2018 is already over and it is a great opportunity to enter the world of today, tomorrow, the following year … also of what has been learned and how good it is to come.
Three-year-olds live in the present and do not understand concepts such as “now”, “after” or “tomorrow”; It will be from the age of five when they begin to understand what time is and, then yes, you can begin to explain to them what this “the year ended and we begin a new cycle” is.
This is because a very young child does not know about time: he lives in the present. In fact, this is exactly the reason why around eight months, when they have already formed an emotional bond with their mother (or whoever their primary caregiver is), they become very distressed if it disappears from their sight.
It happens that on the one hand they do not know if when they stop seeing a thing or a person they will never return and, on the other, they do not understand the sense of time, so losing sight of it is something that is very worrying.
At three years (or even older) something similar happens: if you tell them “now I’m coming back” they can’t understand how long it will take, so we recommend that you associate your arrival with an activity they do as part of their routine; for example: “I will be here when you finish the task” or “when you finish eating …”.
In this sense, it is important that you understand how your child is forming temporal concepts in his head and start some exercises to help him in this great lesson.
WHEN AND HOW ARE THEY LEARNING
The idea of time in his mind evolves until he can fully understand it:
• From 0 to 2 years:
Temporal perception is an affective phenomenon associated with the child’s physiological needs; that is, they realize that morning is different from afternoon and night in reference to their basic needs: sleep and hunger.
• From 3 to 4 years:
Begin to understand the notions of speed (slow or fast). Also to understand the first classifications of order and succession of events: we get up, we wash our hands, we eat breakfast, we go to the streets…
• 5 and 6 years:
They begin to better distinguish before and after and also today from tomorrow or yesterday, although they can still confuse both words and use them in the opposite sense.
• From 7 years:
They already fully understand phrases like “next week we go on vacation” or “we haven’t seen your uncles in a month.” They have acquired the notion of temporality incorporating it into their language naturally.
EXERCISES TO HELP YOU
Your child needs to mature and also some practice. You can help him with the three exercises that we present below: distinguish morning, afternoon and night (from three years old); learn the days of the week and the order in which they go: Monday, Tuesday … Know that a year is longer than a month and a week is longer than a day (from the age of five). The objective of these three activities is to help your little one acquire the notion of time.
Exercise 1
(3 years)
Draw a picture of an activity you do in the morning, one in the afternoon, and one of one at night. Ask your little one to relate each activity to the time of day when it is done.
Exercise 2
(From 5 years)
Cut out 14 rectangular pieces of paper. Leave seven of them blank and on the other seven write the days of the week (one day on each card). Put the blank tiles in a row and put the messy day tiles underneath. Then ask, “What are the days of the week?” Once he has answered, help him identify the name of the days on the cards. Then ask your child to put the rest of the days of the week in the proper order.
Exercise 3
(Starting at 7 years)
What lasts longer, a year or a month? Divide a sheet into four parts and write in each one the name of one of the characters in the story that you will tell later. Under the name write down the time it takes each one to fulfill his mission: Pedro, one week; Miguel, one day; José, one year; Mateo, one month. Now tell your son: “I will tell you a story and then I will ask you some questions: a tailor ran out of fabric to work. He sent his four employees to look for the canvas and promised that whoever returned first would receive an award: José took a year. Pedro took a week. Miguel took a day and Mateo took a month. ” Every time you name an employee, you must show your child the corresponding form. “Now tell me which one of them won the award.” Lastly, ask him to sort out the employee sheets,
2018 IS OVER, WELCOME 2019!
Since children find it difficult to understand the concept of time, if you tell your child that a new year is about to start, they may not understand, nothing! For this it is convenient to give him a good life lesson: learn to close cycles; something that will allow you to live your life more fully, consciously and happily. True? We give you some tips.
1. The main thing to close a cycle well is “to say goodbye to that reality that is about to disappear”: make a diary together with your little one of what he lived in 2018. Remember what you felt and teach him what you learned from each anecdote.
2. Mission to undertake: to know what is coming now for you. Make a collage of what you expect to happen in 2019, of everything you will do, your new projects and dreams. This will teach him to always look ahead and motivate himself with the positive that he himself can create in his future.
OTHER IDEAS:
• Let me help you with housework. It will reinforce her idea that there is a time for everything: “Now we pick up breakfast, then I will take you to school and, when you return, at lunchtime, Mom will help you set the table to eat all together.”
• Wall calendar. Hang an eye-catching one and cross it out with each passing day. We can also mark designated days and ask you to cross out the missing ones, for example, for your birthday or holidays …
• The tales. There are some specially indicated to understand the course of time. After reading them, ask, “What happens after the princess kisses the frog?”
• Spoken journal. Invite your child to tell you his day from morning until that moment. It will help you better understand that there is a chronological order throughout your day.