Understanding how children develop and learn will help teachers plan and facilitate more meaningful learning experiences for children.

Children learn by personally experiencing and doing things for themselves. Research shows that children remember things better when they are actively involved in learning experiences that appeal to their five senses.

The NEL Framework recognises that:

• Children develop holistically and learn as a whole
• Children learn best when they are actively involved in the construction of knowledge
• Every child can learn and each child learns differently
• Children develop knowledge, skills, and dispositions by building on those already acquired
• Children’s development is influenced by the different social and cultural contexts they live in
• Children develop and learn best when they feel safe and valued

Learning is a complex process that results from the interaction of children’s thinking and experiences. Children learn best when they have opportunities to:

• Experience and be aware of an event, a situation or a problem
• Explore and discover answers for themselves
• Engage in carrying out tasks that are interesting and meaningful to them
• Apply new skills that they have acquired and new concepts that they have learnt