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Young World
Learning begins at home
ANASUYA MENON
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A child’s yearning for knowledge begins in the womb.
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Photo: M.A. Sriram
Teacher-mom: Bonding over information.
The early years are vital for the mental development of a child. The parents’ interest and interaction with the child stimulates the mind, and the child grasps things faster. These observations were made by Zenith Indo-American Infants Home School, an organisation that provides counselling and training to expectant mothers on how to nurture their new-born.
According to American child educators, the intelligence of the child can be enhanced by the way he/she is brought up during the first six years of life. By providing visual, auditory and tactile stimulation, the child tends to learn fast.
The organisation promotes the concept of home-schooling where the child is initiated into learning by its mother. It offers training to mothers in maths and reading skills. The 15-month-long programme enables the child to gain knowledge on a variety of things such as identifying flowers, vegetables, pictures and personalities, says S. Venkataramani, consultant, Infancy Education.
By the time the child enters school, at least five years of education should have taken place at home.
No TV, please
“Unfortunately, most mothers these days are busy and leave their babies in the care of maids or baby sitters who take little interest in education. Mothers too sometimes, switch on the television to distract the baby. This is harmful as it can slow down the child’s intellectual development,” says M. Parameswari, area-co-ordinator, Zenith Indo-American Infants Home School.
The awareness programme organised by the school teaches mothers to handle babies till the age of four. Parents, especially mothers, need to teach their child basic concepts, she adds.
The workshops organised by the school also provide a training kit to mothers on how to go about teaching children at home.
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