Things Parents Need To Know About Child-Centered Learning

So What Exactly is Child-Centered Learning?

This is a strategically calibrated approach to learning where children, and their unique individual needs, come first when developing a curriculum for them. The Vaekke program offers the perfect mold of what premier child-centered, device-free learning looks like. Here, lesson plans are crafted with your child in mind as the starting point. He or she naturally gravitates towards activities of interest, and learning is fueled by these unique passions.

With that out of the way, what else should you know about child-centered learning?

If you’re on the fence about whether this method of education would be a good fit for your preschooler, or would just like to learn more before you make that all-important decision, then here are a few pointers on the essentials of child-centered learning.

1. Parents & Guardians Are Still A Vital Part Of The Puzzle

While it’s true that a parent-child learning program puts preschoolers completely in the driver’s seat, making them the primary engine that drives the content, young and highly impressionable minds do need a little nudging in the right direction at this volatile stage of their lives. Otherwise, they’d take in both the good and the bad without knowing the difference.

To help them wade through uncharted territory and successfully navigate the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS), where mind you 92% of brain development occurs, a device-free learning program such as Vaekke offers much-needed guidance and content filtering.

This guidance comes in the way of carefully curated daily activity sheets, which typically vary between 4 and 5 integral activities, including but not limited to:

• Math puzzles through pulses, vegetables, fruits, and more.
• Free-hand painting and other coloring activities
• Balloon walking, which makes for a great Montessori activity at home
• Funneling activities
• Playdough exercises, and much more

All in all, whatever activity your child takes part in, you as a parent get to watch over their shoulder. Vaekke’s parent-child learning approach allows your children the freedom to be leaders and dictate how and what they want to learn. But at the same time, you still get to be a co-participant and oversee the process.

2. You Can Successfully Do It At Home

For most preschoolers, this delicate time of their lives means having to be uprooted from the comfort of their family environment and being thrust into an unfamiliar, and daunting new world, of which they don’t know what to make off.

The separation anxiety alone could cripple their learning, impeding any educational progress and hindering your child from truly hitting his or her stride.

You don’t need to take your child to an actual preschool establishment. They can still thrive through preschool activities at home, and gradually learn how to let go of the only world they’ve known so far (your home)and slowly welcome the foreign, outside environment.

Other advantages of preschool learning at home for your toddler encompass:

• Your parent-child bond never severs but instead grows stronger
• You have a huge say in what your child learns
• You can rest assured that your child is always in a safe, bully-free environment
• Siblings can build strong relationships with each other as well
  • You can develop a neighborhood coop of learners so they still get exposure to social interac tions

If you’re short on ideas, Vaekke offers excellent Montessori preschool at home, where your child learns through play and via real-world items in your home, in addition to fun-filled activities such as the aforementioned.

3. It’s Never Too Late To Get A Move On Child-Centered Learning

Is your child a little older and you’re worried it’s too late to begin?

Well, the good news is that it’s never a bad time to start. Vaekke, for instance, still welcomes children over 4 years old, and it’s not uncommon for children up to 6 years to find enormous success in the program regardless of age.

So long as your child didn’t have a structured foundation, or if you aren’t confident in the EYFS preparation they received; they are a perfect match for Montessori preschool at home.

Of course, the prime age for Montessori learning falls around the region of your typical preschool years, because- as we uncovered earlier- over 90% of brain growth takes place before kindergarten or age 5. So if you can, it’s best to introduce your kids to the right programs that offer preschool learning at home.

However, if circumstances didn’t work in your favor and this educational methodology is only coming to light now, then, by all means, don’t be afraid to get started. Better late than never.

4. Device-Free Learning Is The Most Ideal Path

For most remote learning programs, online learning is usually the way to go, especially in an age where the Coronavirus pandemic has meant we have to be more careful and limit physical interactions.

Device-free learning has consequently been adopted across most learning institutions, with virtual lessons fast becoming the norm. However, this is fanning the flames of a dangerous trend, with data revealing that 65% of kids have developed a device addiction problem due to the pandemic, therefore leading to:

• Poor sleeping patterns
• Obesity and health problems
• Stifling of social skills
• Behavioral problems, e.g. Sudden rudeness

Therefore, there’s the need for child-centered learning to also reduce screen time, hence a device-free learning program like Vaekke becomes more ideal. With the Vaekke program, there’s a heavy focus on interactions with the real world, and all that it entails. You receive video guides and activity sheets for preschool activities at home that you can perform and enjoy with your kids, as they develop their fine motor and sensory skills.

What’s In It For Your Family?

Well, for one, parent-child pairs get to spend loads of time together, exploring new activities, having fun, and more importantly, laying the foundation for a special bond that lasts a lifetime. Child-centered learning has also been shown to work wonders for kids’ mental health, and with positive reinforcement and an EQ-centric learning program such as Vaekke, your child can engrain a never-say-die outlook on life, helping them be all that they can`.

Want to learn more about Vaekke? Talk to us here.