CynCyn
Active Member
Illa , where you get yr flash cards from ?
Flashcard/Baby can read/Leapfrog DVDs/Baby signing/Baby Einstein
- Thread starter stonston
- Start date
i may be the antagonist here and hope that no one starts sticking out their tongues at me:we2Randy-git: ! I'm just very passionate about the early childhood years and how children learn and the effects of early experience on their later years.
my ds is 21 months and everyone who meets him thinks he speaks very well (he has a vocab of more than 200 words), speaks in sentences and can apply his learning to different situations. he can already count up to 6 and can do simple 1-to-1 correspondence, meaning point to objects and count one by one. he is sociable and friendly. he can even order kopi-o po for me!
i'm an early childhood educator with a specialist diploma (not bragging but just to show my passion in this field which was a mid-career move for me to a seriously low paying job
) in this field and i did NOT use any flashcards or dvd or other so-called interactive programs out there in the market.
i simply spend a lot of time with him, going out to many different places and just talking and pointing things out to him whenever he showed interest.
the only thing i do recommend is baby signing and even then, no dvd is required. stonton is right that you want signing to aid in communicating. my ds learnt basic signs enuf to communicate his needs and wants. but if you think about it, even our parents used signing with us... bye bye, drink, food, etc. don't need elaborate signs!
at the end of the day, we want to ask ourselves why are we pushing our kids to memorise things they don't even know about or experience and from such a young age? if they do learn something, it should be from experience becos experience is meaningful. eg, my son knows the names of at least 20 fruits including blueberry, raspberry and not from pictures but from having eaten them! he may not know the names of 20 different animals but he knows the names of animals he's SEEN and heard.
i hope i haven't stepped on any toes but just want to share that it is really not nec to 'flood' your child with knowledge so intensely. eventually, they will learn what they need to learn if you give them the right experiences to learn.
i highly recommend all parents to read this book called 'EINSTEIN NEVER USED FLASH CARDS' as required reading for parenting in today's high-pressured world. i know we all want our children to excel in life but studies have shown that whilst flashcards SEEM to give a child an edge up during preschool years, there is no difference by the time they enter primary school years. in fact, the child who learns through play remains creative and a thinker and problem solver... we need pp like that! but the opposite is true of the ones who had intensive enrichment... they are less creative and may even be stressed out.
if you think about it, when children play, they are learning math, science, language, problem solving, thinking. i see my boy play and i'm constantly amazed at the way he looks at things, solves 'his problems' and fixes things. and whilst i play alongside him to give him a little help every so often when he requires it, i do not do everything for him becos it is through his own manipulation of objects that he learns how to work something. at the playground i do not tail him closely but let him have free reign of the slides, etc. just being mindful to warn him of openings from which he can fall through. as a result, he has learnt to slide down in different ways, on his bum, on his back, climb up the slide himself. what does he learn? to be an independent learner...
in the end, let children be children and enjoy learning through play! it is through play that children build knowledge and through our 'scaffolding' that they understand the world in which we live, don't you think so??!! :red:
my ds is 21 months and everyone who meets him thinks he speaks very well (he has a vocab of more than 200 words), speaks in sentences and can apply his learning to different situations. he can already count up to 6 and can do simple 1-to-1 correspondence, meaning point to objects and count one by one. he is sociable and friendly. he can even order kopi-o po for me!
i'm an early childhood educator with a specialist diploma (not bragging but just to show my passion in this field which was a mid-career move for me to a seriously low paying job
) in this field and i did NOT use any flashcards or dvd or other so-called interactive programs out there in the market. i simply spend a lot of time with him, going out to many different places and just talking and pointing things out to him whenever he showed interest.
the only thing i do recommend is baby signing and even then, no dvd is required. stonton is right that you want signing to aid in communicating. my ds learnt basic signs enuf to communicate his needs and wants. but if you think about it, even our parents used signing with us... bye bye, drink, food, etc. don't need elaborate signs!
at the end of the day, we want to ask ourselves why are we pushing our kids to memorise things they don't even know about or experience and from such a young age? if they do learn something, it should be from experience becos experience is meaningful. eg, my son knows the names of at least 20 fruits including blueberry, raspberry and not from pictures but from having eaten them! he may not know the names of 20 different animals but he knows the names of animals he's SEEN and heard.
i hope i haven't stepped on any toes but just want to share that it is really not nec to 'flood' your child with knowledge so intensely. eventually, they will learn what they need to learn if you give them the right experiences to learn.
i highly recommend all parents to read this book called 'EINSTEIN NEVER USED FLASH CARDS' as required reading for parenting in today's high-pressured world. i know we all want our children to excel in life but studies have shown that whilst flashcards SEEM to give a child an edge up during preschool years, there is no difference by the time they enter primary school years. in fact, the child who learns through play remains creative and a thinker and problem solver... we need pp like that! but the opposite is true of the ones who had intensive enrichment... they are less creative and may even be stressed out.
