Baby Flash Cards - Do they make my baby smarter?

How can we use baby flash cards?nSome teachers may ask why put in all that effort during the first few years of your toddler's life? Are babies are merely repeating sounds without understanding meanings? Research shows that babies as early as four months old are able to learn bacic mathematics, new languages and comprehend written words.nThe benefits of teaching your infant before they reach the formal years of schooling are enormous. Your child will have more familiarity in the classroom compared to their peers and will have a positive base for further learning.nnThe most effective way to help a babies brain is through using baby flash cards. Maths in particular has been a notable subject area for babies to train and make great progress. Baby flash card learning allows babies to use their right-brain to identify the number of dots on a page, rather than counting them. n nDo toddlers like flash cards?nAn infant will enjoy learning as they are naturally learning about the world around them. Your role as a parent and teacher is to make the learning session engaging. Use smiles or applause during learning for your toddler, and most importantly - speaking along with your infant as the flash cards play. There is no need to have set times for helping. Be patient with your baby and allow them to learn at their own pace, as baby flash cards are supposed to be a enjoyable activity. Do not be discouraged if you show the flash cards to your child and there is no initial progress, continue using flash cards on a daily basis as your baby is naturally interested in and will absord the information. nnWhen 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 a infant and easier to trigger than in adults, who later become dominated by their left-brains. Our own use of flash cards has shown toddlers (18 months to 2 years) counting or identifying the differences between 98 and 99 dots on a single page in a few seconds. nnLeft-brain dominance results in linear thoughts, and recall is correlated to the degree of repetition and 'rote' learning associated with a concept or set of facts. So problem solving can be achieved but is based on what has been methodically repeated and consciously classified as 'important'. This rote style learning is difficult in young children, which is why people assume early training is not feasible. n nHow often should I teach flash cards with my toddler?nThe optimal amount of time to practice flashcard training is three times a day, on a daily basis with your child. If you miss on that day, then it's OK to continue the next day or day after as intermittent exposure is better than none at all. Treat it as a normal play time or interaction, and not a special exception. The advantage of using baby DVDs is that it provides structured sequencing of the flashcards, you can then sit with your toddler(and not opposite them) and speak and repeat each card as it is shown. 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. Infants learn words contextually, meaning they learn by association of the sound, and action or object, with emphasis provided by parents. The most important thing to remember is to have fun with your infant and see them grow into a confident and happy child when they are ready for formal schooling.nnnFurther Reading:nnCastro-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.nDoman, G. & Doman, J. (2005). How to Teach Your Baby Math: the Gentle Revolution. USA: Square One Publishers.nDoman, G. (2002). How to Teach Your Baby to Read. USA: Natl Book Network.nFaure, M. & Richardson, A. (2005). Baby Sense: Understanding Your Baby's Secret World. Citadel Press.n

About the Author

Jonathan has been publishing and distributing education software for several years including right brain learning software and baby DVDs such as Baby flash cards, and has an educational website for using Baby Flashcards at http://www.365kidcrafts.com

Rating: Not yet rated

Comments