Selected readings 1:

Don't miss the critical period of children's growth.

1935 Lorenz, a famous Austrian ecologist and Nobel Prize winner, discovered a funny phenomenon. Animals like ducklings and goslings always like to chase the moving objects they first saw two days before they broke their shells. For example: the first time you see a goose, you chase it; Chasing people the first time they meet, thinking it's his mother. And this habit will last for a long time. If it is separated from a goose or a human within a day or two, it will not chase a goose or a human after it comes into contact with a gosling, which is determined by the structure of the brain. Lorenz called this phenomenon "imprinting phenomenon" and called this period of goslings "critical period". For example, after the lamb was born, it was away from its mother for a few days, and then it became unsociable and always ran around. If this bird doesn't live among the birds in the first few weeks after birth, it will never sing a beautiful "song".

There was an Indian boy who was taken away by wolves when he was only a few months old and was rescued from the wolf's den when he was 8 years old. Because I have lived with wolves for many years, I missed the critical period of learning language, walking, outdoor and so on. She can't walk, she can't hold things with her hands, she can only crawl. Her habits are lurking during the day, moving at night, howling in the middle of the night and eating raw meat only with her mouth. People tried to educate her to get rid of the wolf nature and restore human nature, but the results were minimal. She learned a simple standing for two years and walking for six years. 17 years old, learned more than ten words when he died, and his intelligence is only equivalent to that of a 4-year-old child.

Wang Xianfeng, a "pig child" in China, was abandoned by her stepfather and grew up eating pig milk in a pigsty. She learned to grab food in the pig trough, chew grass roots and bark, scrape the soil and tickle. It was not until she was 8 years old that she was discovered. After being rescued, she was found unable to speak, dress or eat. Just like a pig's habit, professionals have educated and trained her in various ways for three years, but her IQ is still very low, only 68.

"Wolf children" and "pig children" were discovered and rescued from the age of 8, and then treated and corrected by professional educators and psychologists. However, no matter how good the educational conditions are, they can't restore their "humanity". Because they missed the "critical period" of learning, they left a lifelong disability of "mental retardation".

Through the research of brain scientists, it is found that all animals in nature, including human beings, have a development plan schedule in the process of brain development: at which stage which function develops first and which function develops later. If parents grasp the timetable of brain development, it will be much better to educate their children at the peak of which brain function is developing. On the contrary, if you miss the critical period of brain development and educate your children, the effect will be much worse.

On the contrary, there is another example: during World War II, a Japanese soldier named Masaichi Yokoi lost his way in the forests of Southeast Asia. He had to live alone like a savage for 28 years and lost the potential to speak. But after being rescued, it only took him 82 days to fully recover his original potential, because he didn't miss the "critical period" of education before adulthood.

As a competent parent, when raising children, we should know the critical period and don't miss every critical period of children's growth. Seize the "critical period" to get twice the result with half the effort, and miss the "critical period" to teach children to get twice the result with half the effort.

So what are the critical periods for children?

1, sensory critical period (0-6 years old): From birth, children will be familiar with the environment and understand things through the senses of hearing, sight, taste, touch and smell. So let children listen, touch, observe and smell, and use their senses to guide them to grow their wisdom. (inspirational short sentence)

2. The critical period of image vision development (before the age of 4): During this period, children's image vision developed most rapidly. At this time, children generally like to "go to the park" and "go out to play" precisely because there are rich outdoor natural scenery and vivid pictures here. At this time, in addition to taking children for outdoor activities and getting in touch with the colorful world, we should also show them more picture books and cartoons indoors to broaden their horizons.

3. Critical period of musical talent development (3-5 years old): If you want to cultivate children's musical intelligence, you must not miss the critical period of musical intelligence of 3-5 years old, so that children can listen to ancient and modern famous songs and participate in musical activities.

4. Language critical period (3~6 years old): This time is a critical period for children to learn spoken English. At this time, parents should often talk to their children, tell stories, ask questions, encourage their children to talk more, and promote their understanding and expression potential.

5. The critical period of learning a foreign language (3- 12 years old): it is the critical period of learning a foreign language. If you miss this period and start learning a foreign language again, you will have to work hard many times. Even so, you don't have to learn well.

6. Critical period of order (2-6 years old): 2-6 years old is a critical period for teaching children to know and behave. During this period, parents should gradually guide their children away from egoism and make more friends with other children. At this time, parents should establish clear life norms and daily etiquette with their children to cultivate their self-discipline potential so as to adapt to social norms in the future.