if you think about it, when children play, they are learning math, science, language, problem solving, thinking. i see my boy play and i'm constantly amazed at the way he looks at things, solves 'his problems' and fixes things. and whilst i play alongside him to give him a little help every so often when he requires it, i do not do everything for him becos it is through his own manipulation of objects that he learns how to work something. at the playground i do not tail him closely but let him have free reign of the slides, etc. just being mindful to warn him of openings from which he can fall through. as a result, he has learnt to slide down in different ways, on his bum, on his back, climb up the slide himself. what does he learn? to be an independent learner...
in the end, let children be children and enjoy learning through play! it is through play that children build knowledge and through our 'scaffolding' that they understand the world in which we live, don't you think so??!! :red:
snort....good post for us to reflect as parents....
my stand is parents need to teach n spend time with ur kids...but how many parents now can b like u to specialise in childhood education? how many parents have e luxury of time to slowly read up abt how kids learn? not all parents r like us, educators....
many parents r lost...they dunno wot to teach n where to start...
flashcards etc r all teaching AIDS...they aid parents in teaching their kids (tt's y i dun realli like baby can read cos it is purely e VCD teaching baby, no parental involvement)....
for flashcards, parents still need to teach...but they have something to start on....
for e flashcards i buy, i buy those cards with pictures of items tt r rarely found in singapore or hard to get....so i dun have to run round whole of singapore finding it jus to teach him....can show him picture first...when we see it in our daily lives, then we can point out n reiterate wot we taught him with flashcards
n unless u hv e luxury of being a SAHM with enuf $$$ to go ard showing all these 'real' things, flashcards r e next best lor....for me i dun have time to bring my boi go find all these things to teach him...but when at supermarkets, we will show him e different fruits, veges, meat, fish, seafood....trips to zoo also limited cos it is so costly plus it is a logistical nightmare when we go there....so many barang to bring!!
1st hand experience learning is always e best, but how many parents can afford to do tt for everything?
btw, my frens who specialise in early childhood education in aus unis also tell me tt flashcards are commonly being used in lessons now as teaching aids....so if parents can do it at home as part of bonding time, isnt it great?
my stand is parents need to teach n spend time with ur kids...but how many parents now can b like u to specialise in childhood education? how many parents have e luxury of time to slowly read up abt how kids learn? not all parents r like us, educators....
many parents r lost...they dunno wot to teach n where to start...
flashcards etc r all teaching AIDS...they aid parents in teaching their kids (tt's y i dun realli like baby can read cos it is purely e VCD teaching baby, no parental involvement)....
for flashcards, parents still need to teach...but they have something to start on....
for e flashcards i buy, i buy those cards with pictures of items tt r rarely found in singapore or hard to get....so i dun have to run round whole of singapore finding it jus to teach him....can show him picture first...when we see it in our daily lives, then we can point out n reiterate wot we taught him with flashcards
n unless u hv e luxury of being a SAHM with enuf $$$ to go ard showing all these 'real' things, flashcards r e next best lor....for me i dun have time to bring my boi go find all these things to teach him...but when at supermarkets, we will show him e different fruits, veges, meat, fish, seafood....trips to zoo also limited cos it is so costly plus it is a logistical nightmare when we go there....so many barang to bring!!
1st hand experience learning is always e best, but how many parents can afford to do tt for everything?
btw, my frens who specialise in early childhood education in aus unis also tell me tt flashcards are commonly being used in lessons now as teaching aids....so if parents can do it at home as part of bonding time, isnt it great?
`julee
Member
neighbourhood shops...
`julee
Member
spending alot of time with a child is also call teaching. while going out on walks and pointing, that is already teaching. after their first bdae, they will start imitating. and its all up to u to "install" watever into ur kids brain.
personally i tink with or without flashcard, it jus how u rather "teach" it...
julee, you r so exactly right... after all, what is teaching? any moment can be a teachable moment and that's why the best form of 'teaching' is merely spending time with your child interacting. i so agree with you.
stonton, i hear you on the fact that you r so right about many parents not knowing what to do or not having the time to do a lot. i always wonder why there are so many courses to take out there but the most important course for parenting is missing! which is why parents can be reassured that what's important is to simply spend whatever time you have just having fun...talking, singing, reading, laughing, tickling, playing. that's all the child really needs.
aiyoh, you think i go out to the zoo all the time?! no lah! maybe once in a couple of months or so... but parents don't have to do big expeditions what... just go to the supermarket, the beach, park, playground n or just muck around the field. that's how we grew up, or at least how i grew up, even in a small hdb flat. i used to have to find things to do in the outdoors becos we couldn't afford a lot of toys... catch spiders by the railway track, run around. i'd like to think we all didn't turn out too badly, right??!!ancing_wub:but a lot of learning takes place even when children are mucking around on their own. and a trip to the supermarket is a goldmine of learning!!! don't you agree? they can see the actual products, learn math, language etc.
