As children gather information about their world, it is helpful for them to be able to sort out and categorize things that they see and experience. Basic concepts like up and down, hot and cold, and hard and soft help children make sense of their observations, describe them to others, and make decisions based on their observations (such as not to touch a hot object.) When you encourage children to have hands-on experiences in comparing and contrasting things you are helping them understand basic concepts that are fundamental building blocks for their development in language, reading, math, and life skills.

Playing is Learning

Play is one of the most important things that can help a child be "ready" to learn about anything. As children work with blocks and crayons, miniature figures and trucks, or even just a variety of odds and ends, they are constantly learning about how things go together in the world, how they go up and down, how they can use symbols to express their ideas, and how they can communicate so others can understand. And, of course, aren't those all important foundations for the understanding of concepts they'll need for learning math, science and reading.

Being in Control

There's another important connection children have with the concepts of "up & down." For children who have only recently mastered the ability to stand without falling, up and down can have extra special significance. Little wonder that children often like to build things up and knock them back down again. They're in control of what happens. It's easy for adults to become annoyed with this fascination for knocking these down, but sensitive caregivers soon find was to support children's ways of learning and practicing more about up and down.

Back to Theme