O heuristic game is a playful activity aimed at children, whose purpose is to stimulate discovery, but also the learning of the little ones in early childhood. Thus, children interact with different types of objects, shapes and materials.
Schools have been using this learning method for many years, even making their own toys.
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These stimuli should still occur in the first years of the child's life, that is, when he already starts to move, which usually happens between 12 months and two years of age.
self learning
During the heuristic game, the child becomes the protagonist of his own learning, because, in many cases, he makes his own toys. With the materials, she can explore, investigate and discover, in a self-guided way, how to learn. This is because the elements favor discovery, knowing the reality, developing self-esteem and respecting the pace and needs of each child.
Through their own senses, the child discovers the characteristics of objects and materials, manipulating them and developing their stimuli.
The steps of the heuristic game
The heuristic game lasts approximately 45 minutes and is divided into three important stages. It should end before the child's interest runs out, to avoid boredom or disinterest in the activity. The orientation is to use, on average, 25 minutes to play and another 15 minutes to organize the material.
1st stage – Preparatory
The adult must prepare the material in an empty space, such as a table or mat, and free of elements other than those that are part of the game. Choose three types of sensory materials for each child and arrange them at various points in a grouped manner. Children can observe how they are arranged or find them scattered around.
2nd stage – Exploration
The children must experiment with the selected objects, combining and exploring the different possibilities. The proposal is that they ask themselves what each element is for and how they can be combined. In this phase it is allowed to spread, open, close, separate, join. Anything goes!
3rd stage – Collection
In this phase, children should classify and organize the materials. Then, they will catalog them, with the help of an adult, who must indicate their name, qualities, shapes, quantity and where they are in relation to the others. With stimulation, this becomes a fun learning method for the child.
Game Materials
For the heuristic game, materials exclusively made from natural objects are used, such as paper, wood, cardboard, rolls, among others, in addition to a natural container to place them inside. During the game, each child can transport as well as sort the materials.
Benefits of the heuristic game
- The heuristic game brings multiple benefits to children, such as:
- Stimulates cognitive abilities of understanding, relationship, knowledge, among others;
- Stimulates the manipulation of objects, motor skills and creativity in children;
- Development of perceptive abilities: vision, hearing, touch, smell, taste;
- Teaches to know the laws of nature, such as gravity and balance;
- I encourage mathematical thinking due to the practice of selecting and discriminating between object categories;
- Teaches ethical values such as respect, tolerance and collaboration;
- Provides learning about affective benefits;
- Social advantages, such as valuing, collaborating and finally sharing.
The role of the adult
The adult has a very important participation in the heuristic game, since he has the role of educator. He will facilitate the materials and containers for the children, but he should not interfere. It is important to highlight that in the heuristic game there are no errors or successes. This is a free game so little ones can learn from their own attempts.
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