Baby Flash Cards - How Early is Too Early?
How soon can you start using flash cards? Some parents may ask why put in all that effort during the first few years of your child's life because babies are merely repeating sounds without understanding meanings.
However research has shown that babies as early as four months old are able to learn mathematics, new languages and comprehend written words.
The benefits of educating your baby before your baby reaches the formal years of schooling are enormous.
Your child will have more confidence in the classroom compared to their peers and will have enthusiasm for further learning.
The most effective way to train a baby's brain is through using baby flash cards.
Maths in particular has been an outstanding subject area for babies to learn and make great progress.
Our own evidence can show babies counting or identifying the differences between 98 and 99 dots on a single page in a few seconds.
This form of baby flash card learning allows them to use their right-brain to identify the number of dots on a page, rather than counting them.
The ability to be able to count all the dots on a page by sight is a skill that can be carried into adult life and channel towards fast calculations of very large sums.
What if my baby doesn't like flash cards? Babies will enjoy learning with flash cards as they are naturally curious about the world around them.
If the teacher is not relaxed or is in a stressful environment then naturally the baby will not associate this with enjoyment.
Your role as a parent and teacher is to make the learning session fun.
Use smiles and applause for your baby, speaking along with your baby with flash cards, and repeating the words and providing encouragement will provide a learning environment that is highly stimulating.
If your baby is tired, then stop.
There is no need to have fixed time constraints for learning.
Be patient with your baby and allow them to learn and develop at their own pace, baby flash cards are supposed to be a fun activity.
Do not be discouraged if you show the flash cards to your baby and there is no initial progress.
Continue using flash cards on a daily basis as your baby's brain is taking in that information.
When you show them visual cues with flash cards, the right-brain will be absorbing the information subconsciously for later reference.
The right brain uses an intuitive memory, which is more active in babies and easier to trigger than in adults, who later become dominated by their left-brains.
Left-brain dominance results in linear, logical thoughts and recall is correlated to the degree of repetition and 'rote' learning associated with a concept or set of facts.
Hence problem solving can be achieved but is based on what has been methodically repeated and consciously classified as 'important'.
This is difficult in young children, which is why people assume early learning is not feasible.
However in right-brain solution solving the right-brain intuitively reaches the correct answers, without always being able to explain the logical steps that should have been taken to reach them.
How often should I practice flash cards with my baby? The optimal amount of time to practice flashcard learning is three times a day, on a daily basis with your baby.
If you can't find the time that day, then it is OK to continue the next day or day after as intermittent exposure is better than none at all.
Using baby DVDs can help provide structured sequencing of the flashcards, you can then sit with your child (rather than opposite) and speak and repeat each card as it is shown.
Some critics may comment that the 'normal' reading and learning age should be six or seven, or that such learning is tedious for a child.
Learning can be fun if the parent or teacher is there to support and guide the child in a positive way.
Progress your baby to using child flash cards as a natural step, reinforcing structured learning in a non-stressful way.
It opens up the child to learning foreign languages and sciences, where retention of formula and phrases are important components to developing competency.
Babies learn words contextually, meaning they learn by association of the sound, and action or object, with emphasis provided by the parent or teacher.
Your mood and environment are also very important to learning, so if you are feeling tired or stressed it is better to take a break.
You need to provide a conducive learning environment, and this is when you and your baby are in a happy relaxed mood.
The most important thing to remember is to have fun with your baby and see them grow into a confident and happy child when they are ready for formal schooling.
REFERENCES Castro-Caldas, A.
, Peterson, K.
M.
, Reis, A.
, Stone-Elander, S.
& Ingvar, M.
(1998).
"The Illiterate Brain.
Learning to Read and Write during Childhood Influences the Functional Organization of the Adult Brain" Brain, 121(6), 1053-1063.
Doman, G.
& Doman, J.
(2005).
How to Teach Your Baby Math: the Gentle Revolution.
USA: Square One Publishers.
Doman, G.
(2002).
How to Teach Your Baby to Read.
USA: Natl Book Network.
Faure, M.
& Richardson, A.
