Encourage your child to make things out of recycled objects and everyday materials. Meltzoff, A.N., P.K. Kuhl, J. Movellan, & T.J. Sejnowski. 2009. Foundations for a New Science of Learning. Science 325 (5938): 284–88. Pinkham, A. M., & Jaswal, V. K. (2011). Watch and Learn? Infants Privilege Efficiency over Pedagogy during Imitative Learning. Infancy, 16(5), 535–544. Petersen, S. (2012). School readiness for infants and toddlers? Really? Yes, really! Young Children, 67(4), 10-13.
Young children learn about the world by observing and using their senses to try new ways of using materials. Such methods help develop their initiative to learn about the world. Meltzoff, A.N., P.K. Kuhl, J. Movellan, & T.J. Sejnowski. 2009. Foundations for a New Science of Learning. Science 325 (5938): 284–88. Pinkham, A. M., & Jaswal, V. K. (2011). Watch and Learn? Infants Privilege Efficiency over Pedagogy during Imitative Learning. Infancy, 16(5), 535–544. Petersen, S. (2012). School readiness for infants and toddlers? Really? Yes, really! Young Children, 67(4), 10-13.
Open-ended materials allow children to explore, be engaged with the activity, and be creative with what they produce using the materials. Using recycled materials also teaches children to save the environment, which builds their initiative to learn and teaches them about responsibility.
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