Children’s learning patterns can seem quite mysterious to an adult. The meanings they take from stories, for example, can be different from the meanings we think they take. In an earlier post I described how children need quite some time to work out what is real and what isn’t; and to come to understand the conventions of form and illustration in picture books – all processes which affect how they construct meaning.
Here are some further things to note:
A child’s logic may not seem logical to an adult. For example: A child might ask the following slightly off-track questions during a reading of The Three Little Pigs:
Why don’t animals eat themselves?
Why don’t wolves blow people’s houses down?
Do pigs wear hats?
Can pigs walk?
The adult sees these questions as irrelevant to the story being read. But the child has to work through many different connections between ideas and how things work in the world before they come to a similar kind of understanding. Their ‘own’ logic is very precious because it is based on seeing the world through new eyes.
What should you do? Should you interrupt your reading so that the thread of the story is lost and try to answer the questions asked as best you can? I think so. If the child’s mind is actively seeking answers then they really need to know what those answers are.
Of course, some children get so caught up with the questions that you never get back to the story. Maybe if this happens you can suggest you have a turn of just listening to the story. But on the whole questions shouldn’t be discouraged – it means the child is learning to think independently.
Children do not have an automatic understanding of idioms, homonyms and word play. Language has many encoded mysteries which adults understand without consciously thinking about them.
For example, a simple word can cause confusion to a child because it has more than one meaning. I recall the word ‘feet’ causing this problem for my daughter when we were reading Winnie-the-Pooh: ‘Oh, help!’ said Pooh, as he dropped ten feet to the branch below him.’
But in the picture, as Juliet pointed out, Pooh only drops two feet, not ten! She was convinced the author had got it wrong. This kind of confusion is also caused with idioms.
What should you do? It is probably better to talk about these concepts outside of reading time. You could play word games to help this kind of understanding. Then when they do cause confusion in a reading it will be easier to explain what is meant.
Progress in a child’s learning is not continuously forward and may seem to get ‘stuck’ at times. A common learning pattern for a child is to take a step forward, then a step backward, pause there for a time, then move forward again.
Sometimes, a story a child seemed to understand suddenly raises questions from them suggesting they’ve missed the point entirely. There can be many reasons for this but one is that they become temporarily obsessed with something – not necessarily for reasons we understand. Subjects that regularly come under children’s scrutiny in this way include hands; feet; fathers; mothers; who/what looks after who/what; stealing; eating animals; death; and what’s real or pretend. A child will endlessly test out what can be known about their current fascination – they relate it to everything else – both successfully and unsuccessfully, they imitate it, and they see connections that may or may not be there.
What should you do? Understanding that there are common, seemingly irregular, learning patterns that most children work through means there’s no need to feel anxious when a child seems to ‘go backwards’. It is a part of their learning even though it looks as if it’s the opposite!
Children build on what they know of the world by relating it to their books and their books gain in meanings as they learn more about the world.
This is a reciprocal process which reinforces understanding of a whole range of things. In other words, the books you read to children aren’t only offering them the pleasure of story and enrichment for the imagination. They also help build and consolidate ways of understanding and knowing.
What should you do? You can look out for books that might be helpful for situations relevant to your child. There is almost certainly a book that explores every new situation a child will face such as their ‘first time’ experiences – the dentist, the doctor, kindergarten, school – the death of a pet, the birth of a baby brother or sister and so on. It is best though to try to choose well written books that achieve their purpose in imaginative ways as books of this kind can be of poor quality. Do you have any recommendations?
All such wise advice. (BTW I love Mr Rabbit and the Lovely Present!) Do you know “All the Dear Little Animals” by Ulf Nilsson? wonderful funny touching book about life and death
Thanks Donna. Interesting and so true. It’s amazing sometimes- the tangents children go off on, asking questions that an adult might judge as irrelevant but the child has somehow made a seemingly obscure connection that is very relevant to them.
I don’t know that one. Shall look out for it. Thanks, Ursula.
Exactly!
I am so glad that you have kept the blogging up Donna. I really enjoy reading your posts and they force me to remember, and extend ideas on many of the things I was taught while I studied education at Macquarie University. There’s nothing wrong with a refresher course every now and then 🙂
Strangely, although I became an Aspro in Education I didn’t ever study Education as a subject – not even a Dip Ed – although I was a teacher for many years. I feel as if I learned about Education backwards as it were!
I love reading your ‘blogs’ Donna – such interesting information, and I never stop learning something new, or hadn’t really thought about for some considerable time! Keep it up!
Thanks, Christina. I did reply before but my comment disappeared. Sorry! Thinking of you with the Brexit vote coming closer.
Ahh…it’s so reassuring to have what I observe with Gabriel be confirmed as “normal”! At 4 1/2 he loves listening to “The Magic Faraway Tree” but then just as happily picks out “Dig, Dinosaur, Dig” to read. I really enjoy seeing him try out the new words/concepts that he hears through reading…right now he’s playing with the word “ridiculous”…which I think he is using to describe anything that he doesn’t particularly approve of. Like you mentioned…he is a bit preoccupied with death at the moment and also with what belongs “in our world”, as opposed to fantasy.
This is the first time I’ve got a moment to respond! I have enjoyed reading your blog.
Good to hear from you, Cath. Gabriel sounds as if he is right on track.