Learning is Play!
"Most human learning is not dependent on sensitive or critical periods or on lessons being taught at a particular age. Many things can be taught to children outside of the early years. There appears to be no particular benefit, for instance, to teaching music or number sense to toddlers, despite claims to the contrary. This is true even for reading. Children are taught to read at greatly varying ages in different countries, and yet the literacy of children who began reading relatively late sometimes is greater than those who learned to read much younger." - The "First Years" Fallacy: Mozart, Mobiles, and the Myth of Critical Windows, by Sarah Spinks
Preschool Homeschooling by Bev Krueger, Creator of Eclectic Homeschool Online
She offers practical suggestions and ideas for activities and immersion learning and reminds "don't rush your child through their childhood because you think you are giving them a head start on achieving great things. Academics have their place in a child's education, but they shouldn't be allowed to force out the other important learning that a child needs to do. As parents we want so much for our children that sometimes we push them when it's better to let them grow at their own pace. The key is to relax."
A Homeschool Curriculum for Preschool and Kindergarten by Lillian Jones
She offers many ideas for activities and daily routines that involve hands on learning and observations and reminds,"If you've been raising a child up to the age of "pre-school" or "kindergarten," you've already begun homeschooling. In those early years, the most appropriate homeschooling activities are things that gently introduce a child into the wonders of his immediate world and the imagination. As Einstein said, Imagination is more important than knowledge - and those early years are the perfect time to provide an atmosphere where the child can freely dream and play and explore and grow in both body and imagination. These are lots of things a parent can do to help a child develop a love of learning and searching - things that will carry through as a foundation for a life of joyful and successful learning. Most of these are things a parent does at one time or other anyway. A bonus is that your child will be getting a good foundation for later studies, even picking up some elements of reading, writing, and math!"
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She offers practical suggestions and ideas for activities and immersion learning and reminds "don't rush your child through their childhood because you think you are giving them a head start on achieving great things. Academics have their place in a child's education, but they shouldn't be allowed to force out the other important learning that a child needs to do. As parents we want so much for our children that sometimes we push them when it's better to let them grow at their own pace. The key is to relax."
A Homeschool Curriculum for Preschool and Kindergarten by Lillian Jones
She offers many ideas for activities and daily routines that involve hands on learning and observations and reminds,"If you've been raising a child up to the age of "pre-school" or "kindergarten," you've already begun homeschooling. In those early years, the most appropriate homeschooling activities are things that gently introduce a child into the wonders of his immediate world and the imagination. As Einstein said, Imagination is more important than knowledge - and those early years are the perfect time to provide an atmosphere where the child can freely dream and play and explore and grow in both body and imagination. These are lots of things a parent can do to help a child develop a love of learning and searching - things that will carry through as a foundation for a life of joyful and successful learning. Most of these are things a parent does at one time or other anyway. A bonus is that your child will be getting a good foundation for later studies, even picking up some elements of reading, writing, and math!"
See more articles here