7. Critical period of imagination (2-8 years old): During this period, parents should let their children listen to their favorite fairy tales and science fiction stories, watch more pictures, watch more cartoons and science fiction films, and read more books after literacy. After accumulating the necessary knowledge, children can make up stories by looking at pictures, or continue to tell stories, or take turns telling stories with their parents to improve their imagination and creativity.

8. Cultural sensitive period (primary school 1-4 grade): Montessori pointed out that children's interest in cultural learning began at the age of 3; By the age of 6-9, that is, the middle and lower grades of primary schools in China, there is a strong demand for exploring things. Therefore, in this period, the child's heart is like a fertile soil, ready to learn a lot about cultural sowing. Many children in this period are curious, like to think and have many questions, but they feel "not enough to eat" about the school curriculum. Based on his interest, parents can bring rich cultural information, including natural, scientific, literary and artistic resources, to meet their hungry cultural needs. If their thirst for knowledge is not satisfied at this time, it is likely that children's thirst in this area will turn to other aspects, such as making trouble and hyperactivity. Many smart children's problems such as inattention and small gestures in class were also formed during this period.

9. Golden reading period (8- 14 years old): around 5 years old, children begin to develop from looking at pictures to literacy, which is a sensitive period for children's reading enlightenment; 5-7 years old, should enter the super literacy stage; 8- 10 years old, should enter the stage of free and fluent reading. After children's literacy, the transformation from pictures to words, and the initial foundation of reading interest, children should enter the first and most important golden reading period in their lives in the fourth grade (grades 3-4) of primary school.

This is the best reading period for everyone in his life because of the development of physiology, psychology and education. If you miss too much reading during this period, it will cause irreparable defects in your child's growth. For most children in China, this period is mainly from 8 years old to 14 years old, depending on everyone's educational environment, personality preferences and other conditions.

According to the law of a person's growth and China's education entrance examination system, a person's life, in less than five years at the age of 10~ 14 (that is, from the fourth grade of primary school to the second grade of junior high school), has laid the foundation of outlook on life, values, knowledge and reading interest. Because of the different educational conditions and personal conditions, some people are longer and some people are shorter at this moment. It is precisely because the fourth-grade children already have the necessary literacy that they can read written books; In the second semester of the second grade, the school generally increased the study time and the number of exercises for teachers and students for the senior high school entrance examination, instead of reading all the time. At the university stage, they are faced with heavy schoolwork, English exams, teaching and research, employment and practice, and they have not been concentrating on their studies. (nostalgic for past sentences)

Therefore, in the four years from 10 to 14, if students master efficient reading methods and read more books such as literary classics, biographies of celebrities and popular science books, it will lay a solid foundation for the establishment of his future outlook on life, the choice of majors, the determination of life goals and the learning potential.

If you miss this golden reading period, then the future study of middle schools, universities and graduate students will expose irreparable "congenital deficiency." At that time, it will be difficult to make up lessons by surprise.

But sadly, in recent years, most children are busy with various cram schools and special classes, and the extra reading time of students is "resisted" by cram schools and special classes.

What does it bring to children to study for the sake of study and score for the sake of score?

Less reading brings obvious lack of stamina. As a result, the more children study, the harder they work, and the more they reach the senior grade, the greater the negative impact. The final performance is that the Chinese level of many college and middle school students is declining year by year, especially their reading potential and writing potential, which makes many students helpless in the senior high school entrance examination and college entrance examination, which not only directly affects their Chinese achievements, but also affects their English reading comprehension, translation and writing achievements. Although the results are reflected in the current senior high school entrance examination and college entrance examination, the fundamental reason lies in the reading defects in primary school.

Therefore, it is an urgent task for many parents who are superstitious about culture to get students out of the tired tutor cage and give them a broad reading world.

Selected readings II:

20 key periods of baby's growth and development

Mothers usually pay close attention to the iconic signs of children's "sitting, standing, walking and talking". In fact, there are many clues to growing up, such as when can he sleep in a crib? When should I give up giving him a pacifier? When should he have friends? By finding the answers to these questions, we can give our baby the best help at the best time.

0 ~ 5 years old, during this long time, the potential of children is constantly improving. Do you want to help him? Then you must hurry-(sanitary towel advertisement)

Key one: 2 ~ 3 months, the best age to quit pacifiers.

