6 Ways Pre-schoolers Can Benefit From Experiential Learning

Young children often have the instinctive desire to discover, learn, and try new things because they are naturally curious about the world around them. Therefore, it may be beneficial for parents to nurture their genuine desire to learn by enrolling them in a preschool that adopts an experiential learning approach.

What is experiential learning?

Experts believe that children learn best through experiential learning, wherein they engage in experiences that allow them to learn. With most children enjoying play, experiential education makes learning new things more fun and exciting.

Some examples of experiential learning activities include gardening, speech and drama classes, outdoor play, craft activities and more.

The benefits of experiential learning are aplenty. In this article, we explore 6 ways pre-schoolers can benefit from a curriculum that adopts an experiential learning approach.

1. Encourages independent learning.

Experiential learning in preschool is a concept of education that focuses on allowing children to acquire information on their own. This discovery of knowledge fuels a child’s curiosity and encourages investigation and exploration.

Instead of focusing on the direct teachings of textbook concepts, experiential learning presents learning opportunities in the form of real-life situations or activities to allow children to acquire skills and knowledge from the act of “doing”.

2. Reduces screen time.

Because experiential learning makes discovering new things much more engaging, it motivates young children to want to learn more. As a result, it helps reduce their screen time because they would be more willing to learn through play and other practical activities as opposed to spending time glued to the screen.

3. Fosters creativity and innovation.

Through this learning method, children are encouraged to find ways to apply their knowledge and test out different theories. This also helps them work out their own strategy to arrive at an answer or solution to a problem.

Thus, experiential learning is able to hone their creativity and innovation, allowing them to freely explore and discover new ways to learn in a fun and interesting manner.

4. Improves memory retention.

Experiential learning allows children to gain a deeper understanding of different subjects, making them interested in the content presented to them. Furthermore, it makes lessons much more personalised and hands-on. Because of this, the synapses or nerves in the brain create stronger connections every time a pre-schooler associates motor functions with new information, which leads to improved memory retention.

5. Develops social skills.

When children face issues and are given a chance to use their problem-solving abilities in order to solve them, they learn practical knowledge. A preschool that adopts an experiential learning approach would likely allow children to actively engage in daily activities that can help them develop life skills, which would help them grow and learn in the future. Examples of such life skills can include empathy and kindness, which would help develop their social skills in the long run.

6. Aids in their emotional growth.

Since children are allowed to discover ways to answer questions or solve problems on their own, they are able to develop their self-esteem and emotional quotient. When children take control of a situation with the assistance of adults, they learn how to pursue their goals without being scared to attempt new things or struggle at first.

Conclusion

Experiential learning is all about gaining practical knowledge to help young children become more interested in learning. It also allows kids to actively participate in everyday activities, helping them build and enhance life skills that will certainly be beneficial to them in the future.

Viv’s Schoolhouse is an international preschool in Singapore specialising in educating children between 18 months and 6 years old. We are all about experiential learning and making lessons engaging for all our children. In a safe and conducive space, our dedicated and experienced teachers will empower your precious little one and make learning exciting for them through interactive activities.