sparking a Child’s Interestin Social Studies
Sometimes, when we think of social studies,we think of geography, history, and politicalscience.
Young children have difficulty withthings that involve abstract principles andsystems. However, they are very interestedin the things that are happening and the people that are making things happen in their immediate world.
The social studies curriculum, like the science curriculum, must deal with the concrete and the immediate. It should provide children with opportunities to categorize people and events, to find out about the orders of things, and to discover relationships. It must build on students’ knowledge of their own families and communities to teach them about other people, places, and times. Through song and celebration, social studies should help children appreciate their own heritages and those of others.
The following sections provide some sample themes and activities that can be in¬cluded in a social studies curriculum.