Speaking of choices, I think it would be best for young learners to be provided with choices throughout their learning process. It's a common sense that should be applied in our education system especially when children are literally facing so many options in every minute of their lives.
Throughout my teaching journey I have discovered that my students like to be given options in class. I have noticed this by observing several class activities. First is during arts and crafts time. Instead of telling them to do the project "exactly" like the sample, it would be better to show them once how to do it and leave them to try it by themselves. Giving them the options to do things differently is exercising their freedom to choose. At the end, they may come up for something better than the sample given or realized that the given way is more practical.
The power of choosing is also very beneficial in terms of studying a subject. It's the teacher's job to motivate the students to learn. Forcing them to learn something will just create a negative impression of the child towards that subject and limits their progress. I usually let my students to pick their own subject individually. It can get quite handful for the teacher because it requires personal attention to each one of the students in class. But that way learning is more suitable and highly effective because the learning process takes place personally according to each student's strengths and weaknesses. One point to keep in mind: always appreciate the child's progress and never give the same standard to all. Everyone is unique in their own way.
(do you get the joke?)
This world is full of choices: good and bad. It's just the natural order of the universe. However, a child's innocent mind may not yet comprehend the goodness and the badness that happens before their eyes. Yet, it's already filled with sense of wonders. So, it's necessary to guide them to explore their options. Give them understandings by explaining. For example, why they cannot run around in certain areas--since they "choose" to do that; or why some foods though they taste good, may be bad for their health. A child will simply "choose" what he or she "think" what's good for them. Yet their thoughts may be superficial most of the time, so it's important for caring parents to nurture understandings in the child's mind. So, don't just restrict their freedom to choose, but give them understanding and trust them to decide what's good for them. That way we teach them to choose wisely from early on and nurture them to mature in the most natural way.
