Making Smarter Children (Part 1)

Education starts from birth. Creating smart kids starts from early, some would argue in utero, but at the very least once born. It is a known fact that kids who are stimulated from early often develop better communication and cognitive skills. What is not agreed upon is what type of stimulation. Do you play classical music, or buy educational dvds, or do you tickle and play or do you use flash cards? The truth is that regardless of the type of stimulation, kids learn more, the more they are exposed to new ideas or situations. Some parents teach reading from an early age, some teach swimming or an instrument, some teach languages. Children will respond to what ever stimulus that they are presented.

So where do you start? Just like everything else in life, the more we plan goals, the more likely we are to achieve them. The same is true of kids. If we choose to have good athletes and we expose our kids to activities which hone those skills, they will be much better at that sport than if they did not receive early training. The same is true of learning. While many may disagree, many children can learn to read before the age of 5; yet formal schooling doesn't occur in most cases until kindergarten or first grade, ages 5 and 6. So how do you teach your kids to read before they enter school and why should you?

First the latter, children who read early often like school more than non-readers. Why? Because they are successful, even the stars of the class. Therefore the positive reinforcement, reinforces that school is good. Humans tend to enjoy activities that they are good at and avoid activities that produce anxiety and feelings of inadequacies; the same is true with children and education. So children who read early usually are successful through out their academic career.

So now the hard part, how do you teach kids, especially when you are not a professional teacher and/or when you are a working parent with very little time. The good news is that it doesn't take a lot of time to stimulate kids. They are up for the challenge any day of the week or time of the day. There are a host of educational software and games on the market, and while many may produce success, many are not necessary. What is necessary are parents that value early education and who are willing to turn everyday experiences into learning opportunities.

The average child can learn to count to 10 and his/her ABC's and colors by the age of 3 or 4; some as early as 2. These are the foundations of early learning so expose your toddler to these basic concepts. Every time you bath them, count their fingers and toes with them. Sing the ABC song, play it in the car. Buy toys that say animal sounds and colors, buy picture books that teach animal names and colors. Then reinforce what they know by asking them what color shirt they have on as you dress them, or take them to the zoo and ask what animal sounds a particular animal makes. These are the building blocks for creating children who love to learn. And children who love to learn will take that zeal into the next phase of life, formal learning/school.

Pricey educational tools may work but only if you use them. Similar results may be gained if we just spend more conscious time on educating our kids; if we turn our everyday encounters with them into mini learning opportunities. With some foresight and planning, your little one will be well on his/her way to loving school and learning because they feel successful; the number one goal, and the number one ingredient for successful learning. Happy Learning.