Properties

Young children observe the world and everything in it using all their senses. They investigate the colors, sizes, shapes, weights, textures and other properties of objects — like trees, rocks and toys — and materials — like water, sand and wood. Four-year-olds use lots of descriptive language, including words to describe what things are made of — wood, plastic, rubber. They choose blocks and other toys based on their properties (some balls are “bouncier”; some blocks are “stronger”) and make connections between how things are made and how they are used — a garage for cars is made differently than a house for people. Four-year-olds are able to explore cause-and-effect relationships and enjoy mixing different materials to see what happens. When you provide lots of different objects and materials for your four-year-old to investigate, take apart and put together (even when it gets messy!), you support their learning, critical thinking and problem-solving skills. As you investigate properties with your four-year-old, talk with them about what they are doing, noticing and thinking about. Introduce and use descriptive vocabulary (tiny/huge, wide/narrow and oval/triangular) as well as action words (investigate, design and sort). Notice your four-year-old’s specific interests (in building with blocks, playing in water or exploring outdoors for example) and follow their lead!