Torch, Fall 1991

HELPING THEM LEARN by Grace Jackson ave you ever watched a two-year-old learn what a marshmallow is? All the talking and explain– ing you can do about a marshmallowwill never measure up to the taste and feel of that soft, sticky, gooey, white blob in his hand. Believe me, a child will know what a marshmallow is if you allow him the freedom to do as much with that marsh– mallow as his abilities will permit! Preschoolers cannot help but learn. From tiny tots on, they model their lives after the people with whom they are in contact. If parents, in fact, if all adults were aware of their impact on their children, or any child with whom they come in con– tact, they would realize their role as teach– ers. Children need parents, grandparents, preschool teachers, and Sunday School teachers who will help them learn impor– tant concepts. How Preschoolers Learn Preschoolers learn as they move and experience things through their senses– seeing, hearing, tasting, smelling, and touching. We often neglect the feeling and tasting part of learning. We say, "Don't touch! " "Get that out of your mouth!" "Just look!" But a child needs to taste the marshmallow, even if he does get sticky. Children also learn as they play. "Play is the stuff of life for children," states Richard Patterson, Jr. in his book, Brand Name Kids (Revell, 1988). Left on their own, children love to play. But in our society today , unstructured play is becoming extinct. Many children sit pas– sively hour after hour watching television and videos. Day-care centers have "organ– izedactivities," and many kindergartens have given upon play and social time for academic activities. However, when left to their own devices, most preschoolers still play and this should be encouraged. Some young children were playing outside. Through an open window, I could hear them discussing how they could convince their parents to purchase a new bike for them. One little boy, whose parents were missionaiies in a remote part of the Amazon jungle, piped up and said, "Let's make one! " The other children just looked at him with