School Preparation

Preparing young children for school starts with their birth. The first three years are now thought to be the most important time for cognitive development in children. Parents play an important role as the first teachers to their children. Parents, from the beginning need to interact with children in ways that will provide the stimulus for language and psychomotor development. The older a child gets, the more he/she will struggle to learn a new language.

Experience counts in building vocabulary. The size of a toddler's vocabulary is strongly correlated with how much a mother talks to the child. At 20 months, children of chatty mothers averaged 131 more words than children of less talkative mothers; at 2 years, the gap had more than doubled, to 295 words. The critical factor is the number of times the child hears different words (Huttenlocher). Only live language, not television, produced these vocabulary and syntax boosting effects.

Scientists have reported in Neurological Research that spatial-temporal reasoning in 3 and 4 year olds was affected by weekly piano lessons. This kind of reasoning underlies math, engi-neering and chess. Parents and preschool teachers need to tune into each child's daily experiences and needs, helping them feel safe and loved while encouraging them to explore and experiment in a rich environment of educational resources.

Young children seem to gravitate toward the natural world of animals, insects, and plants. Children love being involved in experimenting and asking questions. The more that they can be involved in a variety of experiences, the better they will be prepared to enter a formal schooling process. The gifted child's needs are sometimes overwhel-ming for parents.

Check out all the educational programs in the museums, zoos, libraries, and recreational or cultural centers for specific points of interest for your child. Children's museums and discovery centers are located regionally and in the state capital.