Sharing is a developmental process. Toddlers don’t understand the concept, much less the act of sharing. They may begin to “share” between two or three, but that’s not always the case. Children don’t have the cognitive skills to reason until about the age of four. Until then, they are very concrete.

Open-ended questions don’t have specific answers; they don’t have a right or a wrong, and that is their purpose. Open-ended questions are used to spark the child’s imagination.  Learn about the importance of open ended questions, listen for and observe kids interest. And create a setting that sparks a kid’s curiosity.

Allowing children to problem-solve through activities is very important because it helps them develop the tools to deal with challenges throughout their lives. If children are encouraged to solve problems and learn to be persistent, studies show that they become very good “out-of-the-box” thinkers. It encourages creativity and they become more confident people.  

When children are playing they not only learn fundamental concepts that are the basis for later academic learning, but they’re also learning social skills.  The philosophy behind the first child care center that I worked at was that children learn through play. Every experience for them was a learning experience.