Aquariums & Cognition copy
What role can aquariums play to help develop young people’s cognitive skills? by Alexia Ponce
Having a toddler or a child, I can only imagine it to be a complex stage. They are at their peak of development, every milestone achieved helps them with their learning and understanding, speech, and movement (Morin, 2010). To sum it up, their cognitive skills.
Now, what role do aquariums play to help develop or ensure a positive effect on a toddler/young child’s cognitive skills?
Aquariums provide high levels of visual stimulation (Atkins, 2019), this will include the bright lights of tanks, the vivid colours of fish, and the different landscapes each tank has to offer (EuroSchool, 2023). Providing visual stimulation will also enhance their observational skills.
To expand their vocabulary, encouraging discussion of what they see, reading posters around the aquarium will help develop this area. For older children, discussion of comparison can become a boost for them too (Atkins, 2019). Scientific discussion or terminology will spark their curiosity and incentive them to ask more questions.
The engagement that toddlers are able to have in an aquarium, if it’s through their visual sense, having an experience feeding, reading and asking questions about the different fish can become a great learning experience and boost their cognitive and problem-solving skills.
Children are capable of having a totally different experience in an aquarium as they grow, enabling them to learn and experience something new with each visit.
Galway Atlantaquaria has so much to offer, different landscapes for each tank, a range of native Irish animals as well as animals found from all around the world, from South America to Africa to learn from,it’s amazing!
Feeding tours are also advertised in the aquarium, from having the experience of feeding them yourself or watching them being fed and listening to some cool facts about the fish in the tanks just add a little to how a visit to the aquarium can be a great experience for people of all ages, especially kids.
Sources
Reference List
Atkins, M. (2019) 10 educational benefits of Aquarium visits – we are open at 10am daily, Austin Aquarium. Available at: https://austinaquarium.com/10-educational-benefits/ (Accessed: April 21, 2024).
EuroSchool (2023) What preschoolers learn at the aquarium trip?, EuroSchool. Available at: https://www.euroschoolindia.com/blogs/what-preschoolers-learn-from-a-trip-to-the-aquarium/ (Accessed: April 23, 2024).
Morin, A. (2010) Why cognitive skill milestones are important, Verywell Family. Available at: https://www.verywellfamily.com/what-are-cognitive-skills-620847 (Accessed: April 23, 2024).