Experiential Learning

Role play is a form of Experiential Learning and is an effective educational tool that motivates children to become active participants in their learning. Children can explore, put themselves in the shoes of others, wear costumes and props, communicate and make decisions while they are in character. These actions allow them to take risks and explore different areas. Child development expert Marie Cecchini summarizes the benefits of role play in four main areas:

 

• Social / Emotional: By recreating some of their life experiences, children learn to cope with the fears and concerns that may accompany those experiences. They can show empathy for others because "they have tried to be someone else." Children also develop the skills they need to cooperate with their peers and control their impulses

 

• Physics: The role play helps children develop their gross and fine motor skills, firefighters handle water hoses, doctors perform surgeries and factory workers operate machinery. Additionally, when children store the materials, they practice their visual-motor coordination and visual discrimination

 

• Cognitive: When children get involved in role-playing games they reinforce the abstract knowledge they learn in school by putting them into practice. Activities such as counting change in the supermarket promote the use of mathematical skills; writing articles for the newspaper or participating in a court trial helps them develop reading and writing skills; When children get together to play, they also learn to share ideas and solve problems together

 

• Language: To work together in a role-playing situation, children learn to use language to explain what they are doing. They learn to formulate and answer questions, as well as the right words for the role they are playing. Their vocabularies grow as they use new words appropriately and also learn the importance of reading and writing skills in their daily lives.
   

Experiential Learning is an essential part of everything we do at KidZania. We are passionate about combining fun with learning to fulfill our mission of encouraging children to "Prepare for a Better World."

 

 

By participating in KidZania, children learn various macro concepts that help them understand the adult world and prepare to improve it. The general learning areas are divided into 5 main categories: Operation of a City, Financial Education, The World of Work, Good Citizenship and Good Habits.

 

 

• Operation of a City: KidZania is organized as a royal city with stables and buildings, streets, vehicles and pedestrian areas

 

• Financial Education: KidZania has its own currency, kidZo, to help children learn about financial education. Visitors learn how to earn, spend, save, invest and donate their kidZos

 

• The World of Work: One of the most exciting parts of the KidZania experience is the opportunity for children to learn about the world of work in different professions, in Companies, Government or Non-Government Institutions

 

• Good Citizenship: KidZania helps children understand what it means to be a good citizen and contribute positively to get actively involved in issues such as: community, citizenship, social compensation and the environment

 

• Good Habits: Promoting good habits and cultivating them from an early age in children is incredibly important for their development In KidZania we seek to instill good habits in children, from how to take care of their health and personal hygiene, to stay safe and know how to react in emergency situations

 

By participating in activities and establishments, children gain knowledge about different industries and careers, develop the skills necessary for their future and acquire values ​​that they can apply in their daily behavior. Learning areas are divided into three main categories: Knowledge, Skills and Values.

 

• Knowledge: This category refers to the information given on specific professions and trades. The information of each trade as: purpose, processes, products or services are shared with children through practical activities, scripts, graphics, props, multimedia and giveaways

 

• Skills: All our activities are designed taking into consideration the different skills that visitors can develop while performing a specific activity. Through active participation, children can develop different types of skills. Based on the theory of multiple intelligences developed by psychologist Howard Gardner, as well as other pedagogical and psychological studies; We have classified in 6 categories the skills that can be developed in KidZania activities: communication, critical thinking, creativity, collaboration, motor skills and self-knowledge

 

• Values: These are the principles that society considers as desired in the behavior of a person. The promotion of values ​​is a very important part of the KidZania experience. Values ​​are communicated through activities so that children can learn both their importance and their value. KidZania promotes the following nine universal / appropriate values ​​for children: generosity, gratitude, honesty, integrity, justice, loyalty, respect, responsibility and solidarity