Developing the Foundation For Learning Consequences
Learning how to predict the consequences of one's actions is a key to successful educational achievement and minimizing trouble in life.
In order for children to learn to predict consequences, they first must learn to think about hypothetical situations.
While predicting consequences is a lifelong task, there are certain strategies that can help your child focus on this skill.
Most predictions must rely on ambiguous situations in which not all the information is present at the time a decision must be made.
At age 3 - 4, children can recognize what has occurred but cannot predict what might occur.
For example, a child leaves his mittens outside and then comes in the house.
While in the house, a puppy takes the mittens and leaves them by the dog food dish.
The 3 year old can tell you that the mittens are by the dog food dish but cannot imagine where the gloves would be if the dog did not take them.
He cannot consider alternatives based on what did not happen, only on what did happen.
Understanding regret requires counterfactual thought (alternative to what really happened.
) In one scientific study, preschool children were asked to choose between 2 boxes.
They choose one and find 1 piece of candy and they are happy.
They gave no consideration to what may be in the other box and upon learning the 2nd box had 20 candies, experiences no regret.
Adults and older children will experience regret when learning the other box had 20 candies.
The ability to compare what happened vs what could have happened occurs after 5 yrs old.
Young children can do it only if there is a very narrow causal chain.
It is not until 6 that children can think about a different set of scenarios based on a future hypothetical.
Around 6-8 years old children develop the idea of multiple possibilities when presented with an ambiguous situation in which a decision must be made based on too little information.
What toys or experiences help a child develop the ability to predict consequences and plan ahead? Simply sensitizing them to cause and effect begins the process but ultimately they need experiences that rely on thinking through the possibilities.
For example, from ages 6 to 12 months, an example is the Musical Stack & Ball Game; from 9 months to two years is the Rollipop; and from 1-2 years old is the Baby Space Robot.
For older children the connection between action and consequence should be more direct.
For example, the Magnetic Mazes for 2-3 year olds, which are wooden puzzle mazes with metal balls in the grooves.
The child uses the attached magnet to move the balls through the maze.
For 3-4 year olds, Quadrille sets consist of circular channels that the child constructs into a tower.
When completed a marble is rolled down the various pathways constructed by the child.
In this way, he learns how to get the marble to go faster or slower, take shortcuts, bounce or roll.
He is learning what he has to do to alter the path of the marble for different effects.
In order for children to learn to predict consequences, they first must learn to think about hypothetical situations.
While predicting consequences is a lifelong task, there are certain strategies that can help your child focus on this skill.
Most predictions must rely on ambiguous situations in which not all the information is present at the time a decision must be made.
At age 3 - 4, children can recognize what has occurred but cannot predict what might occur.
For example, a child leaves his mittens outside and then comes in the house.
While in the house, a puppy takes the mittens and leaves them by the dog food dish.
The 3 year old can tell you that the mittens are by the dog food dish but cannot imagine where the gloves would be if the dog did not take them.
He cannot consider alternatives based on what did not happen, only on what did happen.
Understanding regret requires counterfactual thought (alternative to what really happened.
) In one scientific study, preschool children were asked to choose between 2 boxes.
They choose one and find 1 piece of candy and they are happy.
They gave no consideration to what may be in the other box and upon learning the 2nd box had 20 candies, experiences no regret.
Adults and older children will experience regret when learning the other box had 20 candies.
The ability to compare what happened vs what could have happened occurs after 5 yrs old.
Young children can do it only if there is a very narrow causal chain.
It is not until 6 that children can think about a different set of scenarios based on a future hypothetical.
Around 6-8 years old children develop the idea of multiple possibilities when presented with an ambiguous situation in which a decision must be made based on too little information.
What toys or experiences help a child develop the ability to predict consequences and plan ahead? Simply sensitizing them to cause and effect begins the process but ultimately they need experiences that rely on thinking through the possibilities.
For example, from ages 6 to 12 months, an example is the Musical Stack & Ball Game; from 9 months to two years is the Rollipop; and from 1-2 years old is the Baby Space Robot.
For older children the connection between action and consequence should be more direct.
For example, the Magnetic Mazes for 2-3 year olds, which are wooden puzzle mazes with metal balls in the grooves.
The child uses the attached magnet to move the balls through the maze.
For 3-4 year olds, Quadrille sets consist of circular channels that the child constructs into a tower.
When completed a marble is rolled down the various pathways constructed by the child.
In this way, he learns how to get the marble to go faster or slower, take shortcuts, bounce or roll.
He is learning what he has to do to alter the path of the marble for different effects.
Source...