Kids and Early Learning Expansions

I believe the more you can teach a child before they are 5 the better off they will be for their entire life. For example, I have a goal, to teach my two boys (and any other kids that come along) the basics of two languages and piano before they hit kindergarten. I'm not doing this with pressure either, this is just how we have fun in a day. My boys LOVE watching signing time. What a marvelous creation!

I used to live in the basement apartment of a good friend, and her kids adored Signing Time. I didn't think much of it at the time, since I was newly wed and childless. Now, however, my opinions are poignant on the subject matter. My oldest son (3 yrs.) found two Signing Time board books in the kids section of the local library last time we were there, he wanted them and I had no problems checking them out for him for a couple weeks. Little did I know that he was so entranced by what was on those pages that he would master all of the signs in both books in less than a week and a half and wander around the house saying, "Look mommy, this is how you say plane" or "I'm Hungry" and sign as he said it. At dinner our discussions revolved around the simplicity of sign language and Jonny would show off his marvelous signs to his Daddy, who I might say raised his eyebrows in surprise at how much Jonny knew.

I've always wanted my kids to have a wide variety of experiences in life, the least of which will be a great opportunity for education. So with our Signing Time experience in place, I am moving forward. Goal for this year: Help the kids learn all the signs they can, no pressure just fun and an expanded vocabulary and mind. But with this goal I decided to delve into some more research on secondary verbal languages. This should help my littlest one (15 months) with some communicative vocabulary before he manages to actually speak verbally. Maybe his 2 year old stage will not be as bad as Jonny's, I can hope right!!

I think Spanish is a good one to have under your belt as a U.S. citizen. We seem to have an abundance of spanish speakers, and it will help in school, work, and just in general to have this language mastered in part at a young age. That is aside from all of the benefits on a young mind of mastering a second language. The advantage of teaching children young is that they will have little to no foreign accent to their learned language (assuming they hear it from a native speaker) Because their mouths become accustomed to making different sounds at a young age and are not stunted by pre learned oral tendencies.

There are other languages that I would like my children to learn, French being one of them. So in my researchings I came across a program called Muzzy. It is produced by the BBC (British Broadcasting Company). A very reputable source in my mind, and has rave reviews. Lo and behold I found it to be available at the local library for Spanish, French, Italian, German, and I believe Cantonese. So next years goal: Teach the kids as much spanish as they can possibly absorb through this great and (I'll admit I'm excited about this) FREE through the public library system DVD system. To buy it would cost well over $200. I'll take the extra gas and make a trip or two to the library instead!!

As for myself, I plan on learning Italian this year, and Spanish next year with the kids through the Muzzy program and some additional help from Pimsleur audio learning sets.

Where this story begins...

So, I had this brainstorm today while helping a neighbor. Sometimes my brainstorms are awesome, sometimes they are just plain eccentric. Most involve a good deal of planning and even more work. My husband laughs each time I begin a sentence with "Honey, I had the best idea today..." This more often than not illicits a great deal of immediate scrutiny and over analyzing on his part when it comes to my brilliant business ideas. I can barely stand the look of immediate skepticism that crosses his face as he listens. However, today I had a brilliant idea, and idea that will help me outlet some of these pent up ideas.

I truly believe that children are the most precious thing in the world. They are the laughter in our homes, the joy in our hearts, they are the genetic traces of ourselves, left here on this earth as we pass into the beyond, they are a true lasting legacy. Children are our future, and in many ways our past, others look at and observe our children to see what kind of people we are.

Today's society has it's failings, many of them stemming from the demise of the family. I believe children MUST be taught values. It is so important for them to grow and to learn with core values inside them that will steady them in the wind of doubt that will inevitably swirl around them when they leave the shelter of our homes. I pray our homes are a place of shelter and peace for our families, and if they are not, we must do all in our power to make them so.

Anyway, most of what I do and think about in a day, many upon many of my marvelous brainstorms revolve around this very subject. So I feel I need to put my thoughts into words, on a page in hopes of inspiring and helping someone else and most importantly of inspiring myself to become a better mother, wife, neighbor and friend to those I love. If you find inside my ramblings and such, something that inspires you and your family to be better, I'd love to hear from you at kristy@teachkidsvalues.com.