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I can clearly see that the word Prodigy is the one that has caused all the fuss.
People are responding to one line out of several paragraphs instead of the entire post, taking it out context and then bashing it based on some convoluted bias.
We now know that brain plasticity diminishes over time; it is easier to mold a child than to reform an adult. What are we to do with this information? I would hate for my children to feel that their worth is contingent on sustaining competitive advantage, but I’d also hate for them to fall short of their potential.
Learning psychology is a new branch believe it or not. How do we harness an individuals potential? There are some parents who use quite extreme methods that you would likely call abuse. The fact is we don't really know that much about how the brain learns and even less about how babies learn.
Here is a website for the one or two of you who might actually be interested in the subject of various learning theories.
I think a child's development hinges greatly on their parents collaboration.
At the end of the day, you raise your kids the way you see fit and I'll raise mine my way. It's really not a contest, or is it?
Not necessarily. Yes you should expose your kids to all sorts of things. But reading for example, will happen when it happens. Our child went from not really reading, regardless of how much we read to her or taught her to read, to practically fully reading overnight - because she reached that developmental milestone. That was when she was six.
Your child is not going to read until they're ready. Not to disparage working with them, I think that reading in general actually helps with their knowledge and language skills. The actual act of reading by themselves won't happen if they aren't developmentally ready. Just like a baby will walk and talk in it's own good time - unless there's a developmental delay, in which case you intervene. To try and force them - not saying YOU are doing that, but generally - could well set up a bunch of frustration on both sides and backfire, leading to a dislike of the very thing you're trying to promote.
OP, I don't know if you saw this link, but it looks like it would be right up your alley. When I was in college I took human development I&II and it covered some of what is mentioned in that link. Very cool class. It went from prenatal development to old age. I thought to myself that they were great classes for would be parents. I saved my text book and planned on reviewing it and spaced until now.
OP, I don't know if you saw this link, but it looks like it would be right up your alley. When I was in college I took human development I&II and it covered some of what is mentioned in that link. Very cool class. It went from prenatal development to old age. I thought to myself that they were great classes for would be parents. I saved my text book and planned on reviewing it and spaced until now.
The problem with trying to force brain development is that when you push one thing, another one often lags.
I remember a study done years ago on teaching babies to read. They succeeded but those babies talked later than normal. All that appears to have happened is one type of brain development moved to the forefront while another moved to the background. Given that the window to learn speech is smaller than the window for learning reading, it might be dangerous to teach your baby to read. Reading can wait without any issue. Speaking cannot.
I think I'd be concerned with teaching what is normal for that age if I were inclined to teach my kids young. The only thing I know if making any difference at all is early keyboard training. There is a link between lifelong stronger math and science ability among children who start keyboard before the age of 5. This benefit is temporary, lasting only as long as the lessons last, for kids who start at 5 or later. Yamaha piano may be a good investment. I can't say whether the same benefit exists for other early music programs. I just know it exists for keyboard.
I started dd#1 in private lessons at 3 (which were a waste as her teacher while willing to teach a 3 yo just didn't know how) and then switched her to Yamaha at 5 and enrolled her sister at 3. Both of my girls test high in math and science ability. Of course one could argue that mom is an engineer and acorns don't fall far from the tree but this is common among the kids my dd's have taken lessons with. So are college scholarships. Dd's teacher jokes that she should get a cut for all the money she's saving parents on college costs. Of course we paid for the lessons...
The problem with trying to force brain development is that when you push one thing, another one often lags.
I agree, although I think it's a good thing to be knowledgeable on brain development (and really many things related to human physiology imo) and aware while raising a child. Knowing that an infant can't see very well might encourage a mom to forgo the white or light pastel nursery to at least include some contrasting visuals for baby. Just simple things.
Quote:
I remember a study done years ago on teaching babies to read. They succeeded but those babies talked later than normal. All that appears to have happened is one type of brain development moved to the forefront while another moved to the background. Given that the window to learn speech is smaller than the window for learning reading, it might be dangerous to teach your baby to read. Reading can wait without any issue. Speaking cannot.
