Learning to Learn
July 29, 2019
Curiosity – Its Role in Early Childhood Education
February 19, 2020
Children from the time of their birth, learn and develop by observing their surroundings and environment, primarily from their parents, since they tend to spend the most time with their parents. It is fair to say that early childhood education and development starts at home and with the parents.
Learning comes in a variety of forms, but the most common method is by the way of observation in their day to day life. A childlearns to socialize by observing and subsequently, mimicking their parents and family, since their family is generally the child’s first primary social group.
During this stage and period, the child develops – socially, emotionally, physically, and intellectually during their early childhood period. This period builds the foundation upon which the child will have to rest, stand tall and strong on, for the rest of their life. If this base and foundation is not strong, your child may have difficulties standing up on their own. It cannot be stressed enough how important family is when building the foundation mentioned earlier for the development of the child.
Ultimately, it is the child’s family that is primarily responsible for shaping them and influencing their values, socialization, skills and security during their early childhood development years.
Raising children is not easy and can be rather difficult, but also extremely rewarding. As a parent it is your duty to not only teach your child what is in a book, but also teach them to act in a way that you would want them to and this is best done by being an example for them to follow. It is impossible to behave and act in a perfect manner all the time, but you can strive to be the best version of yourself for your child and their growth and development; because in the end, no one person, nor family is perfect.
However, knowing and understanding the role that family and the time your child spends with you and the family in their development in their early childhood years is critical. As parents, you are your child’s first teachers, more than their teachers at school or at the Day Care, most of the child’s learning happens and begins at home with their family; and as parents, it is your responsibility to create the environment where your child can learn the appropriate skills and values required to face the challenges that lie ahead in life.
Children from birth to adulthood need time and attention from parents. Time spent by the parents and child interacting personally has many benefits.
- The parent and child develop a strong bond.
- The child has an opportunity to model parent’s behavior.
- The parents can observe and learn about the child’s strengths and weaknesses in order to better guide them.
- The child feels comfortable to voice his/her thoughts, opinions and feelings; leading to greater self-esteem.
- It can help your child’s academic performance.
- It helps your child be a good friend.
- The child feels important and loved.
Children learn by example. Simple activities like reading and playing games together will help them understand more about interacting with others as well as teach them values like sharing and kindness.
It’s obvious and apparent that the goal of spending quality family time is to love, understand, and develop your child as a happy, well-adjusted and contributing member of society. Right from the toddler years, look for books for babies, infant books, picture books for babies, audio stories for kids for bedtime reading. Take time out for some fun learning with the kids, some math activities for kids. These activities and this time will make your child love the time spent with you, and will make learning fun.
The Learning Time A+ Program is a great way to teach a kid to read and make the best of the early years of the child. It develops the habit of reading and love of learning in your child. It utilizes the time that your child spends at home more productively, introduces your child to technology at an early age, and prepares your child for the increasing competition. And above all, helps raise a well-rounded, happy and successful individual!
