Nurture and Teach
The single most important thing caregivers can do for a child is provide a nurturing environment. By doing this, we influence children's brain development and their ability to learn. Introducing nurtured children to learning opportunities every day will help them become happy, well-adjusted adults. In all stages of child development, each experience builds on the one before it. The most basic foundations can serve as the basis for the comprehension of more complex ideas in future years.
Learning Begins at Birth
We are born with billions of brain cells ? in fact, all we will ever have. What is missing is a large amount of connections ? synapses ? between those brain cells. Synapses start developing based on a child's experiences. Children's brains develop faster from birth to age three than any other time; and more learning takes place during this time than any other. The more learning opportunities parents provide for their children from birth until school age, the more synapses are made. The connections will serve as a pool of knowledge for a child to access in later years.
Because children's earliest experiences affect how they will think, learn and behave, helping children learn from birth to school age is a crucial activity. Parents and other caregivers can create a strong foundation for learning by providing a nurturing and rich learning environment from the very beginning.
Children Seek Learning Experiences
Not only do children need to be physically active, it is their nature to look for opportunities to learn. They participate in learning by using their senses and asking countless questions in order to more fully understand the task at hand.
Creating a Learning Environment
Children enjoy learning when they can master an activity. Begin with a simple task and expand or complicate it after your child has enjoyed some successes.
Create a safe and secure learning environment. This will help children do their best learning rather than distract them. Key to creating this environment is treating your child with respect and caring.
Where Do Children Learn?
Children learn everywhere from school to the doctor's office to the grocery store. As do adults, children learn from interacting with others and watching their parents' behavior. Kids are highly influenced by the people in their lives, especially adults who they are close to.
Not All Children Learn in the Same Way
In the book Frame of Mind, Howard Gardner described his theory of multiple intelligences. We all have a certain way we prefer to learn. The seven multiple intelligences Gardner points to are interpersonal, intrapersonal, bodily-kinesthetic, spatial, musical, logical-mathematical and linguistic. We have the most success teaching our children when we can recognize their style of learning (as well as our style of teaching) and incorporate activities accordingly.
Playing and Learning
The main way children collect and process information is through play. Play is the repetition that reinforces old skills and encourages new ones. Because play is enjoyable, children's minds are open. Children are capable of much learning through play because they are very receptive and relaxed. Take advantage of this benefit and select activities that are fun and educational. Your children will learn, and you will both enjoy the experience.
About The Author
Shelley Ruiz is a homeschooling parent and the owner of Magic Lark Learning (www.magiclarklearning.com) which provides parents and teachers with resources for making learning fun, including a free quarterly online journal of poems and stories for kids.
Wood Dale Chicago prom limo .. Lockport Chicago limo O’HareRecess has begun disappearing in states all around the country.... Read More
The popularity of EEG Biofeedback Training continues to grow both... Read More
You want your daughter to wear a dress to the... Read More
Parents are in a unique position to "monitor" their children's... Read More
Sometime the most effective training tool in rapidly accelerating the... Read More
Most people have more training before they receive their driver's... Read More
the woes of being a parent of an ADHD child.....Like... Read More
"Walk through any toy store and you will see walls... Read More
There is a new stage of development for parents to... Read More
Blink. That's all we did, blink, and summer is ending... Read More
How often do you think of family life as an... Read More
Ritalin is a good medication with a bad reputation. Its... Read More
When it comes to exams, or indeed any academic work,... Read More
"It takes a village to raise a child" is more... Read More
Last night Tom's daughter, Sue, came out of her room... Read More
WHEN AN INJURY HAPPENS AT CAMP, HERE'S WHAT YOU NEED... Read More
Until about the age of six, children do not generally... Read More
When our oldest son was 2, my wife went out... Read More
How to Get Your Child to Love Reading was conceived... Read More
John Bishop's Goal Setting for Students.comParents ? Minimize Homework Hassles?It's... Read More
The least flexible character in all of the stories of... Read More
Researchers have estimated that 25-35% of children in the United... Read More
I hear from many parents that their child is stressed... Read More
"Not another meeting!"That tends to be the reaction from many... Read More
A tall, weary-looking mother with glasses, walked into my counseling... Read More
Antigo wedding limo ..When I was pregnant, we knew that we had some... Read More
Teachers know that children thrive in an environment with routines,... Read More
Did you know that you are the most important person... Read More
As the flurry of Back to School activities subside, parents... Read More
What do you do when your child begins talking to... Read More
Would you like your child to be the best that... Read More
Is your weekly shopping trip with the kids an absolute... Read More
21 Reasons I Love Being A DadWhat you will read... Read More
A growing body of scientific evidence shows that the way... Read More
Saturday mornings. Cold cereal and Scooby Doo. How many parents... Read More
As a mother of two sets of fraternal boy/girl twins,... Read More
Non-compliance is the family therapist's big word for your child... Read More
The Internet, is magnificent in its resources for families. Educational... Read More
The successful preschool idea behind many successful preschool learning centers... Read More
Everyone needs friends, and, as parents, you and I both... Read More
Finding answers to a child's underachievement is often a difficult... Read More
The first year of a child's life is the most... Read More
I recently heard a story that has literally changed the... Read More
Compulsory attendance laws are school authorities' first assault on parental... Read More
When a couple steps forth with a baby in tow... Read More
Have you heard the song; "I Hope You Dance"? It... Read More
As a parent your biggest responsibility is to prepare your... Read More
In the last 20 years we've all been introduced to... Read More
Who Can Register A Birth? The child's mother... Read More
Most parents can hardly wait for their baby to say... Read More
Parenting |