Evening star., 1946-11-29
Your Child From | to 6

This 10 q condensation, b.
ncation Of the same name.
By Betty Miles

- + Il
Children learn very easily. They
learn 80 quickly, In fact, that parents
have to be quick to see that the
children have more opportunities
for learning things that will be use-
full to them than for acquiring poor
habits.
From the moment q child Is born
he starts to learn. Learning for
children is as natural as breathing
They learn by initiating others, by
suggestions that parents aren't even
conscious Of giving them (such as,
mo, I never could eat liver,") by
trying again and again to do some
thing they want to do.
Between the time they learn TO
walk and the time they go to school
they cram in more learning than
they possibly can in that amount OF
time later, for they are learning
with every bit Of their bodies.
The stage should be set SO that
children make the most of these
very important years. Parents can
enjoy setting this stage If they will
keep in mind some OF the rules upon
which learning is based.
LEARNING is DEPENDENT
UPON MATURATION. This means
the development Of all parts, struc-
lures and organs of the body until
they reach maturity; it takes place
by degrees.
How a child learns will depend
upon the readiness OF his body, es-
pecially his brain and nervous sys-
tenn, for whatever it is we want him
to do. An 8-month -old child can
not learn to draw q picture Of q
man-he is not mature enough then
to do anything more with a pencil
than scribble. But we can teach
him to hold a cup to drink from
because he is ready for that.
Failure is bound to be the result II
we try to teach child something
before he has developed enough to
undertake it. Sometimes people try
to bring about the dry habit in q
baby whose nervous system has moi
matured enough to make control OF
the bladder possible. It's very dif-
ficult for 2 and 8 year olds to SIT
quietly in church br to remain quiet
at the table during long-drawn-
out meal; they have not developed
to the point where they can stand
inactivity for SO long.
IF ATTEMPTS ARE MADE TO
FORCE A CHILD TO LEARN
THINGS HE IS NOT READY FOR
HIS LACK OF SUCCESS is ALL
TOO LIKELY TO MAKE HIM UN-
WILLING TO TRY TO LEARN
OTHER NEW THINGS.
Waiting until the proper stage OF
development has been reached is
important. BUT JUST AS IMPOR-
TANT TO A CHILD'S HABIT
TRAINING Is AN OPPORTUNITY
TO DO THINGS WHEN HE rs
READY. II he Is not allowed to
experiment and practice when he
has an urge to do so, he may lose
the desire to learn. This is some
times true of a child whose mother
does not take advantage of his in
terest in feeding himself when II
appears. BY continuing to feed him
she gradually builds up in him q
feeling Of pleasure at getting this
attention that is greater than the
pleasure he would have in doing
something for himself. This loss OF
desire to learn can happen in con-
nection with playing with other
children, dressing himself, or any
other part of his learning ex-
perience
In learning to do something, .
child, like every one else, has to d.
a thing over and over again to learr
to do it well. 1t is also true tina
pleasure giving acts become habit:
much more quickly than things thai
give no special satisfaction. Be
cause a child tends to repeat what
he enjoys. 1t Is worth while to try
to make enjoyable those things you
want child to learn. Going to bed
washing, eating desirable foods are
some of the things you want the
child to make habitual, 30 they must
be made simple and pleasant. A