Concrete vs. Abstract Thinking

When I started teaching I remember finding a book called "There". The front cover was beautifully illustrated, greens of all hues and tones, and a little boy with a fishing pole standing on a rivers edge, with trees all around. I found the book at Smiths Grocery Store of all places. I stood in the store reading this book and was immediately enamored. I had to have it!

The book talked about "there", "what is there", "where is there", "what happens when you get there", "what does there look like", "is there a smell there", "what do you see there" and so on...for someone like me who questions EVERYTHING, I fell in love with this book. A simple word we use everyday, the word there, can be one of the most abstract concepts. A skill children have not developed at a tender age.

Sadly over the years, the book got torn and taped, then misplaced, and now I can't find the book any where, not even online or stores, to replace it. What saddens me further is, this book was the true meaning of what concrete thinking vs. abstract thinking looks like in the early childhood years and why it is vital we understand the way children think from about age 2 to 7.

Have you ever heard a teacher say "children are concrete thinkers"? I've told my parents that many times. At times they look at me confused and ask what that is.

Concrete thinking is a process of focusing on real objects they can see, touch, smell and hear, then connecting language and vocabulary words to these objects. It's a concept of how they learn the world around them with things that are directly in front of them and use their senses to learn more information about those things. For example, if you tell your 4 year old "wow it's raining cats and dogs outside", they will run to the window and look for cats and dogs, then question where they are. Concrete thinking is considered literal understanding.

Abstract thought comes a little later on at about age 8 or 9. It includes concepts of time, time change, future events, emotions of others, sarcasm and/or hypothetical situations for example. When a child is about 10 it's much easier to joke with them or say silly things like "raining cats and dogs", because they have developed enough language, understanding and cognitive ability to truly get what you are talking about and laugh with you or respond appropriately. However, depending on what type of lifestyle you have, this abstract thought could take a little longer to develop.

Why am I bringing all this up?

In my Chit Chat section of this website, I spoke about August 11th and the first day of school. What to bring, what to expect, and so on. I also explained how to get your child ready for the first day of school and how to set them up for success.

Children at the tender ages of 3-5 do not understand time or a timeline of "you start school in two weeks", especially if they have been home for the summer or been with grandparents while going up. To them, two weeks could be now, next week or yesterday and what is school? What does that look like? Where is school? Similar concepts of the book "There".

Has your child ever told you, "I'm going to be 5 tomorrow", but their birthday is actually 2 months away. Well what happened is they are connecting a conversation about planning a birthday party with present time. They can not grasp the concept of 2 months away unless you give them something to visualize what that looks like and when that is happening. Which is why so many children get disappointed when discussing going somewhere on Saturday, when it's only Monday. To them going somewhere is now, not in five days.

So with regards to "getting ready for school", we should do the same thing. I mentioned an idea like counting how many sleeps until the first day of school. The reason why, is if you have 5 more days to start school, them being able to count each sleep as a process of understanding 'time' allows your child to learn the concept of this time. It gives them understanding, which is helpful in the preparation of change.

Same idea should be used when explaining what changes will take place when they start school. Get a calendar, or draw one on paper, to use each box to represent today, tomorrow, and after, then count each day until school starts as you mark off each one that has passed. This also helps them tell time, prep for the change and see that each day has an object of meaning. It also helps them with the concept of going to school Monday through Friday and being home on Saturdays and Sundays.

Let your child take full participation in their days and time as the learn to connect change, with real world ideas, and schedules. This teaches their concrete brain to see things through a different lens and helps them develop into a world that makes no sense sometimes. When you explain the changes coming, explain with real words, not metaphors or sarcasm. We want children to learn as much as possible, but effectively and age appropriately. There is a time and place for metaphors and sarcasm, so let them grow into it. For now, let's set them up for success by having honest conversations and getting them ready for the world by using words and visuals to connect ideas. See you on August 11th!