Preschoolers
Photo by Yan Krukau from Pexels
According to Mustard (2006), “early child development sets the foundation for lifelong learning, behaviour, and health” (as cited in Pye et al., 2022, para. 1) and early childhood development is positively influenced by adults who are responsive, caring, and supportive. So, what can you do to support preschoolers?
In TED’s (2021) video, Molly Wright: How Every Child Can Thrive by Five, Molly Wright, a seven-year-old, shares how parents and caregivers can support children’s healthy brain development. Take a look!
In 2014, the Ontario Ministry of Education released How Does Learning Happen? Ontario’s Pedagogy for the Early Years a resource guide that highlights learning through relationships with a focus on four foundational conditions that help children to grow and flourish:
- Belonging – a sense of connectedness to others, as well as a sense of being valued.
- Well-being – the importance of physical and mental health and wellness.
- Engagement – a sense of exploration and involvement through play and inquiry.
- Expression – a sense of being heard and listened to.
How Does Learning Happen? is foregrounded by Early Learning for Every Child Today: A Framework for Ontario Early Childhood Settings (2006), commonly referred to as ELECT. ELECT offers a continuum of development, which describes predictable sequences of development across a variety of domains (Ontario Ministry of Education, 2014). Click on each heading below to learn more.
