Preschoolers Can Think About Point Of View

Yes, your preschool-aged children can think about point of view, too! This is an important part of the curriculum in elementary schools, and we can encourage young minds to think about this in an age-appropriate way. This can easily be done by having children use developing oral language skills to describe how they would view the physical world from different vantage points. 

Encourage children to sit on the floor and look at an object. Can they describe it? 

Then have them stand above the object. Help children to see how the way they look at this object is different from this point of view than when they were sitting. 

Just by looking at the photos below, you can see how this would encourage children to consider how "things" look different given your viewpoint. 

After children have discussed the differences (and likenesses) in how objects look depending on your position (in age-appropriate terms - where you stand), take children outside and ask them to consider how a bug on a flower might view the world. Ask questions such as, "How do you think birds see the world?"  

These are important ways to encourage thought about different viewpoints and to get outside. Remember - research tells us that young children should spend at least one quarter of their school day in physical activities. 

Stay tuned next week for more on point of view!

Standards Alignment:
NAEYC - 2.D.03, 2.D.06 & 2.D.07.
Head Start - VIII.A. & B.