How you can help your kids discover the world around them
Top tips to help little ones discover the wider world through play
Within our Discovery Learning Map we have an area which focuses on: Exploring the Wider World.
It’s so important to encourage and make time for children to play and explore. Through play they have time to think critically and be truly active learners, questioning everything in the world around them. As grown ups, we sometimes need a reminder of the importance of play and this quote from Mister Rogers sums it up perfectly:
Play is often talked about as if it were a relief from serious learning. But for children play is serious learning. Play is really the work of childhood.
Children are naturally curious and keen to discover the world using their senses, their minds and their bodies to find out about and make sense of what they see, feel and experience in the world around them.
But what are they learning?
As kids explore the world they are learning about many different things, such as:
- Places: cities vs countryside, countries across the globe
- People and cultures
- Animals
- Nature
- The environment
They learn to question, observe and think critically and creatively. Sometimes they can physically get involved in the wider world and are able to touch, feel and smell which provides a truly sensory learning experience. But when this isn’t possible children can continue to expand their learning through reading, seeing images and watching quality shows which inspire them to want to find out more.
Hopster supports kids on these personal learning journeys by making sure our content covers a range of topics which young kids find fascinating e.g. dinosaurs, animals, nature, countries around the world. At Hopster, we encourage kids to be independent learners and have freedom to explore topics that pique their interest as well as discover new ones. Our content nurtures young children to develop an awareness that the world extends beyond their everyday environment.
Which Hopster Shows help kids learn about the wider world?
We have lots of shows that encourage children to explore the wider world. Here are some of our favourites:
Bino & Fino
This lively Nigerian cartoon is about a brother and sister who live with their grandparents. It teaches children about African culture and diversity and how kids living in different parts of the world still share similar interests.
I’m an animal
This animation features short, funny interviews with animals in their natural habitat. The animals reveal helpful facts and information about themselves. A must for kids that are fascinated by different animal facts.
Mouk
Following the adventures of Mouk and his friend; preschoolers will learn to respect and understand different cultures and will appreciate cultural and geographical diversity. Mouk is a great show that introduces children to a new country in each episode.
Which Hopster Game do we recommend?
Our GROW game is a beautiful interaction that helps young children make sense of their environment and how plants grow. They will find out what the plant needs to grow as they explore and observe the changes as they happen in front of their eyes.
Kids can turn a tiny seedling into something beautiful. All they have to do is select a seed to plant, make sure it gets enough sunshine and rain and then prepare themselves for a beautiful surprise. Best of all they get to keep their plant that will magically appear in the flower pot on the home screen.
Key learning skills:
- Make observations about growing plants
- Develop an understanding of what plants need to enable growth
- Make links between the environment and plant growth
Mapping all our content against our Discovery Learning Map means we can ensure we are hitting the key areas within early childhood development and that kids will only ever engage with content that is positively nurturing to their development.
ABOUT LELIA INGRAM
Hello, my name is Lelia — I’m Hopster’s Head of Learning. I have over 15 years’ experience in teaching, across the Early Years, Key Stage 1 and 2 and as an Assistant Head Teacher. I specialise in literacy with a focus on developing teaching and learning within the Early Years and Key Stage 1. For me, working alongside Hopster is a perfect opportunity to be involved in developing specialist technology that delivers education in a fun and entertaining way.
