Domain: NC Foundations for Early Learning: Cognitive Development (CD)

Subdomain: Construction of Knowledge: Thinking and Reasoning

Goal: Children demonstrate the ability to think about their own thinking: reasoning, taking perspectives, and making decisions

Skill Progression: Making decisions

Age: 54-60 Months

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Give the child a deck of cards and tell him to make up a game for you to play together.

Guide the child by letting him first look at and think about a goal for the game. Tell him to make up the game to get to that goal. The child then teaches the adult the rules.

See if the child plays a known game (like Go Fish) or makes up a game. The rules for the game do not have to make sense, but need to at least provide parameters for what to do with the cards during a turn a turn.

After children learn to follow rules they learn why they are important for maintaining order and reducing conflict. Learning how to make up rules teaches children to respect them. Early childhood educators and parents can work with children to establish a few classroom and family rules related to respect, order, and caring.