(2005).
Baby Sense: Understanding Your Baby's Secret World.
Citadel Press.
However research has shown that babies as early as four months old are able to learn mathematics, new languages and comprehend written words.
The benefits of educating your baby before your baby reaches the formal years of schooling are enormous.
Your child will have more confidence in the classroom compared to their peers and will have enthusiasm for further learning.
The most effective way to train a baby's brain is through using baby flash cards.
Maths in particular has been an outstanding subject area for babies to learn and make great progress.
Our own evidence can show babies counting or identifying the differences between 98 and 99 dots on a single page in a few seconds.
This form of baby flash card learning allows them to use their right-brain to identify the number of dots on a page, rather than counting them.
The ability to be able to count all the dots on a page by sight is a skill that can be carried into adult life and channel towards fast calculations of very large sums.
What if my baby doesn't like flash cards? Babies will enjoy learning with flash cards as they are naturally curious about the world around them.
If the teacher is not relaxed or is in a stressful environment then naturally the baby will not associate this with enjoyment.
Your role as a parent and teacher is to make the learning session fun.
Use smiles and applause for your baby, speaking along with your baby with flash cards, and repeating the words and providing encouragement will provide a learning environment that is highly stimulating.
If your baby is tired, then stop.
There is no need to have fixed time constraints for learning.
Be patient with your baby and allow them to learn and develop at their own pace, baby flash cards are supposed to be a fun activity.
Do not be discouraged if you show the flash cards to your baby and there is no initial progress.
Continue using flash cards on a daily basis as your baby's brain is taking in that information.
When you show them visual cues with flash cards, the right-brain will be absorbing the information subconsciously for later reference.
The right brain uses an intuitive memory, which is more active in babies and easier to trigger than in adults, who later become dominated by their left-brains.
Left-brain dominance results in linear, logical thoughts and recall is correlated to the degree of repetition and 'rote' learning associated with a concept or set of facts.
Hence problem solving can be achieved but is based on what has been methodically repeated and consciously classified as 'important'.
This is difficult in young children, which is why people assume early learning is not feasible.
However in right-brain solution solving the right-brain intuitively reaches the correct answers, without always being able to explain the logical steps that should have been taken to reach them.
How often should I practice flash cards with my baby? The optimal amount of time to practice flashcard learning is three times a day, on a daily basis with your baby.
If you can't find the time that day, then it is OK to continue the next day or day after as intermittent exposure is better than none at all.
Using baby DVDs can help provide structured sequencing of the flashcards, you can then sit with your child (rather than opposite) and speak and repeat each card as it is shown.
Some critics may comment that the 'normal' reading and learning age should be six or seven, or that such learning is tedious for a child.
Learning can be fun if the parent or teacher is there to support and guide the child in a positive way.
Progress your baby to using child flash cards as a natural step, reinforcing structured learning in a non-stressful way.
It opens up the child to learning foreign languages and sciences, where retention of formula and phrases are important components to developing competency.
Babies learn words contextually, meaning they learn by association of the sound, and action or object, with emphasis provided by the parent or teacher.
Your mood and environment are also very important to learning, so if you are feeling tired or stressed it is better to take a break.
You need to provide a conducive learning environment, and this is when you and your baby are in a happy relaxed mood.
The most important thing to remember is to have fun with your baby and see them grow into a confident and happy child when they are ready for formal schooling.
REFERENCES Castro-Caldas, A.
, Peterson, K.
M.
, Reis, A.
, Stone-Elander, S.
& Ingvar, M.
(1998).
"The Illiterate Brain.
Learning to Read and Write during Childhood Influences the Functional Organization of the Adult Brain" Brain, 121(6), 1053-1063.
Doman, G.
& Doman, J.
(2005).
How to Teach Your Baby Math: the Gentle Revolution.
USA: Square One Publishers.
Doman, G.
(2002).
How to Teach Your Baby to Read.
USA: Natl Book Network.
Faure, M.
& Richardson, A.
(2005).
Baby Sense: Understanding Your Baby's Secret World.
Citadel Press.
