How to Help Kids Be Very Observant

Observant children grow into observant adults.

Observation skills are important because they ensure that people are more aware of the world around them. If your children are very observant, they will grow up to be better at finding things, better in their jobs and better in social situations because they will be better informed about what is going on around them. You can help children develop these skills from an early age through repeated games, activities and other situations that challenge and develop observation skills.

Instructions

1. Give your child a sorting task. For example, you could give him a group of his action figures and have him sort them into men and women. Or, you could have him sort your groceries while he is sitting in the cart when you are shopping. Do this often with a larger, more complex set of categories to encourage your child to think about the different properties of things.

2. Play the picnic game with your child and some of her friends by saying, "I'm going on a picnic, and I'm bringing ... (something that starts with A)." The child to your left says, "She's going on a picnic, and she's bringing (whatever you said), and I'm bringing ... (something that starts with B)." Continue through the circle. This will encourage kids to work on their listening skills, which are a key component of observation.

3. Ask your kids to describe things, using as many senses as possible. If your child has a piece of fruit, ask him how it feels, what it looks like, if it makes a sound and what it tastes like. This will encourage him to think about the variety of different ways we interact with the world around us, which will expand his observation skills.

4. Have your children look around a room for a few minutes, then leave. When they are gone, make a couple slight changes. Ask them to come back, and ask them what is different. This will help develop their observation skills by encouraging them to compare the current room with their mental picture of the room.

References

• Block Publishing: Developing Observation Skills
• Healthy Picnics: Observation Games