Is it necessary for babies to take early childhood education classes?

Babies are very important to parents. In daily life, they not only pay attention to their eating habits and physical health, but also give a lot of consideration to their intellectual development. Many parents will start considering early childhood education classes when their baby is very young, because they feel that if the child's early childhood education is good, it will have an excellent effect on the overall intellectual development. But some people disagree with this statement. So are early education classes necessary for babies?

Can babies learn things from early childhood education classes?

You can definitely learn it, but the skills or knowledge you learn may not be quantified quickly. Many influences are subtle, which is why many parenting experts now advocate "early education". You think it is useless to play music and read picture books to young babies because they can neither sing nor read words. However, music enlightenment education can enhance their brain activity, make their thinking more agile, their actions more powerful, and their personality more cheerful. Picture books can stimulate babies' interest in reading, exercise their concentration, and cultivate their aesthetic sense.

The significance of early education

Ultimately, it is about providing children with an environment and methods that can promote the development of brain nerves as early as possible, that is, providing children with the rich environment they need for growth. One thing that needs to be made clear is that: "early education" ≠ "early education class". It is not necessary for babies to attend early education classes, but early education is necessary. If parents can create a good early education environment at home, there is no need to sign up for early education classes. However, if parents have no idea about their children's early education, they can choose to enroll them in early education. The focus of early childhood education classes is to allow us parents to learn how to "early education" from a professional perspective. Early childhood education classes teach parents, not children.

Benefits of attending early childhood education classes:

1. Expand your baby’s social circle

My father and I both have to go to work during the day, so he is usually taken care of by his grandparents. Pangfa’s activities are usually in the community’s playground. Although there are many other children, they all play by themselves and don’t come into contact with each other. But when going to early childhood education classes, children of similar ages play together under the guidance of the teacher. There is a segment in the L2 course of Pangfa Early Childhood Education Class called the red circle. The babies sit in a circle around the toys, and the parents are outside the circle. This is intended to weaken the babies’ separation anxiety. I like this segment very much, as it provides the babies with an environment in which they can handle things independently. This was my original intention in deciding to send Pangfa to the early childhood education class. I hoped that in addition to interacting with his family, Pangfa could have more contact with other people and environments, and lay a foundation for his future admission to kindergarten.

2. High-quality parent-child companionship

Now is the information age, and we never put down our mobile phones. Even when we are with our babies, we will unconsciously take out our phones, check Weibo, post to Moments, take cute photos of our babies... To some extent, mobile phones will also distance us from our babies. Taking photos is prohibited in early childhood education classes, which means that during the one-hour class you must eliminate all distractions and stay with your baby wholeheartedly. Dad Fa rarely spends time with Pangfa alone at home. During early childhood education, he always volunteers to hold Pangfa and dance and participate in games. I think this is very helpful for the interaction between them.

3. Learn to interact with your baby

Nowadays, there is no shortage of toys at home and there is no shortage of early education music on the Internet. However, many parents may still be "confused" about how to interact with their babies while exercising their gross motor development and fine motor skills, and how to play games with their babies that mobilize their five senses. In early education classes, teachers will lead parents and babies to do some skill exercises and interactive games. I will continue to play with Pangfa at home.

4. Baby likes it

Every time he goes to early childhood education, Pangfa has a lot of fun. Early childhood education classes have many facilities or toys, and it is not realistic to have a full set of equipment at home. Early childhood education centers can also provide an additional play area for children.

Having said that, how do you choose an early childhood education institution? There are many early childhood education institutions on the market now, and the prices are not cheap, so the choice is both cautious and confusing. Consider the following aspects:

1. Convenience for parents. The location for the early childhood education class should be within the parents’ usual activities and not too far from home. Otherwise, they would have to drive to faraway places to attend weekly classes, which would be a burden for parents in the long run and not conducive to their children's persistence.

2.Baby likes it. Early childhood education institutions are places where education is combined with entertainment, and classes are meaningful only if babies like them. Most early childhood education classes have an opportunity to have a trial class. Parents can take their babies to the class to understand the class process, observe the baby's reaction, and judge whether it is suitable for them based on the baby's daily habits.

3. Environmental impact. Since it is a class, I think the role of the teacher is also very important. When I was choosing an early childhood education institution for Pangfa, I visited two institutions. In the first early childhood education class, the teachers were very enthusiastic and felt very professional when introducing the courses. They also gave you some small suggestions on baby education, and the whole process was very pleasant. In the second early childhood education class, I felt that they were just following the routine and reading from the script from the perspective of brand promotion, and there was no enthusiastic atmosphere. I hope my baby will be more outgoing and cheerful. From this perspective, I think the first one is more suitable.

4.Course structure. This is subjective. Some early childhood education classes are like kindergartens, where the teacher teaches each baby one by one and cooperates with various activities and games; others are to constantly play with the baby, allowing the baby to perceive, understand and experience through play.

So how old is the baby suitable for early education?

There is no specific time for early education. You can start early education for your baby during the first month of life, by listening to music, looking at black and white cards, etc. Although many institutions can start classes in 42 days, I think it is more appropriate to go around 6 months at the earliest. The daily activities of young babies are basically sleeping, and one sleep cycle is three or four hours. Taking the baby out may interfere with the baby's daily routine, and it may not achieve the expected results when the baby is hungry and sleepy. Moreover, the teaching aids in early childhood education centers are more suitable for babies who can sit and crawl independently.

The process of early education is reflected in daily interaction with the baby, rather than just relying on 1-2 early education classes a week. The significance of early childhood education classes is to let us parents learn how to play with our children and try to create an early rich experience environment for the baby.