How to Teach Children Prediction Skills

Step-by-Step Guide

1. 1

   Step 1: Emphasize patterns.

   Pattern recognition is essential to prediction skills.
   
   Children in preschool are often developing their ability to recognize patterns.
   
   You can help them by pointing out patterns in your everyday life.You might use cut-out shapes to teach them patterns.
   
   Organize a basic pattern by alternating shapes.
   
   For example, you might lay out a square, a circle, a square, a circle, and a square.
   
   Ask the child, “What shape goes next?” As they get older, you can introduce more advanced patterns with more shapes.
2. 2

   Step 2: Predict everyday events together.

   For young children, predicting small everyday events is a helpful tool to help them find patterns and consider consequences.
   
   Ask the child questions about what they think might happen before you do basic events.Before you eat a meal, ask them what they think it will taste like.
   
   You can ask, “If I gave you a spoonful of honey, would it taste sweet or sour?” You might ask them to predict the weather.
   
   For example, you could say, “The sky is cloudy today.
   
   Do you think it will rain?” Five minutes into their favorite cartoon, you can ask, “What do you think will happen?” , If a child does not know the answer to a question, ask them to think about the last time something similar happened to them.
   
   See if they can draw a connection between the previous event and the present one.For example, you can ask them, “What happened the last time you skipped your nap?” They might answer that they were sleepy or that they became grumpy.
   
   You can also ask them if they think the same thing will happen again this time.
   
   For example, you can say, “Do you think that will happen again? Why do you say that?” , To help children form concrete connections between past and future events, you should also follow up your questions with an explanation.
   
   Ask them to point out clues that support their prediction, or see if they can connect a past event to a present one.You might say, “I see you think that the sun will set before dinner today.
   
   Why do you say that?” Another way of saying it is, “So you think that the coin will land on heads? Why do you think that is?”
3. 3

   Step 3: Draw on their previous experiences.

4. 4

   Step 4: Encourage them to explain their predictions.

Detailed Guide

About the Author