Children thrive in nurturing environments, so it is important that they be introduced to learning opportunities at a very young age. In fact, the earlier you start introducing your kids to different learning tools, the better off they will be in the long run.
It is generally recommended that parents start introducing their kids to learning very soon after they are born.
How Learning Starts
Learning, of course, starts with the billions of brain cells that we are all born with. The brain cells themselves, however, are not the things that prompt learning. Instead, it is the synapses that connect our brain cells together that jumpstart the learning process.
Synapses start developing as soon as children begin having experiences of any kind. The billions of brain cells that we are born with are all that we are ever going to have-we don’t develop additional cells over time. For this reason, synapses play a critical role in how children learn and how fast they learn.
From birth until school age, it is extremely important that parents give their children as many learning opportunities as possible so that the greatest number of synapses can be formed.
Many people do not realize that children’s earliest experiences greatly affect how they behave, learn, and think. Because of this, the importance of giving them a wide variety of learning toys and tools is tremendous. There are many companies that manufacture toys that are designed to help very young children learn, and they do not all cost a lot of money. So, if you are on a budget (as most of us are these days), you will not necessarily have to spend a lot of money to buy the tools that your children need in order to get the learning process stimulated.
Create a Learning Environment
If you create a home environment that encourages learning, your children will be much more likely to respond in a positive way. Start out by teaching them very small things so that you do not overwhelm your child with more information than they are capable of processing.
Keep in mind that children pay extremely close attention to the adults around them, particularly their parents. If your children regularly see you and your spouse engaging in educational activities, or if you simply make the learning process fun and interesting for them, you will keep their minds engaged and keep them interested in learning new things. One of the keys to keeping them interested in learning without discouraging them is to foster an environment that is nurturing and secure.
If kids feel threatened or pressured to learn or if they are afraid of being ridiculed or yelled at because they didn’t do something right, then they will eventually become discouraged with learning and they will not be as interested in playing with educational toys.
As you introduce your children to learning, remember that we all have different ways of learning and processing information. If you pay close attention to your kids as you introduce them to education, you will probably be able to determine what type of learners they are. This will help you to tailor their experiences so that they can obtain the most from their educational toys.
By Jamell Andrews