Early development: finding a middle ground

2024 Author: James Gerald | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 14:00

There is a lot of controversy on the topic of early development today. This issue is vividly discussed on the forums of children's and family sites. Some parents start teaching their child to read and write literally from the cradle. And some teachers believe that loading the brain of a three-year-old with reading and mathematics is useless, and sometimes even dangerous for the psyche.

In any case, the issue is solved individually each time. No two children are alike, just as there are no identical mothers. Let's try to figure out what useful methods of early development can give us and what dangers they pose in themselves.

So what is early development?

These are various attempts to instill in a child skills and abilities at an age when he is not yet ready to master them on his own. Advocates of early development believe that the sooner you start learning something, the better it is fixed in your memory. You just need to make an effort to help the baby - to create conditions for him to develop quickly physically and mentally. Well, you can start learning right from birth. And act in different ways.

Method Maria Montessori - the most popular today.

The idea is that you create a safe space for the child in which he develops as independently as possible. Your task is to awaken in him a desire to explore the world, to learn the laws of its development. In the role of a teacher, you act as correctly as possible, respecting the interests and needs of the kid, observing him as if from the outside. In free activity, in "work", the child gradually turns into a personality. You cannot punish a person - it undermines self-confidence.

However, you could be convinced from your own experience that the creation of an artificial environment for games does not always dispose to active knowledge of the world, but, on the contrary, can limit it. Many children do not sit in the arena, they persistently try to break off the plug of the outlet: they are attracted by the forbidden.

You probably want your child to see life as it is, learn to cope with difficulties, and not hide from them! But this learning requires constant adult involvement, not just outside supervision.

Offer your child various items for the development of certain abilities (speech, sensory, mathematical). At first, these can be natural materials, and when the baby grows up - artificial: blocks with cylinders, liners, frames (all of this is presented in large quantities in stores).

In system Glen Doman the emphasis is on the child's visual perception of the world around him. Therefore, from birth you can show him cards on which anything is depicted: letters, animals, natural phenomena … Just think: using a card with large red dots you can teach a baby arithmetic! Thanks to such an early training of visual memory, the child develops faster, because the baby's brain grows most actively until the age of 3. It is important not to waste this time and invest in this brain as much knowledge as possible, as they say, "write down on the subcortex."

You will have to deal with the cards regularly and persistently, not every child agrees to this. That's why Cecile Lupan offers to deal with the baby only at his request, he himself will let you know what is interesting to him. Just watch him closely! Learning is a game that can be played anywhere: at home, in the park, in the pool … Life itself provides materials and stories for games every day. Try not to discourage your child from asking you endless questions. His inexhaustible curiosity is the key to success! According to Lupan, parents are the best teachers. The essence of the Lupan technique lies in the title of its main book - "Believe in your child".

You've probably heard about Zaitsev's cubes … This is the easiest and fastest way to teach your kid to read in "warehouses". Syllables are drawn on the cubes, from which a three-year-old child is already able to form words and phrases.

You can supplement the classes with educational games for parents with many children. Nikitin … This is the addition of patterns, and modeling, and drawing-drawing, tying knots … Run your eyes over their book - this is a whole system of upbringing, where attention is paid not only to the development of fine motor skills, but also to physical education, health, and teaching the baby to work!

Of course, early development techniques are extremely interesting. All mothers dream of seeing the unprecedented achievements of their children as soon as possible! But Montessori correctly notes that your child does not owe anything to anyone, he does not have to be a genius. And it is unlikely to give the desired result after a few lessons. Carried away by this or that technique, you may succumb to the temptation to set a certain bar for your baby, to which he must grow in record time. You will be disappointed, but the habit of "setting the height" to the child can persist for many years. Moreover, "cramming" often discourages the desire to think freely. The child loses the ability to communicate openly and directly.

Not a single technique is capable of ensuring the comprehensive development of a child. By focusing on one thing - be it math, music, reading - you may miss out on other, inherent talents.

And yet, early development techniques provide a lot of opportunities for joint creativity with the child. From each you can take a few "seeds", useful ideas, and use the materials with success. Try to make cards, cubes, pictures yourself, sew a rag doll-mitten from scraps. Puzzle the kid by folding the buttons on the boxes, study with him the properties of water and fire.

By actively working with your child, you can achieve greater spiritual intimacy with him, you will learn to better understand each other. You will definitely discover hidden talents and abilities in it. Isn't this happiness for any mother ?!