How do you teach your children basic maths skills at an early age? Find out how to transform playtime into a fun learning experience with building block
Fine motor skills use precise movements, involving the small muscles that control the hand, thumb and fingers.
These skills help children perform important daily tasks like grasping objects, drawing and writing, zipping and buttoning clothes.
Children that struggle with fine motor skills will become upset or frustrated when they cannot complete every day tasks. This can lead to task avoidance as the child experiences it as too difficult.
Fine motor skills are practised in almost every lesson through working with building blocks.
Children stack, join, arrange and take apart building blocks exercising the muscles important in fine motor control development. They also have the opportunity to manipulate the orientation of the blocks by turning them or swapping them out with others.
Trying out new methods of placing blocks and exercises crossing the midline helps with exercising spatial awareness and improving fine motor control.
Some tasks involve the use of common objects to pick up blocks : for instance the children use pegs or a piece of string to pick up the blocks thereby working on the pincer grip, patience and a steady hand.
The games played help exercise fine motor control and hand eye coordination by requiring the children to balance blocks or small models on rulers and shooting marbles either by finger or using a ruler as a golf stick to shoot them through a makeshift obstacle course built out of the blocks.
Some tasks require the children to copy a model, that is placed in front of the class, onto a piece of paper. The same colours as the blocks used to build the model should be used and drawn in the corresponding positions. This practices copying skills and gives the opportunity to use differently coloured pens and exercises the pencil grip.
Children sometimes design their own pictures by placing the blocks onto a piece of paper and are required to draw the outline of the shapes. The blocks are used as stencils. This practises the manipulation of a pen around objects and copying skills.
The ability to listen and speak with a broad vocabulary and ability to give and follow instructions.
Research proves that language plays a key role in the development of other important skills. A child’s level of language skills before entering school predicts their success in reading, Mathematics and even has an effect on social skills development. [1]
During lessons children are encouraged to use their voices: structures they have built are presented, questions are answered about distinguishable features of objects and their memory is challenged. Different terms are learnt that are used to describe orientation and placing of blocks. Sequences are dictated and need to be created.
Children practise listening skills and broaden their vocabulary by following instructions given by the instructor or their peers. Certain lessons include stories for which children build the endings, whilst other stories involve comprehension building tasks to be performed.
Children are involved in group activities in which they need to be able to communicate their intentions to others, engaging in team work to complete activities. These tasks allow children freedom to express themselves and encourages creativity and imagination.
The ability to reason and apply simple numerical concepts in everyday life. Comprehending fundamental arithmetic like addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division.
Numeracy is important for children to develop logical thinking which in turn is used to solve problems. Numeracy allows children to make sense of numbers, patterns and shapes, allows the ability to read time and use mathematical concepts in the real world.
Being numerate gives a child the confidence and disposition to use Mathematics in everyday life.
Lessons are designed to create an understanding of numbers. What do numbers mean in terms of amounts, what do they look like? Children explore different Mathematical concepts such as graphing and measurement, laying the foundation for future Mathematical ability.
Children are asked to categorise and often have structures that need to be memorised. Memorised sequences and patterns have to be manipulated mentally, for example building something in an opposite sequence as compared to that what was shown. Exercises like these help improve working memory, which is important in performing calculations mentally.
Geometric shapes and spaces are explored, developing spatial awareness. This helps children develop engineering-type problem solving skills.
Children are given exercises that ask them to redraw what they see or have memorised. Being able to reproduce a tangible object into a 2-dimensional space helps children ease into the abstract thinking entailed in Mathematics.
The ability to make sense of what the eyes see.
These skills are required to perform everyday tasks, such as copying information from a board during class, understanding symbols, being able to read and write and common day activities such as cutting and dressing
Problems with these skills may affect a child’s self esteem and compromise their academic and play performance. They may have difficulty with attention and concentration around activities.
Children’s senses are challenged when confronted with certain tasks: the problem needs to be visualised and a solution built. The children receive feedback from the instructor to encourage critical thinking skills: maybe the wall they have built has to enclose something or house a window or include a set of stairs.
Certain exercises expect the children to pay attention to as much detail as possible. They are then asked if certain features were present in the observed pictures or structures.
Children may be asked to recall if certain colours, sequences, orientations were present. This prepares children to expect any type of question based on what they have observed.
Children are given visual exercises to develop problem solving skills. Memory skills are practised and imagination is needed when building a favourite animal or solving a problem like crossing a makeshift lake. Children are asked to explain why they have built something in a certain way or what the structure’s function is in the real world.
CogniBlocks Kids Fees 2o24
An annual fee of R100 is added to your first invoice.
The following materials will be supplied to your child as part of the programme:
Sticker Boards
Programme Stickers
Programme Gift
Programme Certificate
CogniBlocks offers parents the opportunity to receive a skills assessment report at the end of the course for your child.
Our instructors will conduct 3 observational assessments on your child throughout the course where they will evaluate your child’s capabilities in age appropriate skills.
This feedback is collected at the end of the course to create a skills assessment report that parents can use as valuable feedback tool on their child’s progress and also contains suggestions on how to improve various skills.
Report cost: R200 per child
The ability to share and cooperate with others, interact in verbal and non verbal ways.
A 2015 American study [1] showed that children who were better at cooperating, following rules, sharing and listening from the age of five were more likely to attend college and university. They were also more likely to be employed by the age of 25.
Children that had low or lacking emotional and social skills were more likely to have relationship issues, substance abuse issues, and depend on public assistance.
Friendly group games are played that require children to try their best and help them deal with emotions experienced when losing or winning. Emotional readiness is developed which prepares children for a formal learning environment.
Children are encouraged to collaborate to solve problems which fosters imagination and creativity. Through cooperation children learn to share and be mindful of one another.
Concepts such as respect, patience and aiding one another are presented and explored. The way children perceive themselves and their ability to express themselves influences their experience in a schooling environment.
Damon E. Jones et al. (2015). Early Social-Emotional Functioning and Public Health: The Relationship Between Kindergarten Social Competence and Future Wellness. AJPH
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