Education is one of the most scrutinized realms of our society, with the primary focus being on test scores and the ability to retain knowledge. Gone are the days when books were the only means to acquire knowledge and facilitate learning. While most of the education world has turned into a textbook-and-lecture format, arguably the best teaching method is much different.
Hands-on learning is the process of learning by actually doing and experiencing something, rather than just being told about it. It entails pedagogies of teaching that go beyond delivering curriculum-based content to students and employing fun and engaging techniques to motivate children. Here’s how this engaging kind of education can help young children.
It is More Fun and Engaging
There’s no denying that children can learn better when they are having fun as opposed to when they are made to rote learn concepts. For instance, teaching children about different parts of the body can become boring and hackneyed when taught using books. However, using hand cut-outs and flashcards is a fun activity that will help retain children’s attention and keep them motivated.
Encourages Interaction with Nature
As opposed to lecture-based instruction, hands-on learning involves spending time outside of the classroom. This can help children explore fun activities and spend time in the lap of nature, aiding optimal physical and mental health. For a child’s holistic development, it is crucial that they step outside the bounds of the classroom and interact with the world around them.
Engages Multiple Areas of the Brain
As the brain is split into two hemispheres, with each side responsible for different skills. During early childhood, a child’s brain develops faster, with the first six years being the most critical. The right side of the brain is the most active during the early years of a child’s development, is engaged by visual and spatial activities, as well as anything involving creativity and imagination. The left side is responsible for analytical thinking, so by combining multiple styles of learning, the brain forms stronger overall connections and is able to store more relevant information.
When a child participates in different activities such as playing games and recognizing objects, it can help them to make their own discoveries about materials and carry out their own mini-experiments to learn about the world.
Improved Retention of Information
Hands-on learning is proven to be more effective at helping students grasp what they’re taught. For instance, if you teach a child alphabets using the traditional methods, they are likely to get confused. But providing play-dough or clay to form the letters is a fun activity that won’t seem intimidating and will stay with them for the longest time.
Studies show that active learning can help students better their performance in subjects such as science, engineering, and mathematics. It claims that students who didn’t engage in hands-on learning were 1.5 times more likely to fail a course than students who did.
If you are looking for ways to engage your students in learning new concepts actively, get your hands on our shape cut-outs, such as the apple cut-out shape.
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