"Developing intelligence", "developing potential" and "developing the whole brain" are the slogans of early education institutions.
But these statements are purely fooling parents to pay the bill? Or is there really scientific basis behind it? It's really hard for ordinary people to tell. It was after I learned about brain development that I decided that a good early education can really develop the brain.
You can also look at the baby's brain development process. After reading it, you can listen to the words of early education institutions, which nonsense is more reliable, and you will know one by one, haha.
When a baby is born, almost all neurons will grow. In the first year, the volume of neurons will double, and by the age of three, their total volume has reached 80% of that of adults.
Neurons are closely related to learning. Every time you learn a new thing, such as tasting a new taste and generating a stimulus signal, a synapse will be formed between two neurons. The more you learn, the more neuronal connections you have.
More importantly, before the age of 3, the speed of synapse formation is faster than ever before, that is to say, children learn new things quickly during this period. Everything he sees and feels is input into his brain, so at the age of 2-3, the synapses in his brain are twice as large as those in adulthood.
In fact, the neurons produced by the brain at the beginning are oversupply, much more than they need in the end. If what children learn early is not used later, the corresponding synapses will gradually disappear in late childhood and adolescence.
Frequently used synapses form some fixed neural networks, which become thicker in the process of repeated use in the future. This is his gradually solidified way of thinking.
The so-called whole brain development mentioned in early education refers to stimulating the brain to establish various synapses as much as possible. These synapses may develop into a child's specialty in the future, and this is the potential.
For example, do you want early English education?
If a child learns English as well as Chinese as a child, then his early neurons have established English-related connections. He may not have learned English in primary school, and this connection has deteriorated.
But it doesn't matter, the connection hasn't disappeared. For him, junior high school English is easier than a person who has never been exposed to English and has to rebuild his synapses.
Rebuilding old roads and reclaiming land from the sea are two orders of magnitude of difficulties.
Early education is also a trend of brain development.
As we all know, different areas of the brain are responsible for different functions, and these areas are developing one after another, that is, there is a so-called "sensitive period". Children in the corresponding sensitive period will spontaneously become interested in certain stimuli/behaviors and learn quickly and well. Parents provide corresponding early education in time, and the effect is twice as effective.
For example, for babies from birth to two months, the brain first develops several areas of listening, crying, touching, eating and watching. At this time, it is already early education to meet his survival needs of eating, dressing and keeping warm.
From 2 to 6 months, his language and motor area began to develop, and the corresponding sensitive period came. If early education wants to teach English, it can start from this time. At this time, for children, English is another mother tongue, just like learning Chinese.
The sensitive period of many abilities is childhood, which is why early education is so important.
Then again, good early education can cultivate a fully developed brain, while bad early education is counterproductive and will poison the brain, so it is better not to.
Parents should pay attention to the following aspects when choosing early education classes.
1. No matter what you learn, it is most important to be relaxed and happy, and the purpose is to "play". Don't hold the mentality that "you must learn something when you spend money". This mentality has invisibly put pressure on children. Long-term anxiety and stress are toxic signals, which will damage your brain and do more harm than good.
2, conditional parents, try everything and fully stimulate the brain. If there are no conditions, give priority to what children like and are interested in, and then follow the market trend on this premise, or what you think is useful, what children should learn and need.
3. Early education is not a teacher's business. If you don't give it to the teacher yourself, don't worry about it. Teachers and early education institutions are used to coach their own education. Only by observing children's learning speed, hobbies and specialties while accompanying them can we further teach students in accordance with their aptitude.
4. Early education doesn't have to go to an early education institution, just at home. High-quality companionship is equivalent to VIP teaching from 1 to 1, which is better than early education classes.
Early education is a big topic, and a short composition can't be finished. For example, how to calculate good early education? What ability should early education exercise? How to exercise at home? If there is anything I haven't mentioned, parents can leave a message and give a written answer later.