Good to Remember...
What Else Can I Be Doing?
Posted by Paula H
I have no doubt that you can teach your children academics before they turn five. The important question is, should you? I would suggest that the answer is "no" for two reasons.
First, just as a ballet dancer who starts dancing on her toes when she is too young will ruin her legs; just as a pitcher who starts throwing fast balls when he is too young will ruin his arm; so also a child who starts academics too young will often ruin her eagerness for learning. What was fun when she was three and four has become drudgery by the time she is six or seven. Then you have to fight to make her willing to learn, the rest of her schooling.
I'll admit that this burn-out does not happen in every case of early academics, but considering how commonly it does happen, are you willing to take that chance, considering how much is at stake? And surprising though it may be, you're not gaining anything by starting early. Research shows that whether a child started reading at three or at six, their reading skills are about the same by the time they are nine. Education is a marathon, not a sprint. What would happen to a marathon runner who sprinted the first mile?
Second, imagine a builder who does not take the time to build a solid and true foundation under a house. After all, what his customers want is houses! What do they care about a pile of concrete in the ground where no one will see it? What will happen to that house without a good foundation? (Some of us have lived in houses like that one!)
There is a season of preparation and a season of progress. But if you hurry through or skip over that season of preparation, then you will not have as solid of a foundation laid when that season of progress arrives. So what can you be doing during this season of preparation?
Posted by Paula H
I have no doubt that you can teach your children academics before they turn five. The important question is, should you? I would suggest that the answer is "no" for two reasons.
First, just as a ballet dancer who starts dancing on her toes when she is too young will ruin her legs; just as a pitcher who starts throwing fast balls when he is too young will ruin his arm; so also a child who starts academics too young will often ruin her eagerness for learning. What was fun when she was three and four has become drudgery by the time she is six or seven. Then you have to fight to make her willing to learn, the rest of her schooling.
I'll admit that this burn-out does not happen in every case of early academics, but considering how commonly it does happen, are you willing to take that chance, considering how much is at stake? And surprising though it may be, you're not gaining anything by starting early. Research shows that whether a child started reading at three or at six, their reading skills are about the same by the time they are nine. Education is a marathon, not a sprint. What would happen to a marathon runner who sprinted the first mile?
Second, imagine a builder who does not take the time to build a solid and true foundation under a house. After all, what his customers want is houses! What do they care about a pile of concrete in the ground where no one will see it? What will happen to that house without a good foundation? (Some of us have lived in houses like that one!)
There is a season of preparation and a season of progress. But if you hurry through or skip over that season of preparation, then you will not have as solid of a foundation laid when that season of progress arrives. So what can you be doing during this season of preparation?
- As Cathi said, there is no other time like the preschool years to work on character issues. You have more influence on their future now than at any other time. The attitudes and character issues you build now will impact the rest of their life. That is not to be taken lightly. Consider the extremes. Who would you rather your daughter married: a godly, responsible man of character who was a ditch-digger and couldn't do long division to save his life? Or a nuclear physicist who was a drunken, womanizing, compulsive liar? Character is more important than all the academics in the world.
- As Julie said, take this time to educate yourself. Read the great literature you always meant to get to. Pursue an area of history, science, or the arts. If you are learning and growing, you will be better able to teach your child when the time comes.
- Read, read, read to your children. The benefits are manifold. They'll gain an appetite for books. They'll see books as something you read for fun, not something you have to do for school. They'll develop a greater imagination and attention span, both important skills when the time is ripe for academics. They'll realize that stories come from a printed page, not just from a TV set. They'll be more eager to be able to read to themselves. They'll be able to cuddle up with you on the couch. They'll have their minds expanded without the stress of performing academically. The list goes on and on.
- Experience things. Many, many things. As we learn new things, we connect them to existing "hooks" from things we've already encountered. The more your child encounters during these preparation years, the easier his brain will process new things when school starts. Sing and dance together. Hold kittens. Plant radishes (they sprout fast). Make goop from cornstarch and water. Play in the sprinkler. Go to a duck pond. Dress up. Roll down a hill. Watch an anthill. Touch things, feel things, experience new things.
- Play, play, play. There is a tendency to hyper-schedule a small child's day. Remember that there is a tremendous amount of learning and development which grow out of play, but this can only happen if we give them time to just be kids and create their own entertainment.
- Talk, talk, talk to them. This will help develop their vocabulary, comprehension, thinking skills, interpersonal and conversational skills, ability to follow directions, and more. It will draw you closer together, make them feel valuable, and establish a view that the world is interesting and understandable.