This week, we are talking about Repetition! Repetition comes in many forms. This may include reading the same story one hundred times, learning extensions and games that repeat the same skill, peer tutoring, or passively observing a lesson or activity completed by another child. Repetition may also come from routine or the environment. Knowing what to expect, and having things happen in an ordered way, helps children to know what to expect and feel at ease. When the environment is predictable, a child feels safe and secure, which establishes the optimal environment for learning.

We go through a few studies and we talk about why repetition is an important part of learning and skill mastery! In children, these neural connections are only beginning to be formed. Repetition is a necessary building block that allows them to strengthen the connections in the brain that help them learn. "Deer paths to highways".

Repetition helps to strengthen the brain’s neural processors for learning, teaches children to practice, master and retain knowledge, provides the opportunity for practice and reinforcement, is needed for skill mastery and success. Children learn through repetition and memorization:  self-discipline and critical reflection, coordination, differentiation of variations and differences in the world around them, confidence to progress,  internalization of concepts, synthetization, analyzation and application. Research examining motor-skill acquisition suggests that early movements vary highly but become more stable as skill develops. As the progression from variable to stable movements would indicate the shift from novice to expert, it could help adults recognize if mastery has been achieved and when a child is ready to move on to the next activity.

We also discuss when repetitive behavior becomes a red flag. Check out E9: Interview with an Early Interventionist, E12: Interview with a Special Education and Autism Teacher, and E24: Interview with a Speech and Language Pathologist Ft. Kim Hiday to learn more about intervention!

We end with a conversation about supporting repetition though routines, free play, learning extensions, multi-sensory instruction, self-reflection, and PATIENCE!

While a child’s inclination towards repetition is not the most charming part of childhood (and is maybe even one of the top most annoying), it is an extremely important fundamental of child development! Tell that story again, sing that song again, play that game again. When we support the child’s need for repetition, we are trusting and respecting their nature. We are supporting their learning and their development. We are celebrating childhood. And that’s what we are all about here on the Speckled Bees.

https://montessoriacademy.com.au/repetition-child-development-montessori/

http://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1234750.pdf

https://earlychildhood.qld.gov.au/early-years/activities-and-resources/resources-parents/read-and-count/the-power-of-repetition

https://360behavioralhealth.com/how-to-know-when-a-childs-repetitive-behaviors-are-a-problem/