On the fence about early education

[Guest]

Hi! I have a few questions. I have two daughters, the oldest is 3 and the youngest is almost 1.

I am on the fence about infant education. I've read some of the posts here about it but my critical side has different arguments than those referenced. For instance, my children don't watch tv. And I wouldn't be interested in any early education that has screen time, but may be interested in other types (Native Reading caught my eye). The things I'd be worried my children would miss out on is large blocks of free time, which I do find important. But I suppose I'd be in charge of how long they do what, so perhaps that is a moot point.

Has anyone used exclusively non-tv infant education programs (or homemade versions)? I'm also not willing to reward my children, and want them to remain intrinsically motivated.

What types of programs would you recommend for my two kids (my oldest reads a few words, phonetically).

[Guest]

Also, does anyone do infant potty learning? I did with my first and am with the baby as well. I find a rewarding experience, but often get condescending remarks about it. I found the experience similar to what some of you have described about early learning.

[Tilly]

Hi,

I just wanted to reply because we've recently started early potty training at 11 months and I can see some similarities between that and early learning in general.

For us it is about exposure and allowing our baby to have the opportunity to play with these elements of daily life until he is able to work with them properly.  There is no pressure and no expectations at such an early age so every little sign of progress is a delight and receives lots of encouragement (genuine "emotional" positive encouragement from us not just empty praise). 

I think I would feel some pressure to get our baby toilet trained quickly if I had started later and I certainly have seen this same pressure and expectation on children when learning to read at age 5, 6, or 7. 

I would love our little one to be able to read and toilet trained early however I am realistic and know that if it happens at the "expected" age he will be well prepared. By then it will have been part of everyday life for him for a long time so there hopefully will be some good habits taught if nothing else.

I would investigate Montessori if you are more interested in non-screen education.  Very suitable for early years - practical life skills and sensory development.

[Guest]

DD1 is actually attending a Montessori school (1st year in primary), so it's funny you mention that!

We did do some practical life type activities at home before primary school started, but we did no letters/phonics or math, etc (besides what came up in regular life, counting, reading books, etc.). As far as I know, Montessori doesn't tend to advocate introducing letters or numbers before 2.5 years (and that's a really early estimate).

Thanks for sharing your views on infant education with me. It helps to hear a balanced view!

[Kezia]

Hi there,

I'm not sure if you've seen one of our websites already, but just in case you haven't I recommend that you visit BrillBaby.com

You'll find lots of articles there on early education, along with articles on different early learning experts and their respective methods. Here's a direct link to the Introduction to Early Learning section of this website:
http://www.brillbaby.com/early-learning/introduction-to-early-learning.php

[KL]

I would also recommend reading these about TVs and computers:

http://www.brillbaby.com/early-learning/related-topics/babies-and-television.php
http://www.brillbaby.com/early-learning/related-topics/babies-and-computers.php

You might want to think about what is the real objection with "screen time", because many people find their objection goes away when they realize it's the CONTENT that's crucial, and with LR, we're just talking about 5 minutes each lesson.

[Krista G]

It is absolutely possible to teach babies to read without screen time.  Many companies feature products that involve using computers or television because of the age we live in and for ease.  It is certainly easier to play something that has been designed for you rather than shuffling through flash cards, but consistency is the key.  A baby never has to watch a moment of TV in order to learn to read.

If you are against that method, you should try introducing some flash cards to your little ones.  With books and flash cards you can easily teach them to read.  The more interactive the experience, the better they learn anyway.  If you just plunk your child down in front of an electronic device and never interact with what they are viewing, you can't expect miracles.  Yes, they will learn something, but the more you are a part of it the better their success.

Find books where the text and the pictures are separated and point to the words as you read to your baby.  You can create your own word cards with 5X8 index cards and a marker.  Make up cards that have words that your children find interesting.  You can make your own books too.  The ideas are endless if you have the desire to take that route.

Here are a few videos that might be helpful if you want to make your own cards.

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/v/gzVgckwO-pc&rel=1" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/v/gzVgckwO-pc&rel=1</a>


<a href="http://www.youtube.com/v/Gik9TqmxFTc&rel=1" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/v/Gik9TqmxFTc&rel=1</a>

I wish you the best!

[Chris1]

It is possible to teach babies to read without screen time. We taught our three children to read using homemade cards and books. We read huge amounts to our children on a daily basis, discussing the illustrations and running our finger under the text as we read.

Sam reading his cards
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/v/2d_K4Lhk6w4&rel=1" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/v/2d_K4Lhk6w4&rel=1</a>

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/v/TDofD9RuCU8&rel=1" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/v/TDofD9RuCU8&rel=1</a>

Chris.

[Krista G]

Sam is so cute!  I love how he examines the illustrations and talks about them in depth.  Good job!

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