Of course, there is no need for children of this age to stop using pacifiers. For babies, pacifiers are harmless. But children who are still using pacifiers at the age of 3-4 may affect their language development. Some parents can't stand their growing children sucking nipples all the time. If you have the same idea, you'd better help them quit at an early age (2-3 months).

Key 2: At the age of 3 months, let him sleep in the crib by himself.

Choosing to share a bed with your baby is not a safe behavior, although it can be taken care of conveniently. So we will advise you to let him sleep in a crib from the time he is born, and not more than 3 months at the latest. If you want to wait a little longer, it will become more and more difficult. It is precisely because he is used to sleeping in your bed and having you around. Three months is the time when children begin to feel the space. At this time, he is familiar with his bed and will give him a strong sense of security.

Key three: in four months, he can have friends.

When a child can sit up and watch other children by himself, you should consider finding a friend for him. The attraction between babies is funnier than you think. 3 ~ 4 months old, began to pay attention to each other. From 9 ~ 12 months, I began to like toys and imitate each other. All you need to do is encourage friendship between children and try to avoid fighting between children. It's a good idea to bring more toys.

Key 4: Five months ago, being separated from his parents would not make him feel anxious.

If you plan to take a long-distance trip without children and enjoy the world alone, you'd better leave your child five months ago, because at this time he doesn't know what missing is, and separation will not bring him pain. With his growth and emotional growth, separation will become more and more difficult and even bring him great pain. Therefore, many experts suggest that mothers should set the time to return to the workplace before their children are 5 months old or after they are 3 years old (after they can participate in public life in kindergarten). At the same time, you have to make a lot of preparations, such as letting other caregivers (nannies or grandparents) also participate in the care of children at ordinary times and cultivate feelings with children.

Key 5: 6 months, start teaching him colors, shapes and different pronunciations.

Although it takes some time to truly understand the potential, children's cognitive potential needs to be accumulated a little. Try to use some interesting and vivid methods to develop children's understanding potential, such as showing children more picture books and cards of various colors, or using physical objects as examples (for example, bananas are yellow and balls are round). Instead of forcing him to learn to read pictures.

Key 6: At 6 months, take him to have his teeth examined.

According to the dentist's requirements, the first dental examination for children should not be postponed to 1 year at the latest, and should be conducted once every six months. Although the treatment of dental caries should wait until the child is 3 years old (it is possible to cooperate with the doctor), early examination can help the doctor find the abnormality of the child's tooth development and the appearance of dental plaque as soon as possible, and do a good job in the prevention of dental caries as soon as possible. If the child has dental caries before the age of 3, you can discuss with the doctor how to treat it.

Key 7: After 8 months, the child can sit still and buy him a foot pulley toy.

This toy car can help children exercise leg muscles and balance their potential. Some children like to experience the fun of walking back and forth with pedals, and some children like to sit in the car and let you push them. They enjoy the satisfaction of controlling their own balance.

Key 8: 15 ~ 18 months, you don't need to hold him when taking pictures or photography.

Once a child can walk, he has the potential to control his body, posing in different shapes for you to take pictures or take pictures, and he doesn't like you telling him what to do. Let him play freely and learn how to control his body by himself. What you need to do is to find a safe shooting spot for him (preferably where the road is flat and there are no sharp protrusions) and capture every wonderful moment of him.

Key 9: 18 months, you can ask him to help you with some housework.

Children learn various skills from life, such as doing housework. At first, let him do some simple things, such as putting toys, putting dirty clothes in the laundry basket, setting the table and so on. By the age of 3, you have made progress in all aspects of your body. You can ask him to help you do some high-tech housework, such as watering flowers, cleaning tables, folding quilts, carrying buckets and so on. At first, he may need your help. If you persist, you will be amazed at his potential. At the same time, you should not be stingy with your encouragement. Tell him you're doing better than your mother.

Key 10: 18 months, will ride a tricycle to children.

Tricycle can exercise the coordination potential of children's legs. He may not have the potential to ride a tricycle by himself, but he is willing to enjoy sitting on it and holding the handlebar.

Key 11: 18 months, stop giving him straw cups.

Drinking water through straws for a long time may affect children's tooth development. Children of this age should be able to drink water from ordinary cups. It is not easy to fill the cup with water, preferably half a cup, so that it is not easy for children to overflow when drinking. Of course, in some cases, you can also use a straw cup, just because it is more convenient, such as in a car or an amusement park. Children should also be trained to find their own water to drink, put the cup on the table and tell them to get it when they want to drink. It is better to have a cup with a handle, which is more convenient for children to carry.

