Many parents start teaching their children from birth: in addition to developing motor skills and speech, foreign languages, painting and math lessons are included. The benefits of such classes are not confirmed by research. What is the potential of children from birth, how to develop it without harm? Learning children have an excellent memory.

What does early development mean?

The very term " early development " officially appeared relatively recently - in 1971. Its founder, one of the founders of the Sony Corporation Masaru Ibuka, has proven the need for a conscious, focused approach to the development of children from an early age to three years . He opposes the generally accepted position of non-interference and the belief that during these years the child develops on its own. Over time, the term was transformed from "early development" to "advanced development" and the fashion for learning foreign languages emerged almost from birth, oral counting to one hundred at the age of two and professional sports - from three years.

Do children really need this?

Sometimes intensively studying children are actually ahead of the school curriculum and have an excellent memory, but find it difficult to understand and express their emotions , do not know how to play team games, are practically devoid of creative habits and are generally extremely insecure. Similar results teach psychologists and Methodists around the world to turn to the sources and look at the child development from a scientific point of view.

In recent decades, scientists have conducted various studies in the field of children's brain function. Research conducted by British experts from Baby Sensory notes interesting dynamics in the development of neural connections in the brain that directly affect brain mass. Neural connections are formed at the expense of gaining some experience in the interaction of neurons with each other. In the first three years of life, brain mass grows virtually exponentially (0.5 kilograms in newborns, a kilogram about a year, a kilogram and a half every three years, while the brain weight of an adult is about three kilograms). In the first year of life, the number of neurons in a child is almost twice as high as in an adult.

With such dynamics, the percentage of people with high IQ should be much higher. But here the simple principle of use it or lose it (either use or lose) works. Neurons that have failed to connect with other fellows in a neural connection simply die. Therefore, the first three years of life, when the most active process of forming and strengthening neural connections occurs, are one of the most important periods in life. It is during this time that the foundation for the child 's future is laid. And the most favorable period are the first six months of life, when the body requires the least effort to form these useful relationships.

Experts note that not all areas of the brain are equally susceptible to the formation of neural connections in the future. It is during the first three years that it is most effective to develop the sense organs, the emotional sphere of the little one, to take care of the development of his speech, motor and social habits.

During the first three years the child's emotional sphere develops As for the development of intelligence , the relevant areas of the brain in children are involved around three - four years of age, so it is quite pointless to make a one-year / two -year-old child learn foreign languages and memorize any information, it still he is simply not yet physically adapted to it: during this time his organism learns completely different things. On the other hand, ball games , which activate both hands from the shoulders to the wrists, promote speech development, and around the second year of life in the child 's cerebellum are formed so-called Purkinje cells, which are responsible not only for coordinating movements. , but also for the speed of thought reactions.

Such conclusions of scientists lead to a revision of educational systems at the state level. For example, in the UK, special standards have been introduced in the field of child development from one to seven years , where the main priorities are socio-emotional, personal and physical education, as well as speech development. Mathematics, grammar, music and other subjects are considered specialized there. They are taught after the priority areas have been mastered. In some European countries, there is a special discipline for three-year-olds , small talk, where they learn to start and hold talks in any situation. And American parents are actively developing their children 's communication skills - it is their communication skills and ability to socialize that determine whether they will be accepted into the best kindergartens .

In general, kindergartens at home and abroad offer a huge variety of methods for early development - complex, general development and specialized, educational. It is not always easy to analyze, but we will look at the pros and cons of the five most popular methods. Follow them here .