As a parent, caregiver or teacher of children of 0 to 6 years, it is important that you facilitate certain multiple intelligences activities for preschoolers that can facilitate the young minds towards better learning, and contribute to their holistic development.
In this article:
- Application of information processing theory in early childhood and its implications
- 3 Strategies to pass on learning to long term memory
- 42 Highly effective activities to enhance multiple intelligences for preschoolers
Application of Information Processing Theory in Early Childhood
To understand how information processing theory can be applied in early childhood through a simple example of a child reading a book.
When a child reads a book, the information from outside enters into a sensory register, taking the form of a book. While reading, the size and shape of letters, the grouping of words into sentences and even how the page looks when taken as a whole, gets registered in the child’s mental system.
While reading, a child can remember only certain information read a few seconds ago, because the information from the book gets into the short-term memory, also called the working memory. As you may know, the capacity to store information in the working memory is limited.
However, if everything happens the way it ideal should, the information already received by the child would get subsequently pushed into the long-term memory and gain access to it later. In other words, the information from the book enters into:
- The sensory register, then to the
- Short-term memory or working memory, and then to the
- Long-term memory.
To adopt and apply this approach to help children learn, the parent, caregiver or teacher should recognize, first, that many children do find it challenging to push information from short-term memory to long-term memory.
The challenge faced is because of what is called as Cognitive Load, which is a term that refers to accumulation of too much information in the short-term memory of the human mind. It is the cognitive load that does not allow the child to remember anything, as he/she is unable to retain the gathered information.
3 Strategies to Pass On Learning to Long Term Memory
To help children to pass the acquired information/learning from short-term to the long-term memory, the following three strategies can be adopted by parents, caregivers and teachers:
a) Encourage Attention and Rehearsal
Facilitate an environment for the child where there is least disturbances or distractions, as this helps the child to be attentive. When the child is able to be attentive, it enhances the possibility of information being sent from the short-term memory to long-term memory increases.
Rehearsing certain information or facts a few times can also help store information in the long term memory.
b) Present only a Few Things at a time
When too many things are taught or (kind of force) fed at a time, it quickly results in the working memory exceeding its capacity to store information and discourages children to remember anything being fed over a point. That’s why it becomes important to give some breathing time, so that the child can pass the information learnt to the long-term memory.
c) Provide Information in Chunks
There’s a saying which goes: Do you know how do you eat an elephant? Well, it is one bit at a time. Similarly, when children need to be provided with large information, it has to be split into chunks.
In simple words, chunking is nothing but grouping of information, especially large information. It helps the children to process the cognitive load, which is the amount of information that working memory can hold at one time; thereby facilitating them to pass on the information into the long-term memory.
42 Highly Effective Multiple Intelligences Activities for Preschoolers
A facilitator should be aware of the fact that each child gets stronger in one or two (sometimes more) types of intelligences, which are completely different from those found in other children. What is important to note is that the child gets stronger in certain types of intelligences either by nature or through nurture.
Having said, with an organized approach of nurturing with activities that are seemingly simple but effective, all the eight intelligences can be stimulated to reach an overall higher standard (of which one or two can be strong).
Let us have a look at 42 different activities for preschoolers, given in bullets across 8 different headings below, across the 8 Multiple Intelligences, which is based on Howard Gardner’s Theory of Multiple Intelligences:
1. Activities to Stimulate Linguistic or Verbal Intelligence
- Telling or narrating stories
- Listening to audio/podcasts
- Visiting libraries/Book exhibitions
- Writing stories
- Partake in debate/Group discussions
- Play vocabulary games
There are not less than 23 effective practices that can enhance language development in children, which can be found here. And there are 5 activities that enhances reading skills, which can be found here.
2. Activities to Stimulate Mathematical or Logical Intelligence
- Solving mysteries
- Predicting outcome based on circumstances
- Solving number, logic or jigsaw puzzles
- Visit science exhibitions
- Play chess and/or watch chess competitions
- Visit planetarium
3. Activities to Stimulate Visual Spatial Intelligence
- Participate in painting, drawing, sketching or sculpting
- Find out locations on maps and understand them in from all directions and 3-Dimensionally
- Engage in solving spatial puzzles
- Explore flowcharts and pictorial charts
There are 6 fun yet effective activities to promote numeracy skills in children, which is covered for you in this article.
4. Activities to Stimulate Musical Intelligence
- Write and/or recite poems
- Dance to rhythms
- Write and/or sing songs
- Create sound and/or vibration experiments
- Sing on Karaoke songs
5. Activities to Stimulate Kinesthetic Intelligence
- Participate in sports activities that engages all parts or most parts of their body
- Facilitate to practice dance and experiences through dance
- Enact a scene from a popular movie
6. Activities to Stimulate Interpersonal Intelligence
- Participate in group work
- Teaching or tutoring a peer on a concept
- Engage in conversations on favourite/interesting topics
- Engage in role-play
- Participate in team building exercise
Children begin to acquire social skills right from the day they are born, and it happens intensively between 6 months to 6 years.
Across 3 articles, we have listed out developmental activities that enhance social skills from birth to 6 months here, 6 months to 3 years here, and 3 years to 6 years here.
7. Activities to Stimulate Intrapersonal Intelligence
- Maintain a journal
- Work on an independent project
- Write essays about popular and/or historical figures
- Write articles on anything based on one’s experiences
- Rewrite an already developed story as an adaptation
- Just write to self-express
8. Activities to Stimulate Naturalist Intelligence
- Collecting items from nature like leaves, shells, feathers, rocks, pebbles, etc.
- Nature walks
- Trekking
- Building castles or mountains in beach sands
- Cultivating plants and/or growing flowers
- Caring for pets
- Set up a nest for sparrows or birds
Disclaimer: The content in this page and across this website are for informational and educational purposes only. In case of any concerns about your child’s growth and development, please contact your professional child healthcare provider.