Key 12: After 5 months of pregnancy, teach him to know the upcoming little brother (sister).

At this time, your stomach begins to show, and it has passed the period of easy abortion. You can formally inform your child that "you want to have a little brother (sister)". Usually a child over 2 years old can feel the fact that his mother is pregnant, but his understanding needs the help of something specific, such as your bulging belly, ultrasound photos of the fetus and so on. You need to let him know that his protagonist will change in the next few months, and at this moment he will protect his little brother (sister) with his mother. If the child is too young (under 2 years old), these explanations are unnecessary just because he doesn't understand at all.

Key13: At the age of 2, change the crib into a children's bed.

More precisely, if the baby stands on the lowest floor of the crib and his chest has exceeded the railing of the bed, it means that the crib is no longer suitable for him, and it is time to change it to a children's bed. Changing beds is mainly for safety reasons. Most children who learn to walk like to climb the railing of the crib, which is a great safety hazard. Even if he doesn't climb the bed, it's not easy to take it lightly. It is best to change the crib into a children's bed when he is about 2 years old.

Key14: Before the age of 2, it is best not to let children have pets.

When I was 2 years old, I gave him a small fish, because he was interested in swimming fish and because fish wouldn't hurt him. Of course, there will be some episodes from time to time-be careful not to let naughty little hands scratch in the fish tank. Give him a kitten or a puppy when he is 3 ~ 4 years old, which is why children have learned to treat pets gently and can help you with some pet care work. But if you want him to take full responsibility for his pet, such as feeding his pet, taking his pet for a walk and bathing his pet, you have to wait until he is at least 7-8 years old or even older.

Key 15: From the age of 2 to 3, he can attend parties among children by himself.

In addition to considering age, it is also necessary to ensure that children have the important potential to stop attacking others for no reason, and know how to share toys with children. The party is best held between children who are familiar with the children. If children feel uncomfortable or even afraid to play in other people's homes, then you can suggest that everyone move the location of the next party to your home.

Key 16:3 years old, you can teach him to blow his nose.

The biggest feature of children of this age is imitation. Adults' every move is very attractive to him, so you only need to demonstrate how to blow your nose in front of him several times, and you can easily let him learn it without spending too much breath.

Key 17: 4 ~ 5 years old, teach him to tie his shoelaces.

At this age, the child's understanding potential, finger control potential and flexibility are enough for him to understand the task of learning to tie shoelaces. Of course, mastering this skill may take nearly a year of training. So before that, it is best to choose shoes with sticky buttons for children. Besides tying his shoelaces, he can also train with string and pack gifts.

Key18: You can teach him to ride a two-wheeled bicycle at the age of 4.

His excellent balance potential and sufficient leg strength are ready to understand the test of learning to drive. At the beginning of learning, you can use training wheels to help children keep their balance. Once it is found that the auxiliary wheel is not on the ground during riding, it can be removed.

Key nineteen: You can attend swimming training classes at the age of four.

Doctors don't recommend children under the age of 4 to learn swimming, mainly because their coordination potential is not enough to keep themselves balanced in the water and they are prone to drowning. Even if children learn to swim, they should pay attention to safety, and never let their guard down just because they can swim.

Key 20: 5 years old, you can give him chewing gum.

Before the age of 3, children can easily swallow chewing gum. Because of his narrow throat, chewing gum may get stuck in the trachea and suffocate. At the age of 3 ~ 4, most children still don't know how to spit out chewing gum, but like to swallow it. He won't know how to eat until he is at least five years old.

Selected readings 3:

Education in the critical period of children's growth

In the process of children's growth, they will go through several critical periods, which play a decisive role in the development of children's life. Don't miss them. This paper will elaborate on what is the critical period, what are the benefits of critical period education, what are the critical periods for children's growth and what parents should pay attention to in critical period education.

1. What is the critical period and what are the benefits of education in the critical period?

The critical period refers to the best period for people to learn, or the period when people are most sensitive and understand a certain aspect of learning.

Lorenz, an Austrian zoologist, once pointed out that the phenomenon of individual imprint can only occur in a short "critical period" in an individual's life. The object branded by the individual at this moment can make the individual feel close to it and prefer it, and will not be forgotten, thus forming a permanent binding attachment to it. For example, chicks recognize their mothers at 10- 16 hours after birth, and puppies recognize their mothers at 3-7 weeks after birth.

