| What if you could show your child how to | | | | that if, say, Beethoven was in junior school he |
| discover, unlock and develop their natural talents | | | | may not only be bored, but very frustrated with |
| and creativity? Every parent has the right to | | | | tests after tests, because it was as if his individual |
| know how they can be in the best position to | | | | gifts, thinking and creativity were hampered at |
| help their preschoolers develop their unique gifts | | | | every corner? Likewise, a child need not be a |
| and talents. You can equip your young children | | | | Mozart or an Einstein to feel the same way. |
| with the knowledge and skills to become masters | | | | With the coming of the global knowledge |
| of their own learning. Not many people know that | | | | economy, it has become relevant to underline the |
| babies or preschoolers can learn math and reading | | | | importance of individual ideas, creativity, |
| as young as a month-old. With the right | | | | independent thinking and intellectual property. But |
| proficiency, preschoolers can learn to acquire | | | | none of these 21st century ‘facts of life’ |
| 1. Individual gifts and talents | | | | are congruent with traditional mass education |
| 2. An effective and flexible learning | | | | systems the roots of which lie in the 19th |
| strategy suitable for them | | | | century. |
| 3. Independent thinking skills | | | | This has led to a rethinking of the educational |
| 4. Their own creativity | | | | systems around the world. You may not realize |
| 5. A life long thirst for knowledge | | | | this but your preschooler is in the middle of great |
| Learning to read early, learning math, and | | | | changes in education. So why is there a need to |
| especially languages early in babies or preschoolers | | | | change? Traditionally, mass education systems |
| lives is probably one of the most significant skills | | | | were designed to prepare your child to pass |
| that are essential for child development. It is | | | | examinations. Jobs and careers were for life. |
| equally important that parents spend some time | | | | Today, economies have become volatile and jobs |
| teaching reading and math to their preschoolers | | | | and careers likely to change. Children of the |
| early in life as part of child education. | | | | next generation can expect to have a wide range |
| Have you considered how an Einstein, da Vinci or | | | | of careers as new markets and technologies |
| Mozart thought so creatively, learned their area of | | | | come out and more opportunities are developed. |
| expertise and developed their talents to such a | | | | The speed of communications technology will |
| level? When I started my research, the first | | | | mean that new knowledge is being produced |
| thing I noticed about the lives of past geniuses | | | | rapidly all the time. |
| was that having the opportunities to learn new | | | | The ability therefore not just to learn, but learn |
| things early on in life and express their individual | | | | quickly, and see learning as a never ending |
| ideas had been an important factor in their | | | | process rather than having ended in school, will be |
| development from childhood. | | | | the norm. What edge can we give our children |
| Today, young children are exposed to tests for | | | | today, to help them acquire a mind that can learn |
| basic skills and for just about everything else. | | | | fast and understand new concepts to prepare |
| Statistical inferences are used often to gauge the | | | | them for the world tomorrow? A mind that is |
| children’s abilities. Just think what past | | | | as creative as it is flexible in its thinking, to identify |
| geniuses might make of all this if they were alive | | | | new patterns to can be transferred in different |
| today. What if the manner in which we learn had | | | | areas? |
| become so basic-skills focused, so test oriented | | | | |