Very Early Childhood Education?

Mathnomalous

Hey! I recently became a father! Thanks!

He is about a month old and we are already reading some basic stuff to him, as well as speaking to him in English, French, and Spanish. I was also thinking about grabbing 5-10 white/black spherical objects to get him started on basic numeracy.

Any tips some of you experienced parents might share with us? I know he is still a newborn, but I feel it's never too early to educate him and get his dendrites going. Thank you!

mugaliens

Congrats!

As for baby's brain development, give it three days. That means, if you're going to speak to them in English (or any other language), do so for three days before you switch to Spanish (or any other language). It's just the way our brains develop.

As for sensory stimulation, do keep the little tyke supplied, but don't overdo it, as too much will prove as problematic as too little.

Whatever you do, pay attention to him! Learn to read him, whether he's under or over challenged, crying because he's bored or overstimulated/overtaxed.

I mentioned the last to ensure you don't overdo things. Even the most brilliant child cannot process more input than it's brain can handle, and even then, more input than is best wil result in overload.

The best environment for your child is one which he's likely to face for the rest of his life. If he'll be rising to the top, he'll best do that within the sociological structure in which he grows, not artifically accelerated.

So, take it easy. Be natural. Let things fall where they may.

It's far more important that you support him in his own endeavors than you try to push him along.

Chi Meson

Congratulations Mathnomalous!

I've been a father for close to a decade now. We have three, ages 5, 7, and 9 (plus a half year for each--so that's a net of 21.5 kid-years).

We've been walking that tightrope of "plenty but not too much" stimulation and I think it would appear that we're not doing a bad job.

The way you go about this is not prescriptive. It's simply going to require attention and work and modification as you go. Make sure opportunities for "active" activities are there. Building blocks are an obvious necessity. Plenty of drawing paper and plenty of crayons (then move up to colored pencils--I recommend cutting standard A4 size in half, otherwise they go through lots of paper).

The only exclusion that my wife and I are totally convinced about (in the face of conflicting research reports), is that "television is BAD." I'm talking regular commercial TV, it's not a blanket condemnation of "all things video." We had no TV at all until recently, and even now it is rarely used. We did have tapes and DVD's, and they did watch videos regularly, but it was never used in place of parenting, and never during mealtimes. (It was usually the half-hour before dinner.)

As far as numeracy, I think the single most amazing gadget is the simple 10x10 colored bead abacus. It goes seamlessly from infant toy to multiplication-division tool.

And music: we weren't sold on the "Mozart Effect," but the "Baby Mozart" series was tolerable for us and engaging for them up to about age four. It has a good mix of classical music, and as a result our kids have a basic familiarity of the "classics."

Kids music: Listen to a Raffi disk two or three times through and then you will really begin to appreciate the kid-genre releases of Laurie Berkner and They Might be Giants.

Astronuc

Congratulations Mathnomalous.

Just playing with different objects is good enough for now. Just make sure that they are safe and not too small. Kids tend to stick things in their mouth at that age.

As soon as the child can sit and listen, board books (thick cardboard pages) are good. The child has to be able to focus and give attention, although just hearing the parents voice is good.

Don't worry about numeracy for a while.

Eventually, I suggest looking into Cuisenaire rods
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cuisenaire_rods

I was first exposed to them in first grade. My parents eventually bought a set.

BobG

Yes!

The most important thing for him to learn at this age is that life doesn't just happen at random. Things he does and interactions he has with his environment actually make things happen - and usually bring positive things.

You're more setting the table for when he's ready to start learning tasks than actually teaching him tasks. He should have secure emotional attachments and an environment friendly enough that he feels confident to explore it.

Evo

Just love him and accept him. Present him with opportunities to learn but don't force it. Also, remember that each child learns at a different pace, while there are certain milestones you should watch for, don't get upset if your child doesn't pick things up at an accelerated pace as long as his development is acceptable. If he starts picking things up early, that's great.

Most importantly, just enjoy your child. Sounds like you'll be an excellent parent!

