Early Infant Learning

[rlogan 2,036]

He just turned three. He started using Word at two. This is the program called paint.

At one month old we started the walking exercises we learned about in the peer reviewed science literature, and it was the key to his early mental development.

He can read, which is why we started him on the Word program. But it's all at his own pace. He really likes Paint.

So we will start him on Excel when we're into the math.

Edited December 25, 2012 by rlogan

[rade2rising 205]

this is your kid? very impressive

[rlogan 2,036]

this is your kid? very impressive

Yes, thank you. And he is just a normal boy. We've tried to share with people how far advanced your infant can be if you follow some simple training, and we've been amazed how antagonistic people have been about it because it is so outside their experience.

A lot of parents get defensive and say it is "pushing them before they are ready", to put it exactly the way someone did here on this forum. But you can see he's really happy, and was playing on the computer by himself when I approached. It isn't something we make him do. You have to drag him away from it or he'll be there all day. He's done things to the computer that are extremely annoying because we can't figure out how to undo what he's done without going to google to get help, like moving the task bar to different places. At two years old.

It starts by getting them on their feet right away and doing walking exercises because that causes an explosion of mental development: mapping, planning, decision-making, risk analysis, etc. There is a part of the brain that has not developed yet pertaining to balance at one month old so they can't walk on their own. But if they can walk by holding on to your hands then they have been set free to do whatever they want in the house instead of laying on their backs like a dummy staring up at the ceiling. Gravity makes sense if you are standing upright, and if a baby has to walk from place to place instead of being carried then remembering directions becomes important, or knowing where the food is and where your toys are, etc. He could feed himself from his own bottle at two months old.

That early physical development is what brought on the most criticism, and no matter what we told people they thought we were doing it in order to try turning them into some kind of child bodybuilding freak or something. But it was a conscious program for developing their minds, and the result is that they can both read and start using computer programs at two years old.

[believe 46]

He just turned three. He started using Word at two. This is the program called paint.

At one month old we started the walking exercises we learned about in the peer reviewed science literature, and it was the key to his early mental development.

He can read, which is why we started him on the Word program. But it's all at his own pace. He really likes Paint.

So we will start him on Excel when we're into the math.

Good work! Does he know how to swim yet?

[NavarreMan 10]

Make sure and include Facebook - he must be exhibiting some social skills by now. Oh and Outlook so he can e-mail all his buddies. And eBay for economics...

[rlogan 2,036]

Good work! Does he know how to swim yet?

Thanks, and I have to admit no despite this being a big component of the literature we read. The water here in Alaska is so cold even in the hottest time of year that it is too shocking for them. We have done a little training at a hot springs and at pools when visiting people outside but the truth is they can't swim on their own yet.

According to the literature you can start them at three weeks and they'll be able to swim long before they can walk.

They do however know a number of wrestling maneuvers and have a heavy bag. I was small, so as a boy I was bullied which led me to black belts in two martial arts, state wrestling titles in two different states and reaching the finals in boxing for both states. The first bully that picks on either of these boys is going to have a little surprise coming.

[rlogan 2,036]

Make sure and include Facebook - he must be exhibiting some social skills by now. Oh and Outlook so he can e-mail all his buddies. And eBay for economics...

He learns whatever he wants. Daddy uses word and paint to produce reports so he wanted to "play" Word and Paint. Same with the heavy bag. Daddy's is way bigger than theirs.

Mommy and Daddy play chess too. So he's just about got that down now:

He knows all the names of the pieces and how they move. But he's mostly just interested in taking my pieces and not the end game. He's only been three years old for one week so strategy can wait.

This is all playing to him. He was just fooling around with word and I asked him what he was doing, and it was making up race car numbers, and it's often just chaos like this with him:

We realize that the objective of the nay-sayers is to pretend they are forced to learn, but it is a tremendous amount of fun for them and mommy actually deserves most of the credit for organized school. She uses a lot of youtube videos like the phonics songs, shapes and colors songs, etc. It's amazing how excited they are about those.

Edited December 27, 2012 by rlogan

[웃 910]

All 3 year olds are smart in their own way.

[rlogan 2,036]

All 3 year olds are smart in their own way.

