Getting to the Point

As early childhood educators, we value process over product. It is important to learn by experiences, exploration, trial and error, unguided creativity, and play. As we provide activities and explain the rational to the parents for why the activity gives the children the opportunity to learn through this experience, the children often decide for themselves that they are going to just get to the point. They sometimes circumvent the whole purpose of the activity by skipping the actual learning opportunity so that they can get to what they deem as the goal. Most times when introducing the children to a shape sorter they will struggle through the process the first few times, frustrated with their lack of immediate success, and then realize that they can just remove the top and put all of the shapes into the bucket. They show such pride that they figured out a much simpler way to get all of those shapes into the box, and are so confused when their parent says "Oh no! You have to put them through the lid!". They know that there way is faster and easier and just don't understand that the point is to use trial and error to find the correct place for the shape sorter. I try to encourage the parents by explaining that he is showing us that he has great problem solving skills, and that is also an important milestone!
Jamie