Concept Books Essay

Concept Books for Young Children
Carman Moon
ECE 335
Professor Shipp

    Choosing books for young children can be challenging if one does not know the most appropriate components to look for when choosing such books.   Parents, caregivers, and teachers have a wide variety of books too choose from which can add   to the challenges of choosing the appropriate book.   By sharing different kinds of books with children, they can enjoy different kinds of reading experiences.   Concept books are very helpful in providing children with organizing the isolated pieces of knowledge they have learned.   The concept books are not just good tools to use for young children, but can reinforce learned knowledge making the knowledge more concrete within older children too.   This paper will help identify how to choose appropriate concept books for young children, how adults should use the books, and provide an example with an activity which will extend the learning experiences for young children.
    Young children engage in thinking processes that are fundamental in concept formation (Giorgis & Glazer, 2009).   Until the age of 7 or 8 years of age, however, children rely on sensory data more than on logic to reach conclusions regarding physical objects (Giorgis & Glazer, 2009).   Therefore, concept books could provide a more reinforced learning experience for young children if used appropriately.   When choosing concept books, certain components should be analyzed.   The following are long-term goals for intellectual growth of young children and should be considered when choosing concept books:
Children will continue to acquire new concepts and refine those already held.
Children will develop skill in a variety of thinking processes.
Children will expand their powers of logical reasoning.
Children will utilize critical-thinking skills.
Children will engage successfully in problem solving.
Upon careful consideration of the above goals, the next components to look for are the...