P.S. I agree with mugs. Get your child interested in reading and excited about expanding their knowledge.

lisab

Even though your son is only an infant, start reading to him now*. Right before bed is a good time, it's calming and it establishes a bedtime routine.

Routines are very important, although it's tough when they're very young - they seem to always be either drifting into or out of sleep. But the sooner the better; this makes life easier for both you and your son.

My personal opinion is it's better to carry your kid than to use a stroller. This is really a bit of a pet peeve of mine; I found strollers to be a major pita. Once my daughter could control her head, I would put her in a baby back pack for trips to the store or park - much, much more convenient than a stroller.

Talk to him a lot. They learn language long, long before they start talking. The more you tell him, the better.

Congrats to you and your family !

*Edit: I re-read your OP and see that you already are reading to him!

arildno

It is also important to learn him Norwegian.

Our vowel pronounciation is far more superior than anywhere else in the world, in particular our "u"'s.

Mathnomalous

Thank you, everyone!

Yes, I'll definitely let nature take care of things along with some gentle pushes here and there. We do kiss him a lot, but sometimes I worry it may be harmful to him due to bacteria from outside we may be carrying (we do wash ourselves before touching him); so far, he is in very good health and eats a lot. He was 9lbs at birth and I think he's somewhere near 12lbs now. Fortunately, he only cries when he is hungry, he's mostly quiet and apparently likes to look around a lot, and seems to be curious about things (especially the camera pointed at his face).

Lisab, I know what you mean about strollers. My wife and I had some arguments about that. I want to carry him around but she wants to push him around in that damn stroller. I wish I could just throw it away.

We are so happy! And worried! I almost called 911 because I saw him vomiting, not realizing this is normal after a baby eats, I guess. Thankfully my wife has more common sense. Also, this boy likes to smile a lot, specially when he sleeps; I would imagine he is dreaming... but about what?

lisab

Boobies.

cobalt124

Congratulations.

Quoted from previous replies: "Get your child interested in reading and excited about expanding their knowledge" - definitely. Cultivate curiousity.

I’d like to suggest singing. It’s fun. And its lovely when they start to sing with you. Also you would think it would have all the benefits of listening to music, if not more, as parent and child are sharing a fun activity (though I'm no expert).

Happy parenting.

cobalt124

Oh, I forgot humour. Lots of laughter and silly jokes. From my own experience this helps a lot (again no real evidence I'm afraid).

Astronuc

Yesterday, I was listening to an educator talking about books for children. Unfortunately, I don't remember the program at the moment. However, she indicated that picture books help children develop their mind. They don't necessarily need to read words, but rather they use their imagination and develop ideas about the images or characters.

Of course, Richard Scarry's and Dr. Seuss's (Theordore Geisel) books are great for teaching children to read, count and think. I read Dr. Seuss to my younger brother and sister, and read them to my children - over and over.

Studiot

Congratulations.

In my opinion the young today have too many material things. As a result they don't learn to value them, nor do they get the best (or even much) out of them.

The very young need human not inannimate interaction.

Whilst I agree with much of what's been said, every child is different. So not every suggestion will be acepted or effective. You have to offer lots of different activities and learn yourself to accept those rejected. You will need to know when to push and when ease off.

Some find it easier to learn than others, my daughter could both read and write before she started school. I floated the idea that reading notes (music) was really no different from reading letters and now she is an accomplished pianist.

It was also my experience that there is a right time or age (different for each child) for many skills. If you try to push something (eg riding a bike) before this time you and the child are in for a bumpy ride. At the 'right' time, it just happens naturally, quickly and easily.

Go well in the future.

Mathnomalous

Thank you all for your kind words and helpful advice. Wife and I will offer him ample opportunities for exploration and self-growth, with enough advice and encouragement here and there. Easy to type, hard to implement, but we'll get there!

In that case, I gotta take him to a bar! Whiskey + soda for me, non-alcoholic cow milk for him, and plenty of boobies talk!