Finding the right balance between providing the child enough information to be accurate and understandable while also avoiding overwhelming or confusing them can be difficult when explaining complex concepts to young children. Here are some suggestions for teaching difficult ideas to youngsters of various school levels:
Use simple, concrete examples: Children’s attention spans are restricted, and they may fail to grasp abstract concepts. Use tangible examples that they can easily connect to to help students understand difficult topics. To illustrate the notion of a microbe to a youngster, consider a bacteria that lives on their skin or in their mouth.
Use age-appropriate language: Children of different ages have varying levels of language development and comprehension. Use language that is appropriate for the child’s age and cognitive level. When describing a subject to an older kid, you may use more technical terms and abstract principles, but when teaching the same concept to a younger child, you may need to use simpler language and more specific examples.
Use visual aids: Children often learn better when they have something visual to look at. Consider using diagrams, charts, or other visual aids to help the child understand the concept.
Encourage questioning: Encourage the child to ask questions and engage with the concept. This will help them to better understand the material and retain the information.
Practice patience: It may take time for a child to fully grasp a complex concept. Be patient and don’t get frustrated if they don’t understand right away. Encourage them to ask questions and keep trying to explain the concept in different ways until they are able to understand it.
Some strategies for content delivery
There are a number of strategies that you can use to help children understand complex concepts, according to research in the field of education. Here are some additional tips, with references to scientific studies:
- Use real-life examples: Children are more likely to understand and retain information if it is presented in the context of real-life situations that they can relate to, according to a study published in the Journal of Education Psychology (Ginsburg et al., 2007).
- Use hands-on activities: Children are more likely to engage with and understand complex concepts if they can actively participate in hands-on activities, according to a review of research published in the Journal of Research in Science Teaching (McLeod & Alters, 2003).
- Use multiple representations: Presenting information in multiple formats, such as visual, verbal, and kinesthetic, can help children to better understand and retain complex concepts, according to a study published in the Journal of Educational Psychology (Mayer & Sims, 1994).
- Use scaffolding: Providing children with support and guidance as they learn can help them to better understand complex concepts, according to a review of research published in the Journal of Educational Psychology (Berk, 2002). This can include providing examples, asking questions, and providing feedback as the child works through the material.
- Encourage self-explanation: Encouraging children to explain their thinking and understanding of a concept can help them to better understand and retain the information, according to a study published in the Journal of Educational Psychology (Chi et al, 1994). This can involve asking the child to explain their reasoning or to generate examples to illustrate their understanding of the concept.
- Use analogies: Comparing a complex concept to something that the child is already familiar with can help them to better understand the new material, according to a study published in the Journal of Educational Psychology (Chi et al., 1989). For example, you could use the analogy of a computer program to explain the concept of an algorithm.
- Use metacognition: Encouraging children to think about their own thinking and learning processes can help them to better understand and retain complex concepts, according to a study published in the Journal of Educational Psychology (Schraw & Dennison, 1994). This can involve asking the child to reflect on their understanding of the material, or to generate their own questions about the concept.
- Use prior knowledge: Building on what the child already knows about a topic can help them to better understand and retain new information, according to a study published in the Journal of Educational Psychology (Bransford et al., 2000). This can involve activating the child’s prior knowledge by asking them to relate the new material to something they already know, or by using examples and illustrations that build on their existing understanding.
- Use spaced practice: Spacing out the learning of a complex concept over time, rather than trying to learn it all at once, can help the child to better understand and retain the material, according to a review of research published in the Journal of Educational Psychology (Cepeda et al., 2006). This can involve revisiting the material at regular intervals, rather than trying to learn it all in one sitting.
- Use interleaved practice: Mixing up the practice of different complex concepts, rather than focusing on one concept at a time, can help the child to better understand and retain the material, according to a study published in the Journal of Educational Psychology (Roediger & Karpicke, 2006). This can involve practicing multiple concepts together, rather than focusing on just one at a time.
- Use elaboration: Encouraging the child to elaborate on the material, by generating their own examples or explaining the concept in their own words, can help them to better understand and retain the information, according to a study published in the Journal of Educational Psychology (Mayer & Wittrock, 1996).
- Use self-testing: Encouraging the child to test their own understanding of the material, through activities such as quizzes or practice problems, can help them to better understand and retain the concept, according to a study published in the Journal of Educational Psychology (Karpicke & Roediger, 2007). This can involve asking the child to generate their own test questions, or to explain the concept to someone else.
- Use mnemonic devices: Mnemonic devices, such as acronyms or rhymes, can help children to remember complex concepts by associating them with something that is easier to remember, such as a phrase or a image. For example, to help a child remember the order of the planets in the solar system, you could use the mnemonic device “My Very Educated Mother Just Served Us Nachos,” where each letter stands for a planet (Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune).
- Use story telling: Creating a story or narrative around a complex concept can help children to better understand and retain the material, according to a study published in the Journal of Educational Psychology (Biswas & Biswas, 2004). This can involve using storytelling techniques, such as character development, dialogue, and plot, to make the material more engaging and relatable.
- Use multimedia resources: Using multimedia resources, such as videos, podcasts, or interactive games, can help children to better understand and retain complex concepts, according to a study published in the Journal of Educational Psychology (Loh & Shute, 2008). These resources can provide visual and auditory reinforcement of the material, which can make it easier for the child to understand and retain the information.
Finally, there are several ways you may utilize to assist children understand complex concepts. There are many ways to make difficult information more understandable and entertaining for children, from using basic, concrete examples and age-appropriate vocabulary to using visual aids and encouraging questions. Hands-on activities, multiple representations, scaffolding, self-explanation, and analogies are also beneficial in helping children grasp and recall difficult concepts. You can assist your youngster master even the most difficult content by combining these tactics and being patient.