Cognitive Development: In early childhood (birth - age 7), the brain develops at an accelerated rate. Most children enter Kindergarten with an excitement and enthusiasm for learning! Children at this age
learn best by doing and staying active
process better when concrete objects and ideas are involved - abstract thought is very difficult for them to process
can be fearful of things that might seem silly (monsters, the dark, etc) because they often have a difficult time differentiating fantasy from reality
can have a hard time comparing because they rely on visual cues. If I have 2 rows of counters that each have 5, but one is more widely spaced apart, a child may think the longer line has more counters.
are "egocentric". This means they have difficulty understanding another person's point of view because they can only see the world from their own perspective. For example, they might offer a sad adult a favorite stuffed animal assuming it will have the same comforting effect for the adult as it does for them. This trait can sometimes make children seem selfish, but they truly have a hard time seeing others' points of view/feelings. They must be taught empathy.
What you can do:
Play games and present activities that require thinking: puzzles, matching games, memory games, counting games, etc.
Teach math by using real things to count and add. Number sense comes easier when they can associate the written numeral and/or spoken number with a set of that many objects. Likewise, 5+3 can be too abstract for Kindergarten students, but 5 beans plus 3 beans is easily identified as 8 when put together.
Ask comparing questions: which has more? which has less? which is longer? which is shorter? etc.
Be careful when exposing your child to things like violent video games/movies or horror movies. These things can impact your Kindergartener a lot differently than an older child if your child is still learning to separate reality from fantasy.
What I will do:
As often as possible, I try to avoid having my students sit in one place for too long. I will do something at the rug, then have students go to their seats, then have them sit in front of the SmartBoard, etc.
If we are sitting at the rug for a while, I give movement breaks - we will do a quick refocusing activity that usually requires movement, or an activity song.
I use 2 colored counters, cubes, and other objects we can manipulate physically when teaching Math.
I use actions when teaching. We have an action that goes with each letter/sound of the alphabet. I am also teaching an ASL sign for each sight word.
I try to use interactive learning activities - we discuss books and I ask questions about what is happening in the book. In Math or phonics instruction, I often ask, "How do you know that?" so children can explain their thought process. I do a lot of activities that require student participation, verbal responses and/or movement.