7 exercises to develop the reasoning of children
In order for the child between one and three years of age to agree well with the foundations of his later capacity for reasoning, he must now assimilate what is closest to him: his own body and the objects that surround him. Through the game you can check their similarities, assuming their differences and experiencing the graduation between different objects.
The recommended exercises to develop the logical reasoning of children are oriented to experiment with the concepts of measurement, size, order, succession, grade, etc. They are, therefore, mathematical exercises prior to the classification in sets that they will begin to perform in their first steps of the school.
Logical children: the importance of children's reasoning
In the logical-mathematical area, the same happens in other areas of knowledge such as language, musical expression, etc. the knowledge acquired is not isolated, but is related to each other. Therefore, when the child learns something new, we have to influence the relationship he has with what he knew before. This new knowledge has to form a clear structure with others.
If we think about it, we realize that this is how we work too. We have a general scheme of things in which we are inserting new knowledge. When we learn something especially important and novel that goes beyond any frame, we usually say: "I have broken the schemes." The child will also be learning like that.
Within a few years, at school, you will begin to learn and study in this way. Little by little, you must relate the concepts to each other and to other knowledge. For that reason, now we will say that ordering by size is not the same as ordering by colors and we will explain the difference.
Material needed for logical reasoning games
The material is an element of great help when working with logical-mathematical concepts games with our children, but, in itself, does not modify the knowledge of the child. That is, it would be very interesting to have cubes, polyhedrons, boxes of measures and weights, etc. but it is not essential. Knowledge will acquire the same with a cube manufactured at home than with a special one for stimulation. In addition, there are many models of plastic, foam or cloth, very economical.
When the child is with the material, when acting on it, discovering through his actions new knowledge that, in turn, modify and integrate into those he already possessed, is when an active knowledge is achieved. This activity (handle pieces, woods, colors) already supposes a knowledge.
Exercises to develop the logical reasoning of children
1. Order by colors
With this exercise it is achieved that, through the stimulation of sight, the child begins to acquire association criteria.
We will put colored papers or cards in four parts of the room and we will play to order the toys by colors: the red doll, in the red cardboard; the blue train, on the cardboard of the same color. Before, you have to check that the toys are of a single color or have one clearly predominant.
2. A jungle
Let's play to imitate sounds. What is involved is that associative criteria continue to be formed, this time through the stimulation of the ear.
We will imitate the sounds of different animals, while showing a picture of the animal in question. Later, after the imitation of the sound, it will have to be our son who indicates which animal it is. Let's prepare this game beforehand, lest we do not know how to imitate some animal and, little laughs!
3. Guess what it is
With closed eyes, and to stimulate the sense of touch, we will make our son touch certain objects that are part of his daily life, such as balls, dolls, toys ... and try to guess what it is. With this guessing game, you will associate the mental image you have of each object with its shape. We can also put them in a sack to say what each object is. This same exercise can be done with objects of different texture: towel, paper, napkin ...
4. Little trains
In this exercise we will need cubes or squares of colors. You can use the typical cubes of construction games or make some of them with cardboard of different colors. We will play to make little trains with the cubes of the same color, that we will put one next to another until forming a row. Thus they begin to classify and to associate with the sense of sight. Then, we can make trains with cubes of the same size. Then, of different size, simulating several types of wagons.
5. What does it taste like?
For this game we use five glasses with different components. One sweet, with honey and water. Another salty, with salt and water. Another acid, with lemon juice and water. Another bitter, with rowan and water. Another without flavor, only with water. It's about distinguishing flavors. First, we tell him the names while they drink each glass, then they must know how to say them. You can also do it with your eyes covered, or order it by strong / less strong graduations.Between tasting and tasting, they should drink a glass of water to avoid mixing flavors.
6. Dressing snakes
Stimulate the sense of sight. We draw a snake on a large card. It consists of wearing it with other pieces of cardboard or colored paper of different shapes: triangles, squares, circles. First, we attach the pieces of the same color to the snake; then, with pieces of the same shape; finally, the same size. Instead of snakes you can make necklaces of beads with a thread and by attaching the pieces of cardboard or colored paper.
7. Mosaics
With various pieces of cardboard, or with pieces of construction games, we will let our son play at will. When you have become familiar with the material, we tell you to make fantastic figures, real mosaics. The point is to combine figures as you want, even if it does not seem to make sense, so that they use the sense of sight.
Beatriz Bengoechea. Psychologist and Family Counselor
