| Methodology
Learn about the science behind babies’ learning abilities. |
Games Ideas
Racking your brain to keep your baby interested? Here’s a list of game ideas to engage your child! |
Printables
Includes lesson guides and teaching materials. |
Babies’ Learning Characteristics
The most significant characteristic of babies’ learning ability is that they remember fast but forget fast too. For memory retention to take place, a neural pathway needs to be formed. It takes time for the neural pathway to stabilise into long term memories. If a new word is not repeatedly flashed to a child since its initial introduction, the neural pathway will disappear and the child will not be able to recall the word.
For an average baby, it takes 7 to 8 repetitions for a permanent neural pathway to be formed. However, babies dislike repetitions as they seek new and interesting experiences; early childhood educators and parents will find that getting babies to revise the words would be far more challenging than introducing a new word to them.
The Solution
The trick is to instill a habit of learning in your infant. You have to find out the memory retention gap (MRG) of your baby and implement a learning routine which coincides with his/her memory lapses cycle. It is the onus of the adult to find out the MRG so that the learning routine would be appropriate and effective. Repeating the words too often would bore the child while inadequate repetitions would not lead to mastery.
Coupled with games to stir his/her interest, your baby would be on his/her way to mastering 400-1000 words before the age of 4-5 years old.
The Teaching Formula
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Reference:
- Translated from 四五快读 by 杨其锋
- Adapted from How to Teach your baby to Read by Glenn and Janet Doman