Choice-Making in preschool
Offering choices to children involves allowing them to indicate their preference at specific points in time and throughout their day and then giving them access to the items or activities they choose. Choices can be offered in countless settings, including meals, chores, centers, routines, and play. Types of choices may include choosing materials during an activity, choosing what activity will come next, and choosing a friend to sit with at lunch.
Offering choices to children involves allowing them to indicate their preference at specific points in time and throughout their day and then giving them access to the items or activities they choose. Choices can be offered in countless settings, including meals, chores, centers, routines, and play. Types of choices may include choosing materials during an activity, choosing what activity will come next, and choosing a friend to sit with at lunch.
Children tend to be more cooperative, more engaged,
and better behaved when they are involved with activities that they enjoy.
Giving your child/children choices during learning time can be a little nerve racking, if your not sure what your doing.
Here are a few things that I do...
During opening (circle time) ask what the children what they would like to do first
A. read a book
or
B. sing a song
Notice, I do not ask the children what they want to do with out giving them something to choose from. This will cause problems because the child/children will most likely choose
something that I'm not willing to let them do at that time-like eat snack or play outside.
I help with the craft of the day and over see the other centers as needed.
Making choices is part of problem solving. When given choices, children stretch their minds and create new and unique combinations of ideas and materials.
Children feel important when they can choose what they want to do. It gives them self confidence and builds their self esteem.
Notice, I do not ask the children what they want to do with out giving them something to choose from. This will cause problems because the child/children will most likely choose
something that I'm not willing to let them do at that time-like eat snack or play outside.
I also give children choices for investigation time and learning centers.
I usually have 3 centers set up at a time that the child/children can do on their own and let them choose which center they want to go to first. In this way, I am working with a small number of children at a time. I then have them rotate to the next center and so on.
For example...
Center 1 is a learning game
Center 2 is learning with tangrams
Center 3 is the craft of the day
Making choices is part of problem solving. When given choices, children stretch their minds and create new and unique combinations of ideas and materials.
Children feel important when they can choose what they want to do. It gives them self confidence and builds their self esteem.
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