In the blog on April 4th, we discussed the purpose and structure of a curriculum. Now it is time to take a look at all the learning areas one by one. The first one is Rich World of Languages! In this post, you will find out why this learning area is important for children's development and what learning objectives are included in this learning area.

As a surprise gift, you will get one free lesson plan that includes an activity based on experimental learning. The activity is planned by Kindiedays lesson plan expert Stella Giota to match this learning area's objectives.

Children learn more and more about language all the time, but at the same time, it is also a vital tool for interaction, self-expression, and participation. Even when the language is not yet fully developed, children can interact in many other ways! The most important skills for linguistic development are interaction, understanding, speaking, extending vocabulary, and using language. 

The purpose of early childhood education is to strengthen children’s language skills by offering interesting activities related to the theme. Educators should give positive, encouraging feedback to children about their language skills (and for trying) regularly.

Children develop at their individual pace

We recently had the pleasure of catching up with Ranjan Goyal, our experienced and well-connected Senior Advisor in India, to delve into the exciting developments within the education sector in India. Here are some insights from our conversation:

🔍 Question: What opportunities do you see in the education segment in India right now?

💬 Answer: "India's recent adoption of a modern education policy, inspired by Finland's renowned principles, has spurred significant investments in private education. This presents a plethora of opportunities for Finnish companies like Kindiedays. We're at the forefront of this transformation in the preschool segment, aligning perfectly with India's educational renewal."

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Kindiedays Senior Advisor Ranjan Goyal (left) and H.E. Mr Kimmo Lähdevirta Ambassador of Finland meeting at the Embassy of Finland, in Delhi, April 3, 2024

🔍 Question: Tell us a bit about yourself and how you will support Kindiedays in India.

💬 Answer: "Having spearheaded the launch and growth of numerous startup ventures in private education, such as Dibber and Vivero, I now serve as a Freelance Business Consultant for Education Companies. Kindiedays stands out to me as a thrilling engagement, combining Finnish preschool practices with the mandates of India's National Education Policy and National Curriculum Framework. The potential is immense, and I'm committed to exploring every avenue to drive success."

🔍 Question: What is the opportunity for Kindiedays in India and what does it offer to the customer?

Educators are creative, so coming up with activities is not the issue. The issue is: Can educators justify the chosen activity pedagogically? What do the children learn from this?

Start from the National Curriculum Framework

The starting point in most countries is the National Education Policy and National Curriculum Framework which defines the desired teaching and learning approach and important terms that are the basis of quality educational activities:

CURRICULUM = The main guide for educators. The curriculum defines the essential contents for teaching so that every child has opportunities for diverse learning experiences. Educators should use all the areas in their teaching equally. Curriculum = learning areas + learning objectives.

LEARNING AREAS = Guide educators when planning and implementing activities together with the children. Wide entities. Choose the learning area you want to focus on during the specific activity or project.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES = The starting point for creating activities. Choose the learning objectives you want to go for in this specific activity or project. 1-3 learning objectives per activity is enough.

CHILD-CENTERED ACTIVITIES = Children are the starting point and the ultimate reason for creating activities. The activities should be based on children's interests, capabilities, needs, and/or developmental stages.

Why do the activities need a pedagogical base?

Advance lesson planning is the main step in securing quality learning. Every educator can come up with nice activities for children – for example, “Let’s take finger paints and paint! That is fun!”.

Educators are creative, so coming up with activities is not the issue. The issue is: Can educators justify the chosen activity pedagogically? Why is that activity useful for the children? What do the children learn from this?

Doing nice activities one after the other is fun and makes the days go by. Children probably enjoy and families get to see nice crafts – but these types of activities do not have a pedagogical base behind them. These nice little activities come and go, but they serve no real purpose if the educator does not think of the reason why she or he is organizing that activity. 

This is why Kindiedays has created a complete set of engaging lesson plans for you to save planning time and resources. And at the same time support children's learning in a way you can be proud of.

There has been a long-time debate in Early Childhood Education (ECE) about whether direct instruction or free play has more benefits for children's learning and development.

In recent years a shift toward “play-based learning” is gaining increasing support. It is an approach that combines the benefits of play and traditional teaching, particularly in an Early Childhood Education setting. "Play-based learning" is like an umbrella that holds together all similar educational approaches, including guided play.

According to a study Can guidance during play enhance children’s learning and development in educational contexts? guided play has three fundamental characteristics that provide an optimal learning experience for children in ECE.

Top3 Elements for Guided Play

One of the best, cheapest, and most effective ways to keep children healthy, is to teach them how to wash hands properly. Children need to learn to take care of their hygiene from early on. Washing hands frequently is one of the best habits a child can learn - and this habit will never be out of fashion whatever the age or season!

When children should wash their hands?

Here are some situations when it is recommended to wash hands. Children should wash their hands always when...

• arriving to daycare
• coming home
• before eating
• after being to the toilet
• after blowing your nose, coughing, or sneezing
• hands are visibly dirty

These are some simple guidelines that stop germs from spreading for example from bus to daycare or from supermarket to home. And of course, adults should follow all these guidelines as well.

Soap, soap, more soap!

First of all, the most important thing when washing hands is soap! Without bubbles, the germs are not going to vanish that easily.

It is not that important, whether the water is cold or hot - the main focus should be on the soapy water.

Also, even hand sanitizer does not kill all kinds of bacteria and viruses, for example, certain diarrhea-causing viruses. Therefore soap is the key! When hands are washed efficiently with soap, it is highly effective at killing most germs and pathogens.

All About Me -lesson plan sample

How to wash your hands properly?