Why Hands-On Learning is Essential for Preschoolers
We’ve all been there. Paper scraps all over the floor. The table is covered in a sheen of paint, glitter glue, or some other questionable substance (ignorance is bliss at this point.) Kinetic sand, playdough, and miscellaneous materials abound…and my sanity dwindles. The things we do for our children, right? The truth is, yes, this kind of mess is definitely overwhelming, but it is also very impactful and powerful. There is immense purpose in this mess. This mess is the result of meaningful, explorative learning and, ultimately, play.
Learning is a foundational element and pillar of childhood. The primary way that children engage in the learning process is through play. Some may underestimate the value of play in childhood, viewing it simply as a way to pass the time. However, this could not be further from the truth. Play provides children with an outlet for independent exploration of the world around them, led by their own desires and natural curiosity.
Learning is supposed to be fun! Taking a hands-on, play-based approach to learning helps children to have fun in the process. The most beneficial type of play is hands-on learning. On our website, we mention how our learning kits make “learning feel like play,” and that is the ultimate goal in facilitating enriching learning activities for your children.
What Is Hands-On Learning?
Hands-on learning, otherwise known as tactile learning, is a process of a child actively engaging with materials, resources, activities, and their environment in order to explore and gain an understanding of new concepts, as well as reinforce previously learned concepts. The phrases “hands-on learning” and “tactile learning” are often used interchangeably. Tactile learning is a learning style where the child better grasps the material through physical exploration instead of listening or watching presentations to gain knowledge. It introduces them to academic concepts in a way they will better understand.
Our Frosty Fun Baking Kit is a great example of this. As your child navigates the baking kit, they are being introduced to early mathematic concepts, such as understanding spatial relationships, as they mold the dough and create their pretend “food.” They will likely not even realize the academic learning that takes place as they use the baking tools and engage with early literacy concepts as they use the book to support their play.
The process of hands-on learning heavily includes the use of the five senses, which is also known as sensory play: a huge component of hands-on learning. Exploration and experimentation are key concepts of hands-on learning, and these concepts are at the forefront of sensory play. Our Five Senses Kit provides children with a sensory adventure where they can discover different textures, smells, visual elements, and more, with all five of their senses. This kit is an amazing place to start when it comes to hands-on learning.
STEAM activities are another incredible element of hands-on learning. STEAM is an acronym that stands for science, technology, arts, engineering, and mathematics. Our Five Senses Kit, as well as our subscription Learn + Play Kits, provide engaging STEAM activities for children as they learn through experimentation and exploration.
The Importance of Hands-On Learning
One of the most important aspects of hands-on learning is that it is child-led. Independent learning is extremely beneficial for children, as it teaches them to follow their own desires and curiosity, leading to increased self-motivation in the future. Engaging in independent, child-led learning will lead to a greater love of learning in children. It makes learning personalized to each child and furthers their enjoyment of the entire process.
Taking a play-based, hands-on approach to learning may create more physical messes than traditional learning (such as completing worksheets) but the mess actually helps them learn. There is so much purpose in this mess. Maybe this fact can serve as a comfort to you as you watch the chaos unfold. Seeing a mess of materials can definitely cause stress for parents, but messy play is important for hands-on learning. Messy play allows children to investigate and create without limitation, which fuels their inner motivation for learning.
Benefits of Hands-On Learning
Hands-on learning provides many beneficial qualities for children, as it influences so many areas of child development. Among these include, but are not limited to, cognitive development, social-emotional development, and physical development.
COGNITIVE
Cognitive development refers to a child’s ability to acquire knowledge and understand the world around them. Cognitive concepts include problem-solving, critical thinking skills, curiosity, and memory skills. The ability to make connections, as well as cause-and-effect reasoning, falls under the umbrella of cognitive development as well. Hands-on learning provides many opportunities for a child’s cognitive development to establish and flourish.
SOCIAL-EMOTIONAL
Social-emotional development relates to a child’s ability to understand and relate to those around them. Through activities that enhance social-emotional development, children can learn how to collaborate with others and participate in teamwork. Hands-on learning increases a child’s self-confidence and helps them regulate their emotions independently through self-regulation. A child’s ability to regulate their emotions themselves will benefit them in every area of their life, not just in childhood but beyond.
Hands-on learning helps children to get in touch with all types of emotions, builds their empathy for others, and teaches them how to create friendships as they collaborate with their peers. As they explore, they engage in trial and error, which helps them solidify their understanding of concepts and build their resilience. This, in turn, grows their persistence and perseverance, which will enable them to adapt and overcome when faced with challenges in both learning and in life.
PHYSICAL
A major component of physical development is the area of motor skills. The two types of motor skills are fine and gross motor skills. Fine motor skills refer to smaller muscle movements within the fingers and hands, while gross motor skills relate to large muscle group movements involving the legs and core.
Fine motor skills are needed for writing, drawing, tying shoes, buttoning up clothes, cutting with scissors, and more. Playdough is a wonderful toy for tactile exploration and fine motor development, as well as cognitive development. Our Silicone Playdough Mat, Silicone Playdough Roller, and Playdough Wood Cutter are great resources to have on hand for your playdough stash.
Gross motor skills are needed for running, jumping, climbing, balancing, bike riding, riding scooters, playing sports, and more. Hand-eye coordination is necessary for both fine and gross motor skills development. Hand-eye coordination refers to the ability to synchronize our body movement with what we see.
Let's Play!
Hands-on learning is the most beneficial way for children to learn and understand the world around them. Learning through play cultivates curiosity and fuels the enthusiasm and love of learning in a tangible way for your child. Even though tactile activities tend to make more of a mess, knowing the immense benefits of learning through play can help us parents not only tolerate but encourage the mess, because we know there is so much purpose in it.
We are confident that T Is For Tot can promote your child's learning by supporting the learning process at home by providing developmentally appropriate products for you to facilitate with your children. Not only will you enhance your child’s development and skills through hands-on learning activities, but you will also get to make memories together along the way. Happy exploring!
