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What's Going On In There? How the Brain and Mind Develop in the First Five Years of Life 
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Facilitating Early Learning in Young Toddlers through Active Learning TechniquesBy Andrew Loh Early learning in young toddlers has been a subject of immense interest and enthusiasm for academicians, as well as child psychologists. Parents want to teach their children by using the most useful methods and techniques, so that they become smart, intelligent and brilliant. Early learning in children is a topic of mystery. No one knows exactly how young toddlers learn and in what way they absorb the information that is made available to them. However, experts still believe that the extent of learning that occurs in a young toddler within the age of two years depends largely on the brain development. The way in which the brain grows and the manner in which the brain nerve cell connections are made, may influence the extent of learning. Years of research provides parents some invaluable clues and techniques of inducing early learning in their toddlers. Here are some simple, yet effective early child learning methods that a parent can use on a daily basis: Adapting Multi-Sensory Learning Techniques Every child is different. Every child has his or her own method of learning. Parents may need to find out their children's preference for a particular learning method. If you see that your child is showing an interest in a particular topic, then you may wish to help him or her learn it by using sensory learning methods. Let us say that your child is showing some initial interest in learning about colors, and then you can use colorful flowers or blocks to introduce the child to the world of colors. Let them handle vibrantly beautiful play blocks with their tender fingers. Let them feel the touch and sense of color blocks. You can even allow them to touch and feel the nice contours of colorful flowers. This type of learning is very effective, because it relates to the development of sensory learning in your young child. Benefits: The most significant benefit of this learning method is your child's ability to process sensory information and later adapting it to learn how things look, feel and appear. Sensory learning is a very powerful learning method for young children. Interact with your Child When your child shows an interest in something, you may need to respond to that gesture. The way in which you respond to your child's actions and interests will have a significant influence on the extent of learning. When you interact with your child, he or she can easily understand that there is world in front of them. Let us say that your child is looking at the fingers. At this juncture, you could tell your child - “these are your fingers”. When you say those words, you could be educating your child in three different ways:
Benefits: Since this is a three-way learning process, you can help children learn at a quicker pace. This will also enhance development of basic IQ in your child. Learning by Categorization Experts believe that the basic building block for learning is the ability to categorize things, objects and topics. For example, when your child learns how to segregate things or objects based on their color, shape or format, he or she will enhance cognitive and muscle coordination skills. You can even help your child in grouping any other objects or animals those are similar. Another example is segregating child's toys by color, shape, material or function. This method of learning is very simple. You just need to show them the object and say, “this is elephant and this is another elephant” or “this elephant is big and this is very small” or “this is a red flower and this is blue one”. This method will help your child immensely, because the child will see your action, and later she will start listening to your voice, feel the touch of the object and look at the form and color of the object. Enhancing Spatial Reasoning Capabilities Research studies also show that young children, who self-walk with a walker, can markedly enhance the spatial-learning abilities. This simple exercise will also improve reasoning in your child. Self-walk will also help your child develop concentration and increase attention span. Be careful when your child is walking independently. Watch out for possible accidents. Benefits: Your child will improve spatial learning, reasoning and imagination skills. This exercise will also help your child learn independent skills. Continue to read: Boosting Early Learning in Toddlers through Active Play 
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