Lorenz's research has attracted psychologists' attention to the critical period, and a lot of research has been done. The most important thing is to explore and put forward the critical period of children's development in all aspects. For example, some researchers have found that the most vulnerable critical period of human embryos is within 6 weeks after pregnancy, that is, the development period of major organs. All congenital defects occur in the first three months of pregnancy. Some researchers have suggested that the critical period of brain development is the 5th ~10 month after birth. In the meantime, if we neglect or lack good environmental education, it will damage its development.

Psychology also studies the influence of the development of individual critical period on future development. Many studies have proved that if children are deprived of perceptual experience, lack of social communication, neglect intellectual education or care for their parents from birth to 3 or 4 years old, it will seriously affect their normal psychological development in the future. The most classic case is the story of a wolf child in India.

Kamala is an Indian wolf child. She was only 8 years old when she was found from the wolf's den in 1920. Because she has lived with wolves since childhood, she has the same temperament and living habits as wolves. She can't walk, she can only crawl, lurking during the day and moving at night. Howl in the middle of the night, eat raw meat, don't hold it with your hands, eat it with your mouth like a wolf. People tried to help her and educate her, but it had little effect. She learned to stand in two years, walk in six years and learn six words in four years. It was not until 1929 (17 years old) that her intelligence level reached the level of a child aged 2-3 years.

It shows that children's learning is a critical period. After she was born, wolf children were raised by wolves. She studied the wolf's lifestyle, so she formed the wolf's living habits. When she was discovered by human beings, she tried her best to educate her, but missed the best opportunity for education, which made learning very difficult and achieved little. If the story of Indian wolf boy is a negative textbook, the story of Japanese soldier Masaichi Yokoi is a positive textbook, which proves that education in a critical period can lay the foundation for lifelong development.

1972, Japanese soldier Masaichi Yokoi lost in World War II was found in the forests of Southeast Asia. He lived alone in the virgin forest for 28 years like a savage. When he was discovered, he forgot his mother tongue, but after being rescued, he recovered his habit with only 82 days of training and got married a year later.

The most important point of the above example is that education in the critical period is very important. As parents, we should pay attention to children's education in the critical period, learn the education theory in the critical period and master the education methods in the critical period.

Second, what are the critical periods for children in the long process of growth?

1 and about 6 months is the key period for babies to learn to chew.

2, 8 months is the key period to distinguish size and quantity.

3.2-3 years old is a critical period for learning spoken English.

4.2.5 -3 years old is the key period to teach children to observe discipline.

5, 3-5 years old is the key period of music development (3 years old plays the violin, 5 years old plays the piano).

6, 4-5 years old is the key period for learning written language.

7, 3-8 years old is a critical period for learning a foreign language.

Eight or three years old is a crucial period to cultivate independence.

Before the age of 9 or 4, it is a critical period for the development of image vision.

10, 5-6 years old is the key period to master vocabulary.

1 1, the critical period for cultivating children's balanced potential at the age of 0-8.

12, 0-7 years old is the key period to cultivate children's outdoor potential.

13 years old and 9- 10 years old are critical periods for children to pay attention to consequences and motives.

14, early childhood is a critical period for the development of observation.

Primary school 15 and 1 and grade 2 are the key periods to consolidate study habits.

16, the third and fourth grades of primary school are the key period of subject differentiation.

17, grade three or four in primary school and grade two in high school, is a critical period for the development of logical thinking.

18, primary school is a critical period for memory development.

19, junior high school is the key period of benefiting memory.

Third, the key period of educational methods tips

There are many ways to educate in the critical period. Parents should choose appropriate methods according to their children's personality and hobbies, such as games, stories, praise and encouragement. And pay attention to constantly trying new methods, especially making full use of playing games to teach children all kinds of knowledge and skills. Pay attention to praise and strengthen children's progress in time, give them some successful experiences, stimulate children's continuous strong interest in learning and stimulate their motivation to learn.

Parents can also take their children to concerts, art exhibitions, songs and dances, sports skills competitions, animals and plants, and listen, observe and experience in nature. Through their sensory organs, they first inject a lot of information they hear, see and perceive into their brains. Let the brain become the big warehouse for storing information.

Preschool children should play more and practice more, let children observe the world and practice in the process of "playing" and "practicing", and promote the development of children's observation, imagination and thinking.

In short, the critical period plays a decisive role in children's intellectual development throughout their lives, so don't miss it.