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She's a Genius.......From Birth
by Derrick Blair
Your baby is born with most of the brain cells she will ever have, but during her first 12 months in the world, her brain will become increasingly complex. By the time she reaches the age of two, her brain will already be 75 percent of its adult weight. By the age of three, it will have reached 90 percent of its adult weight.
Almost 50 percent of the brain cells your baby is born with will wither and die during the first few years of life. This process, known as neural pruning, organizes the brain and makes it more efficient. The brain learns through experience. Events in your babys life trigger electrical impulses to the brain, establishing neural pathways. The more a pathway is used, the more established it becomes, making it less susceptible to pruning. Just like a muscle, the brain works on the principle of use it or lose it.
The younger the brain, the more malleable it is thats why young children are like sponges. A baby's brain builds itself by forming connections in response to the stimulation it receives. The fetus begins responding to sound during month five in the womb, when her sense of hearing becomes fully developed. This means that learning begins before birth.
After birth, the baby's brain continues wiring itself in response to the childs experiences of the world. Learning is faster and more effortless than it will ever be again. Acquiring our native language from birth guarantees that we will master that language,regardless of how linguistically gifted we turn out to be as adults. It's all about harnessing the power of a baby's brain. Likewise, anyone can master the skills of reading, math or music, so long as they begin learning at a young enough age.
BABIES WANT TO LEARN
A baby's brain is hardwired for learning, making babies the most avid students in the world. Whats more, babies and small children carry none of the baggage that comes from being sent to school and being subjected to quizzes, tests and examinations. For babies, learning is pure enjoyment.
LEARNING SHOULD NOT BE FORCED
Regular practice is important, but not to the point of forcing. Above all, your child should enjoy the learning process. Hold lessons only when he is receptive, and end them before he loses interest.
PLAY IS MANDATORY Babies and children need time to explore the world around them, pick up objects and examine them, and get to grips with the laws of nature. Your baby should spend the majority of her waking hours engaged in hands-on play.
RELAX DON'T SWEAT IT
Avoid focusing on having your child achieve specific knowledge goals. Treat lesson time instead as an opportunity for strengthening the parent-child bond. Teaching your baby should never become a source of stress for either one of you. If you feel this is happening, reevaluate your approach or trim down the lesson program as necessary. Children demonstrably can read and do math before the age of five, provided they have been taught. Some examples are given in the next answer, below. But to digress briefly, lets discuss the phrase formal instruction, which has some negative connotations when applied to babies.
If by "formal instruction," the authors mean that students are pressured to learn and retain specific information, then this is something we would oppose in principle. The aim of baby education is not to impart specific facts to a child, but rather to stimulate the child's brain, thereby facilitating learning at an earlier age, when it is easier.If lessons are given at home, then they should take the form of short games and only be given when the child is receptive. If lessons are given at a learning center, then parents should attend some, if not all, their babys classes in order to assess their quality and appropriateness.
If by formal instruction, the authors mean simply that there is a teacher delivering lessons, then the important thing is the teaching style and how the students respond to it. If the teacher keeps the lessons fun and upbeat, and the children are enjoying themselves, then there is a lot to be said for teaching reading or math at a young age. For your child to have positive associations with these subjects before starting school is a tremendous gift.
About the Author
Born in Kingston Jamaica 1965. Derrick have been involved in child nutrition since 1990. Started writing articles since 2005. kidzandstuff.com was conceived to serve the needs of parents who want to give their kids that extra boost in life, to gain that edge.
Richard Feynman Plays the Bongos
For those who aren't sure how good Professor Feynman was at this (the Orange Juice clip was recorded shortly before he died after a long fight with cancer), this fragment should help... Filmed at his home in the 1960's.
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