamarind. At the same time kids’ sense of hearing works when kids hear the sound of blender, the activity of frying, etc. However, though all of the senses are working, the kids still need one more support which is the parents’ guide. Guidance is needed in order to give the information about the rule and to make sure that the process and activities run smoothly and receive a satisfying result.
Consider Accordingly to the Stage of Development
In preparing the game, parents must keep paying attention in the kids’ stage of development so that it will be in the correct portion. If kids are given an easy game, they will fell less challenged. At the contrary, if the game prepared is too difficult, they will get frustrated. Other than that, leave out the direct teaching method, instead give kids a chance to build their own knowledge though the interaction with social and physical environment while they’re playing.
Give children the widest chance to play by preparing a game that can stimulate all of the senses. Playing can give children a natural momentum to learn something appropriate to the stage of age development and their specific needs; also it is the most effective way to firm up child’s development.
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