I think I'd be concerned with teaching what is normal for that age if I were inclined to teach my kids young. The only thing I know if making any difference at all is early keyboard training. There is a link between lifelong stronger math and science ability among children who start keyboard before the age of 5. This benefit is temporary, lasting only as long as the lessons last, for kids who start at 5 or later. Yamaha piano may be a good investment. I can't say whether the same benefit exists for other early music programs. I just know it exists for keyboard.
Very interesting both counts. To me it makes most sense to bring up our baby with the flow of our house rather than stressing methods. I will try to do my best with the reading and writing, but she'll mostly be exposed to what we're doing. Thanks for the heads up on keyboard training. That I will look into.
Greetings, I am interested in any methods any one knows of on how to teach a baby so as to be advanced or even a prodigy.
Something along the lines of the Suzuki method.
I have come to the conclusion that learning videos are a complete waste of time. Obviously I am reading to the Baby already and trying to work on things like the alphabet. I don't just mean mentally advanced, but physically as well.
The idea is to help this child be extremely skilled simply by starting many things at a much younger age.
I was reading about the child genius who at age 4 is being asked to join Mensa. I don't believe something like that simply happens, that she clearly was being worked with is obvious.
This sounds like the human version of a performing seal. I am sorry for your child. Sounds like s/he will not have a childhood. They will have to make you look good.
Work on physical and motor skills. Development of social skills. Those are important.
I had a Grandmother who literally chained me to a piano, starting at age four. She stood over me. It was miserable. She took me to Mathnasium, all sorts of classes, ballet, I had homework at age five, literally, hours a day. It was a miserable childhood.
It may sound good, but really, I was an extension of her narcissistic personality disorder. Perfection was the goal. She wanted a perfect child, who was flawless. I was groomed for pagents, had speech classes, basically my childhood was a performance.
I rebelled, maybe to see if I would still be loved if I was not the smartest one, or the prettiest one. I just did not care. Once I rebelled, it was all over, and I was pretty much discarded.
I suggest having fun with your child. Putting your own issues on a child is set up for failure. For everyone.
So was I and I never had anything but a plain old being raised by my Mother and going to school and doing my best. I'm betting that institute material you used wasn't even invented when I was a kid.
Actually, the material has been around quite a long time. I believe it began with the Glenn Doman institute in 1955.
So was I and I never had anything but a plain old being raised by my Mother and going to school and doing my best. I'm betting that institute material you used wasn't even invented when I was a kid.
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Originally Posted by Braunwyn
I would love to see a link to a 4 month old speaking fluently to even learn the alphabet...or speaking at all lol.
While it is hard to believe, there are some children that do speak this early. It may not be very easy to understand though. My ds was saying words at 3 months though only things like *up* and it sounded like *uh* We knew what he meant though because he was putting out his hands to hold unto our fingers and pull up to a sitting position from his back. It was a consistent word for wanting to pull up. Note that my son is an undxed aspie and had many splinter skills. He is now a successful chemical engineer.
He had some friends who were talking and reading quite early too.
The Better baby institute was founded in 1955 by Glenn Doman. It is in Philadelphia. My sister gave me the teaching materials that she bought for her son (born in 1982, and graduated from Temple University, now in med school) My daughter was born in 1984. I figured I would try because babies are like sponges, they absorb everything....my child, my decision. Was not necessarily looking for genius, just better at school than I was as a kid. I didn't get better at it until I was older.
It was around for a long time and Doman actually began on brain-injured children with his patterning techniques which have since been discredited. In fact, I know one teacher with cerebral palsy who went through that training and was harmed by it. Whenever she goes to a new doctor, they can immediately tell by her twitches that she was in the program.
This is not quite the same as his learning program, but I am skeptical of his materials given how poor the science behind his ideas has been.
Also, just because they can read words off a page does not equate with comprehension, as you know. Once they were reading, we always discussed the story with them to see how well they really understood it. They we let them DRAW it or ACT it or expanded it in other ways.
Yes, I have an autistic grandson who has been reading words since he was two, but he is hyperlexic and his comprehension is not there yet at 9.
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