The Preschooler

Picture This

When children are learning new information, making connections to knowledge they already have helps them to better remember the new information.  These connections can be made by simply asking questions and by using any of a large variety of graphic organizers.  Here is an example of how you can help your child recall what he already knows about a topic using a picture to organize thoughts.

Let’s say you were going to teach your child a little bit about ice cream before you made some of your own at home.  Instead of just assuming your child doesn’t know much about ice cream, help your child think of what he already knows about ice cream.

Draw an ice cream cone at the bottom of a tall piece of paper.  Add one scoop of ice cream on the cone for each idea your child recalls.  Perhaps he knows that ice cream comes in many flavors, it can be purchased at the store or at a dairy isle, it is cold, and it melts if you don’t eat it fast enough.  Your graphic organizer would have four scoops of ice cream with one detail in each.

Now that you know what your child already knows about the subject, you can make connections to what he already knows while building on this knowledge.

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Written by BRWI Staff on June 2, 2010