Richard Feynman's dad guided him in observing the natural world and asking "why do you think that bird behaves the way it does?" (and variations on that theme);

Richard Feynman's dad guided him in observing the natural world and asking "why do you think that bird behaves the way it does?" (and variations on that theme); rather than asking what the bird is called, ask what it's doing and why. I would avoid abstraction layers. Keep it grounded in observational reality as they build their motor skills. I'm a licensed high school physics teacher and parent of a six year old. My approach has been similar with the high school students; anchor learning in the observable world, appealing to as many senses as possible.