Education Begins At Birth

When a babyfirst begins to focuswhat does it see? Things that it has never seen before. Colours, shapes, sounds, movement, smells, taste, warmth from rugs and the feel of someone holding it close, namely the baby's mother.Very soon the baby begins to focusmore on things around it.A variety of toys/objects which are put inthe cot and pram to explore - rattles, bells, balls, soft animals, rings in readiness for teething. These objects are all of different textures and colours and the baby soon begins to distinguish between them, and grabs at whatever he selects.When he begins to crawl, there is an even bigger world to explore, Toddling becomes fromunsteady walking to steady walking and running. He has come to know and love his mother, his father, his brother and sister. Hewants toknow what they are doing andtries to copy them. He is desperately eager to learn new things and also to please those around him.His learning program has begun. He is learning by doing. He draws, scribbles, builds with blocks, pats and pounds dough, clay. How his creations look when completed is immaterial to him.The child soon reaches school age. He feelsconfident about his skills. He is quite unaware that he has any strengths and weaknesses. He has no goals to work towards. They have not been discovered yet. Teachers and parents should be aware that the goals they may set for the child are neither too high nor too low but within the child's capabilities.Child's play is not just for fun.Since early times, even to 1500 BC children from all cultures have found much interest and satisfaction in play. Althoughwatching themmay be amusing to adults, play is a veryimportant part of the child's development,and promotes a healthy growth.The skills which the child will need later are formed through play. As an adult may study science or acquaculture from books, so the child learns the workings of hisbody through play, and also how he fits into the environment. Young children learn by doing.Just as a baby experiences the senses around him as described above, so when he's olderthe child encounters movement, touch, taste, sight, smell, sound on a broader scale.He interacts with others.On hearing language, a very young child soon learns howto get what hewants eg, crying may bring food, throwing things down means they will be retrieved and given back. This can by the child's first taste of "power". He is ‘in charge',makingthings happen for him. Play gradually becomes more formal when a child starts school and begins socialising through gameswith other children. Types of play.From birth to five the child's brain is developing rapidly. Knowing and understanding (cognitive growth) is bursting forth.Parents and providerssupervising play need a variety of suitable materialssuch asbooks, crayons, pens, paper, blocks, building toys, improvised musical instruments such as a drum, triangles, bells, xylophone, clapping sticks, maracas. A teacher may accompany the little band on a piano as they follow the rhythm of the music with their instruments.Some parents make the mistake of thinking the child is not really learning anything while playing at pre-schooland that he will start real learning at school. This is far from accurate. Real learning began four or five years ago at birth, and it is through this that many children make favourable advancements oncethey startschool.