Does Your Baby Need Academic Instruction?

My baby boy had a handful of very useful words when he was a baby. He could not identify a Yak or an Emu or do any complex math as a toddler. I was a little worried about his speech because he hung onto those few words until he was 3 years old. And then one day, he began speaking in very large, very clear sentences. And of course, now he won't be quiet. This is fine with me, but it's kind of a joke in our family. His teachers go on and on about how large his vocabulary is and how he uses words they'd never imagine kids his age using.

Did I do this by drilling him with flash cards or having him watch DVDs loaded with academic instruction? No. I just talked to him. And played with him. Mostly I think it was the talking part. He had lots of questions and I answered them. We read lots of books. But never did I pressure him or try to immerse him in any kind of system that would allegedly produce some sort of baby genius. I let him figure out his world at his own pace.

I think that's what works best for most kids. And this article from Neil Swidey seems to lean that way as well. Interesting to me are the studies where they've found that kids who were pushed actually fared worse in the long run. Also interesting is his interview subject, David Elkind. When I first started working with young children (luckily in an NAEYC accredited center) he was the president of the NAEYC. He talked a lot about play. Child-directed activities. Developmentally appropriate practice. Not forcing elementary school instruction on toddlers and such. The organization he was over and the way he ran it really shaped the way I view early childhood and how I care for children.

There will be time for all the academics later. Really there will. Trust me when I say that it will come before you know it. I know many parents these days disagree with this and feel like they are doing their kids a favor when they start these programs and are busting out the flash cards every night, but I think it's a waste of time. Enjoy your baby or toddler and let them be just that. Read the article and see what you think about it...

More: The Importance of Free Play