An article from the book ‘Your Child is Your Parent’ by Manoj J Lekhi (Amrut Vivek).

“A mind stretched by a new idea never returns to its original dimensions.” 

Oliver Wendell Holmes

As specified earlier, if one were to have an actual idea of the capacity of one’s child’s brain and understand the vitality of the first few years, then an obvious realisation to follow would be that the child begins to learn from the first day itself; this includes academics, too.

A child introduced to academics from day one would stand out completely when compared to a child who is not.

Reading, which is normally introduced to a child in school, at the age of 5 or 6, may actually be introduced to the child from the first day of birth. We teach children to read, through a process called ‘sight word reading’. By 3 and a half to 4 years of age, a child is able to speak and read a book just like any adult. 

Every child is capable of doing so, provided you give him the opportunity.

Mathematics is the highest function of the brain and hence the highest stimulation to a child’s brain can happen when he is introduced to mathematics in his first few years. We introduce a young child to mathematics by the ‘dot card method’, following which, as the age of the child increases, other effective methods are utilised.

‘Encyclopaedic knowledge’ comprises specific encyclopedic facts and real life pictures related to the same. We expose a child to thousands of such facts right from day one of his birth. Eventually, the children begin to identify and recognise the rarest of things, for example, different kinds of butterflies, different varieties of apples, different species of fish etc. This not only leads to multiple neuron connections in the brain but also elevates the confidence and self-esteem of the children.

People often argue, “So what if the child does not read?” or “So what if the child is not exposed to encyclopedic knowledge?” Yes, it’s not a big deal, but when we expose our child to so many facts, what we are doing is actually increasing the number of connections in the brain. This develops the intelligence of the child. From a very young age, the child is learning to think in many dimensions.

Always remember, children can learn anything and everything; it all depends on your conviction and how much you expose them to.

In this area, the parenting expert Mr. Glenn Doman has done remarkable work. Every parent should find time to read his books.

Always ensure that you use your time with your child very effectively — talking to him and showing him all the things around in as much detail as you know. Showing in detail helps to stimulate the right brain — the area of creativity.