TheyCan ,
when my son was two years old, I created powerpoints with family pictures. I do not know if he got a benefit but he liked them
For example: picture with A and tractor. What is it? It is a tractor. What A is doing? He is sitting in tractor. Which color is tractor? It is read. One word per slide, and picture after each sentence. I also prepared tons of other small ppt files on simple subjects.
Great success was this file, with animated clipart. I started with the easiest words and added few words after every few days.
http://library.brillkids.com/download.php?cid=6&tid=&lid=104&fid=9287I allowed him to operate powerpoint; this definitely kept his interest. He opened and modified files, and changed settings. He had his own profile, all files were saved as "read only", and I often updated the content of his folder. So I kept control on files and his learning. I kept his ppt files very short because usually he watched just the first few words. He choose the files, as he could read their names.
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A bit of general
There is a quote
"Parents often do not become believers in temperament until after the birth of their second child. Before this time, their child's behavior may be seen as a simple and direct outcome of their upbringing, "a tribute to" or "the fault of" the parents. With the second child, management strategies that worked well with the first child may not be effective. Problems experienced with the first child (in feeding, sleeping, coping with strangers) may not exist with the second, but new problems may arise. Such experiences suggest strongly that "nature" as well as "nurture" influences child development, that children differ from each other from very early in life, and that these differences have important implications for parent-child interaction. A number of these individual differences fall under the rubric of child temperament, the subject of this chapter. Here, we define temperament as individual differences in reactivity to internal and external stimulation, and in patterns of motor and attentional self-regulation."
http://www.bowdoin.edu/~sputnam/rothbart-temperament-questionnaires/cv/publications/pdf/1995_Child%20Temp%20and%20parenting_Sanson-Rothbart.pdfWell, I think often about how different my children are. They have nothing in common except their parents
My first kid is "early left-brained" - two years ahead her peers intellectually. she likes, she prefers to follow rules and instructions. she likes to behave well. she likes to watch and listen, and follow. She likes all kinds of EL.
My second one is not interested in rules and instructions. His main interest is imaginative play. At every free moment he takes toys (or non-toy things) and plays with these objects. His toys drive, fly, meet aliens, eat pizza, discuss daily events, relationship and other issues. They express their emotions loudly. He had discipline issues in childcare. He likes to play alone. He is very persistent and strong-willed. He is often singing, and it seems (to me
) that he is composing his own songs.
I do not think that one of them is more advanced. My first kid is very "handy" or "comfortable" to all kinds of educators. In her further life, she might become an expert but probably she will avoid leadership because she does not like to take risks, to resist and to look for her own way.
My second one seems to be similar to his grandfather who is very active, laborious, and he also always was leader and wealthy.
When I watch my son playing I sometimes remember texts like these
http://www.psychologytoday.com/files/attachments/1035/imaginary-worldplay-indicator-creative-giftedness.pdf As he likes to play alone, he is at risk of late talking and little knowledge. I keep his knowledge and other skills in a sufficient level.
Well, I wanted to say that children are very different, and EL is not the only way to happiness