even at home, just playing with safe objects like pots, pans, ladles, containers, cartons, etc... they learn a lot and you don't have to do too much either, just play alongside them! no need a lot of money!!! good, right?!
anyway, just some thots lah... i just feel very sad that parents feel so much pressure to rush their kids with learning that sometimes it might just backfire. i mean, why do we feel the need to squeeze so much info? after all, if the brain doesn't use the info, eventually by age 3, it'll prune it off...
my step dd is in p5 and her results are less than sterling. but we try not to pressure her becos if you see how kids are these days, it's not fun being one. poor thing, you know. i just hope n pray that she's like my slow growing plants... one day she'll bloom. in the meantime, we'll just grit our teeth and hope that she gets by.
stonton, i hear you on the fact that you r so right about many parents not knowing what to do or not having the time to do a lot. i always wonder why there are so many courses to take out there but the most important course for parenting is missing! which is why parents can be reassured that what's important is to simply spend whatever time you have just having fun...talking, singing, reading, laughing, tickling, playing. that's all the child really needs.
aiyoh, you think i go out to the zoo all the time?! no lah! maybe once in a couple of months or so... but parents don't have to do big expeditions what... just go to the supermarket, the beach, park, playground n or just muck around the field. that's how we grew up, or at least how i grew up, even in a small hdb flat. i used to have to find things to do in the outdoors becos we couldn't afford a lot of toys... catch spiders by the railway track, run around. i'd like to think we all didn't turn out too badly, right??!!
ancing_wub:but a lot of learning takes place even when children are mucking around on their own. and a trip to the supermarket is a goldmine of learning!!! don't you agree? they can see the actual products, learn math, language etc.even at home, just playing with safe objects like pots, pans, ladles, containers, cartons, etc... they learn a lot and you don't have to do too much either, just play alongside them! no need a lot of money!!! good, right?!
anyway, just some thots lah... i just feel very sad that parents feel so much pressure to rush their kids with learning that sometimes it might just backfire. i mean, why do we feel the need to squeeze so much info? after all, if the brain doesn't use the info, eventually by age 3, it'll prune it off...
my step dd is in p5 and her results are less than sterling. but we try not to pressure her becos if you see how kids are these days, it's not fun being one. poor thing, you know. i just hope n pray that she's like my slow growing plants... one day she'll bloom. in the meantime, we'll just grit our teeth and hope that she gets by.
snort, wah...all e places n items u mention, seriously not all parents can show all those....n for working parents, it will take alot of effort to even coordinate a trip to playgrd....
btw, how many parents now will allow their kids to grow up like we did, rolling in muck n all? tt's e difference...kids now have lesser opportunities to learn outdoors due to many factors...having teaching aids will help parents develop their potential...
and, pressuring ur child n teaching ur child with flashcards n such r different matters...flashcards jus show onli, no written exam no tests....jus let them learn n they will learn at their own pace....academic excellence jus reflects whether a child can answer questions or not, it is not a true reflection of knowledge n experience
btw, how many parents now will allow their kids to grow up like we did, rolling in muck n all? tt's e difference...kids now have lesser opportunities to learn outdoors due to many factors...having teaching aids will help parents develop their potential...
and, pressuring ur child n teaching ur child with flashcards n such r different matters...flashcards jus show onli, no written exam no tests....jus let them learn n they will learn at their own pace....academic excellence jus reflects whether a child can answer questions or not, it is not a true reflection of knowledge n experience
cutiemummy
New Member
Hi, Stonston
Where u get the DVD -We Sign for babies and toddlers?
Where u get the DVD -We Sign for babies and toddlers?
I got it online.
How about memory magic cd-rom from MumNBabes.Com
Pink daisy
Member
Am currently using Baby Einstein, my bb luv it
~m3m~
Member
Hi, any idea where can we get over here that's cheaper? I do not mind 2nd hand. Thanks.rykiel, i buy flashcard fm BP at another forum....will try to take some photo n post when i got time
for flashcard my boi has finished fruits n veges...now moving on to animals....going to bring him to e zoo when i not so busy to teach him e different animals also...
baby sign language i order fm US...singapore's one v exp lei....1 DVD can last v long cos got 200++ different signs!!
~m3m~
Member
Anyone knows where to get it cheaper in sg? I do not mind a 2nd hand one if anyone here is willing to sell. TIA.rykiel, i buy flashcard fm BP at another forum....will try to take some photo n post when i got time
for flashcard my boi has finished fruits n veges...now moving on to animals....going to bring him to e zoo when i not so busy to teach him e different animals also...
baby sign language i order fm US...singapore's one v exp lei....1 DVD can last v long cos got 200++ different signs!!