WHY ????
A few months back a mommy had asked me, if I am doing all this for my son to be a topper in class. A similar question was asked by another mommy last week. Let me just say it, I think it is important for parents to understand this thing straight.
NO!! The answer to the question is NO.
It’s not about the marks or grade that’s going to be up in my son’s report card – definitely NO. That’s definitely not what I am working towards (I personally dislike this ranking system), I rather prefer an analysis of his learning/skills, fields he is good at, fields where he needs to work on- things like that. Every child has a talent, each one is sure to strive to excel in their field of interest. Don’t you agree?
Now coming back to the point – Why am I practicing early education with my son? And I’m sure that most of you can resonate with the same.
- Independent Child: I am just giving my child an environment where he is free to move around to explore, discover and work on – all the basic things he need not depend on me – a child learning to brush his teeth, comb his hair, prepare his snack, dress up, cleaning table/window/floor anything, watering plants the list goes on – the child develops various skills – respect is been given to him in all aspects, he is another independent just like you and me. Letting him make simple decisions, giving him simple tasks to help us around, involving him in simple discussions in the family/family gathering – it plays a major role in the behavioral/emotional character of the child.
- Play: A place where he can develop his skills, various skills – when he does an activity, say for an example a counting activity using beads – it’s not just about him learning to count or identify numbers, rather he gets to observe the bead: the texture, structure, color, size; if he decides to stack and count, or lace them it improves his motor skills/decision making: the child decides what to do, when to do and how to do. It’s the same with free play – the child is free to explore: play doesn’t just help with motor skills, it covers everything be it language, problem-solving/reasoning, logical thinking, cognitive, behavioral, emotions; just about everything. Whatever the child does there is a reason to it, there is some kinda learning and development that is happening – I am letting that happen and when at home it becomes easier to support the child’s learning/development – at early years the child is a very quick learner.
- Creativity: there is more room for the child’s creativity, he is not under any restriction – he is free the explore. Art, music, dance, sports, or a walk into nature – the child is free to do anything. Identifying a child’s field of interest is very important for that they need to be given that opportunity, again the best is in the early years.
- Individualized learning: the child can decide what he wants to learn/work on and the parent also gets to plan based on the child’s interest – the child is with you 24/7 and you get to observe the child, take cues from them and plan further. The child gets to work at their own pace, there is no physical timetable to be strictly followed. Today my son might be interested in doing some painting, tomorrow cooking or painting itself – it’s just totally fine – this is not possible during the day when he gets to school. So I let him enjoy this early phase the way he wants to.
- Bonding: You get an opportunity to work with your child – there is an emotional attachment that develops so beautifully. Be your child’s best friend.
There is much more that we can add in, I’m just trying to say that it’s not about scoring high marks in school, it’s about gaining more knowledge in various subjects, it’s about developing their skills and developing as an individual, it’s about discovering themselves, it’s about a better future.
