A word of advice to new parents: don't let those first five years slip away. Babies and toddlers learn so much from us during that time, and it goes by in the blink of an eye.
Parenting does not come with a guidebook or a manual. There is no graduate course to take. There's a reason for that...
All children really need is our love and support. From the moment they are born, they treasure the time they have with us. Every smile, every hug, every word, and every game of peek-a-boo means something.
No battery-powered machine or lesson plan can ever replace a parent. How do I know? Well, I didn't grow up with the latest gadgets, and I didn't attend preschool. As a matter of fact, I didn't even know my abc's when I started kindergarten!
What I did have was a loving family, who let me spend my days playing and exploring nature. There was no pressure to learn, but I managed to develop a deep and lasting curiosity that serves me well to this very day.
When I became a parent, I found every way I could to share my love of learning with my children through play. I also read to them a lot, but it was more for fun than anything else. We talked about the books, laughed, and even acted them out sometimes.
Picture books can be like a bridge to a love of reading and learning, if used in the right way. You see, there's a right way and a wrong way to read a picture book to a child. The right way is YOUR way, with a splash of love. The wrong way comes from being distracted and in a rush.
We all have moments when don't we give family members our undivided attention, but the important thing is to find our own ways to share our best selves with each other on a regular basis. Finding ways to share our passions and learn new things together opens us up to a whole new way of life and learning.
Let love be the bridge that connects you and your child, and everything else will fall into place. After all, it's not about the lessons someone else creates; it's the subtle lessons that are learned through the love you give.
Here are some related articles about how children learn during the early years:- StatesmanJournal.com's Early experiences have lifelong impact on child's brain, by Linda Craven.
- My previous post The First 5 Years Matter (in case you missed it).