The principle of cause and effect seems obvious and natural for adults, but for children, especially the youngest, this concept can be a little more difficult to grasp. It is important to introduce them very early to this principle, which is essential for study and even more so for daily life. Parents play a significant role in helping children to acquire complete mastery.
Steps
Method 1 of 2: Helping Infants and Children Discover the Principle of Cause and Effect
Step 1. Interact with your baby
Even babies can begin to understand the concept of cause and effect: for example, they cry, and someone feeds them, changes them or comforts them. Stimulate this natural way of learning by responding to your baby and interacting with him in various ways. Make faces to make him laugh; take it if he stretches out his arms.
Step 2. Make toys available
Babies and toddlers learn through play, so offer them a variety of games suited to their level of development. The infant can learn that when a rattle is shaken, it emits a sound; the child can understand that by pushing a few buttons, a toy lights up and makes noises.
Step 3. Reinforce the concept of cause and effect through dialogue
As your child grows and understands more and more, you can enrich the understanding verbally. So, for example, you can say, "oh, you didn't eat enough for lunch, that's why you're hungry already" or "oh, you were too violent with that balloon, that's why it popped."
Step 4. Prove
Children can grasp the cause and effect concept through practical demonstrations. Pierce a balloon with a pin and show what happens. Or go to the kitchen with the child and pour water into the cup until it overflows. Ask the child what happened and why. Repeat with other items found around the house.
Method 2 of 2: Helping Preschoolers and Older Children Learn More about Cause and Effect
Step 1. Teach the child the meaning of the terms cause and effect
Explain that a cause is an event or action that brings about something; an effect or consequence is something that occurs as a result of that cause.
As the child grows he teaches other terms. Words such as "influence", "results" and "factors", for example, as well as conjunctions that will aid in the construction of cause and effect sentences: "therefore", "consequently", "so" etc
Step 2. Use the word "why"
Reinforce the relationship between cause and effect by using the word "why" in conversations; it facilitates understanding for many children. So, for example, say "Your shoes are dirty because you stepped on the mud", or "The house is cold because we left the windows open".
Step 3. Explain why cause and effect relationships are important
As the child grows, you can point out that the principle of cause and effect is significant in many ways. We try to discover the causes of negative things, to avoid them and make the world better; we try to discover the causes of positive things in order to apply them and maximize their results.
When the child starts school it is important to emphasize the use of the cause-effect principle in the study. Scientists use it all the time (What is causing global warming? What happens if you mix vinegar with baking soda?), And so do historians (Why did the American colonies revolt? What happened after Cortes conquered the Aztecs?)
Step 4. Make a T-Pattern
A T-diagram is a simple table with two columns. On one side you can write the causes; on the other, the effects. For example, on the left side, write "It's raining". Have the child tell the likely consequences of rain: mud forms, flowers grow, traffic jams occur. Write these down on the right side of the table.
You can also use T-diagrams for cause-and-effect relationships to help you understand the language better. In this case you will write "It is raining" at the top, instead of on the left. Later, on the left, you will write "Mud is formed because it rains." On the right you will write "It rains, so the mud is formed." This method teaches the two main forms for declaring cause and effect: the "why" form and the "so" form. This exercise also serves to reinforce the concept
Step 5. Play cause and effect games
An example is the cause-and-effect chain. Choose a consequence ("the pants are dirty"). Now make the child think of a potential cause (for example, "I fell in the mud"). After you or another child continue repeating the cause of that consequence ("It was raining and slipping"). It continues indefinitely. This game will help the child develop his understanding of the cause and effect principle.
You can also simplify the game by expressing an imaginary effect (you say "The dog was barking") and letting the child think about possible causes. Examples could be "The dog was barking because the postman approached", "The dog was barking because someone pulled his tail", or "The dog was barking because he saw another dog"
Step 6. Read some books
Look for picture books designed to learn the causes and consequences. Read them with your child, and illustrate the situations presented.
Step 7. Make a chronology of events
For older children, draw a timeline on a piece of paper. Choose a historical event, such as a war, and mark its most salient moments on the line. Connect those moments according to the principle of cause and effect.
Step 8. Develop analytical thinking
As the child grows up, his understanding of the principle of cause and effect will get better and better, and you can begin to spur him on to deeper, analytical thinking. Ask why something happened, and then continue with "How do you know?" or "What is the proof?". Try asking questions like "What if?" to stimulate the child's imagination: "What would happen if we accidentally used sugar instead of salt in this recipe?", "What would have happened if the American colonies hadn't rebelled?".
Introduce the concept that correlation is not causation. If there is no evidence that a particular cause caused the occurrence of a particular event, then it could be a random event rather than a causal relationship
Advice
- There are countless ways to develop an understanding of the cause and effect concept. Choose methods that are able to attract your child's interest.
- Remember that cause and effect may seem like a simple and obvious concept, but it is very important. It will stimulate the child's curiosity to know his surroundings, preparing him to face more complex problems.