Jesus that was horrible. You can hardly understand a word he says and he has difficulty just walking.

Navarreman will be pleased to know that ours just sent his first email to his grandma. It has a bus he drew with his paint program as an attachment. He's graduated now to understanding how to work the pull-down menus of different programs and can call up the programs on the computer himself.

He'll talk with grandma on the phone to shore up his understanding of how email works. Then he can send emails with pictures to aunts and uncles and talk to them on the phone too.

Research has shown that 3- and 4-year-old children who use computers with supporting activities that reinforce the major objectives of the programs have significantly greater developmental gains when compared to children without computer experiences in similar classrooms-gains in intelligence, nonverbal skills, structural knowledge, long-term memory, manual dexterity, verbal skills, problem solving, abstraction, and conceptual skills (Haugland, 1992). The benefits of providing computers to kindergarten and primary-grade children vary depending upon the kind of computer experiences offered and how frequently children have access to computers. The potential gains for kindergarten and primary children are tremendous, including improved motor skills, enhanced mathematical thinking, increased creativity, higher scores on tests of critical thinking and problem solving, higher levels of what Nastasi and Clements (1994) term effectance motivation (the belief that they can change or affect their environment), and increased scores on standardized language assessments. In addition, computers enhance children's self-concept, and children demonstrate increasing levels of spoken communication and cooperation. Children share leadership roles more frequently and develop positive attitudes toward learning (Clements, 1994; Cardelle-Elawar & Wetzel, 1995; Adams, 1996; Denning & Smith, 1997; Haugland & Wright, 1997; Matthew, 1997).

Of course, Navarreman's comment was sarcastic. But we're operating under the guidance of peer-reviewed science and the results are something concerned parents ought to take note of when their children are competing against those of other counrties that are blowing ours out of the water on standardized tests of math, science, english, etc.

[elmcitymaven 9,712]

I'm trying to understand why, if you insist on the latest peer-reviewed research in directing the education of your children, you're pulling a quote from a nearly twelve- year-old article from a website clearly designed in the last millennium is the ne plus ultra of information in this area. http://www.kidsource.com/education/computers.children.html

Considering the massive changes in the integration of computers and particularly the internet in society, what does more recent research in the area say?

[Darnell 8,478]

3 years is not an early infant.

at 3 years, is best to review Piaget method and even then, might be a year too late.

[VanessaTony 3,567]

I'm not trying to be rude when I say -- isn't that normal for his age? A few years ago a little girl (about the same age) was sitting on my knee at work (her mum was a client) while I downloaded pictures for her to colour. She asked if she could do it (honestly it was more like? "Me try?") and she sat there and clicked the thumbnails to open them, right-clicked and went to "save" in the options, went back and picked a new picture. I was shocked honestly (my first experience with a kid using a computer) but apparently that's normal.

My mother has an early childhood diploma (among other things). I showed her the vid and she said its normal. Don't get me wrong, there are other kids I'm sure behind him, and he's doing well, but it's normal for kids exposed to that stuff to pick it up. Our kids will probably crawl out of the womb with a keyboard and mouse :S My sisters baby (6 months old) already knows what a cellphone is! i wouldn't doubt she'll learn to use apps soon!

[NigeriaorBust 4,087]

Kids will explore at an early age and will repeat any action that earns their parents attention. Over time they hit their IQ ceiling and the process grinds to a near stop.

[aaydrian 479]

I'm not trying to be rude when I say -- isn't that normal for his age? A few years ago a little girl (about the same age) was sitting on my knee at work (her mum was a client) while I downloaded pictures for her to colour. She asked if she could do it (honestly it was more like? "Me try?") and she sat there and clicked the thumbnails to open them, right-clicked and went to "save" in the options, went back and picked a new picture. I was shocked honestly (my first experience with a kid using a computer) but apparently that's normal.

Very. My father swears his grandson is a genius (at two & a half) but I have to remind him I have seen similar advanced actions and thought processings in plenty other kids. I think relatives of toddlers are predisposed a lot of times to think their kids a more perceptive than others just like they are to think them cutest.

Anyway rlogan, continue to do what you think is best for your children's development.

[NigeriaorBust 4,087]

70% of parents think their children are gifted