As Lev Vygotsky wisely said, “What a child can do today with assistance, she will be able to do by herself tomorrow.” This perfectly captures the spirit of Work Together Wednesday during the Week of the Young Child.
Providing opportunities for young children to work together is essential. Teamwork allows children to: Experience the value of collaboration. Develop their ability to work toward a shared objective. Enhance critical social skills. We must actively give our young learners many chances to practice these collaboration skills.
Developing teamwork in preschoolers is important for several reasons: 1. Builds a Sense of Community Reinforcing teamwork shows students that the classroom is a community where everyone is treated with respect. 2. Fosters Perspective Taking It can be challenging for young children to understand that peers may not want to play or do things exactly as they do. To successfully work together and solve problems, they learn to accept and appreciate different ways of thinking. 3. Develops Empathy Helping students develop empathy allows them to identify and understand how others are feeling and why. This deepens their connections with peers and sets a foundation for understanding the world as they grow older. 4. Encourages Peer Learning Learning from peers is an excellent way for children to gain knowledge about the world, encounter different viewpoints, and recognize both the differences and similarities among people.
In the preschool setting, teamwork involves introducing and reinforcing fundamental skills that enable students to work alongside their peers, offer help when needed, understand others, and know exactly what cooperation looks and means.
Interested in learning more about the RPS205 Early Childhood opportunities for families with children Birth-age 5? Visit https://www.rps205.com/o/rps/page/early-childhood or call the Early Childhood Screening and Placement Office at 815-229-2103.
By: Hillary Cook-Harris
Hillary Cook-Harris is the Director of Early Childhood Curriculum and Assessment. Hillary joined RPS 205 in November 2019. She has been an Early Childhood educator and director for more than 30 years.