The smartest among people, children's development in age 2-7 years

January 4, 2021

Did you know that children 2 to 7 years old are the smartest representatives of our species? Yes, just those little kids. Their brains will never be there again so absorbent knowledge and skills as in those early years of your life.

When Albert Einstein was a child, few, if any, foresaw the remarkable contribution he would make to science. His language development was delayed, it worried his parents to the point that consulted a doctor. His sister once confessed that Einstein "had such difficulties with the language that the people around him were afraid that he would never learn to speak."

How this baby went from potential developmental delay to becoming Einstein? Part of the answer to this question is the two gifts Einstein received from each of his parents when he was 5 years old. When Einstein was in bed all day due to illness, his father gave him a compass. For Einstein, it was a mysterious device that aroused his scientific curiosity. Soon after, Einstein's mother, who was a gifted pianist, presented Einstein with a violin. These two gifts challenged Einstein's brain.

A baby's brain grows rapidly during periods critical. First appears at about 2 years of age and the second during adolescence. At the beginning of these periods, the number of connections (synapses) between brain cells (neurons) doubles. Two-year-olds have twice as many synapses as adults. This is because these connections between brain cells are the space to do so When learning, twice as many synapses enable the brain to learn faster than at any other time in life . Therefore, the experiences of children in this phase have a lasting impact on their development. This first critical period of brain development begins around age 2 and ends around age 7.

This is an excellent opportunity to lay the foundations for the holistic education of children. Four ways to maximize this critical period include:

encouraging learning,
focusing on width (interest different topics) instead of in-depth (detailed and insightful investigation of a single topic ),
paying attention to emotional intelligence,
not treatment early childhood education as introduction to "real" learning.

ENCOURAGE THE PASSION FOR LEARNING

Young children need to enjoy the learning process rather than focusing on outcomes. Teachers and parents can emphasize how much satisfaction you can get from trying new activities and learning something new. We need to help children understand that mistakes are a welcome, normal part of learning.

This period is also the time when we teach children to that talents and abilities are developed through effort. They are not given by nature and demand work.

Educators should avoid labeling children or making one-size-fits-all statements about their abilities. Even compliments like "You're so smart" are counterproductive. Instead, emphasize persistence and create a safe space to learn and discover new things. Children will learn to love science if we are more enthusiastic about the process than focus on results.

FOCUS ON VERSATILITY

One way to avoid focusing on results in this phase of development is to show many different possibilities (music, art, sports, technology ...) instead of mastering one field. A variety of activities are essential to develop skills in many areas. It is time to involve children in music, reading, sports, math, art, science, and languages. In his book Range , David Epstein argues that the range of experiences is often overlooked and underestimated. It may be appropriate to focus on perfection in a single action at some point in your life. But the people who thrive in our rapidly changing world are those who are the first to learn to draw upon multiple disciplines and to think creatively and abstractly. In other words, our society needs all-round individuals. Versatility is especially important for children aged 2 to 7. Their developing brains are ready to use a wide range skills. This "sampling period," as Epstein calls it, is it time in which are developing children's interests. For specialization, in the chosen one through the field child, there will be time at a later age.

DON'T MISS YOUR EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE

We really want our children to read well and learn the basics of math. But we should not underestimate emotional intelligence. The benefits of learning in this first critical period of brain development should include interpersonal skills such as kindness, empathy, and teamwork. Authors of the book The Whole-Brain Child . (Daniel Siegel and Tina Payne Bryson) explain why developing empathy in children is so important. Empathy begins with recognizing your feelings. Therefore, they suggest that you help children in this age group learn to name their emotions first ("I feel sad") and then say which made them feel this way ("I am sad because I wanted ice cream and you refused"). When the children learn Name emotions, parents, caregivers and teachers may begin to ask questions that will encourage them to consider others' feelings. One way to encourage concern for others is to involve children in what adults do for others. Even just helping with household chores can make small children, then theirs adult versions, more helpful and thoughtful people.

Being kind is one with the characteristics of people happy .

EARLY EDUCATION NO IS A GUIDE "REAL" TEACHING

Children's brains can absorb information in a unique way during this critical phase. If we define intelligence as the ability to learn, children between the ages of 2 and 7 may be the most intelligent people on the planet . Research suggests that some skills may not be learned as well afterwards as in this one the first critical period of brain development. For example children in this age group are the best at learning language. This is a great time to learn a second language at the same level as your mother tongue. When the children reach age 8 years, their proficiency In science language falls, and second Tongue not is acquired and used as good as language native. Same effect, learning at an early age, occurs when learning musical skills.

Note that Einstein's parents did not enroll him in physics lessons - the field in which received the award Nobel Prize. Instead, Einstein's father invited, him to his job as an engineer. His mother enrolled him in violin lessons because she wanted him to love and appreciate music. Both activities were aimed at the holistic and comprehensive development of his young mind.

It's tempting to think of early learning as a Fr. foundation "Real" education. However, remember that if you overload your child with detailed knowledge in some field, he may get tired of it and get bored, and in effect he will abandon this field. if not you will be press, and aw in the first period of development, you will focus on comprehensive development - it may be years that will matter most to your baby's future.