Modern Science and Ancient Wisdom Agree on Early Education Practices

Since the dawn of mankind, each generation has faced the challenge of passing accumulated wisdom to the next generation. For early mankind, technical information, like how to make an arrowhead, build a shelter or plant a crop were passed on from father to son or thru an apprenticeship. Mothers passed on to daughters the many skills that it took to maintain a healthy home and family.
These skills were so important to the continued success of a community that often the entire village would be involved in the process. But, from the beginning it was apparent that children needed to learn more than basic skills if they were to prosper and grow to be productive and successful adults.
Traits like good judgment, honesty, perseverance and moral values were essential if any civil community was to be maintained. However, instilling virtues like common sense, courage and the difference between right and wrong demanded a much more complex process.
How should these abstract concepts be taught? When should the lessons begin? How could these essential core values be instilled for a lifetime? These questions have been asked by every civilization that has ever flourished. Amazingly each arrived at the same premise.
On every continent, each human group came to the same conclusion, fundamental strength of character, traits like perseverance, compassion and honesty could only be lastingly taught to the very young. If you wait until a child has grown too adolescent, the best chance of implanting the seeds of a strong moral compass will have been missed.
But, how could such complexities of thought be conveyed to young children? Well, first and most importantly, you will need to capture the child attention, imagination and interest. Next, you need to make the information easy to remember to make a lasting impression. Lastly the lessons will need to be reinforced in ways that the child enjoys and that lead to increased self-esteem.
Each civilization, in turn, discovered ways to impress young children with the lasting principles so important to a bountiful life. They found that the use of short stories, proverbs, fables and sayings could make a lasting impression on a child’s life skills. That once instilled these values would last a lifetime.

Many of these antidotal tales have been around since before there was written language. Preserved as oral traditions these time tested moral reference pointers were repeated for untold generations.
The written word has continued to preserve and add to these traditional stories. In literature, philosophies and religion these words of wisdom continue to provide a solid foundation to build a fruitful and successful life upon.
In the modern age with its radio, television pop-up books and play stations many of these time-tested teaching tools fell to the way-side. It is the belief of many that study in this field that this lack of early training is the root cause of much what troubles society today. Those critical moral way-points are no longer being introduced during the child’s most retentive and impressionable development period.
In the mid-eighties, when I first began to write books for children, my goal was to write books that not only entertained but also tackled some of the harsh problems that modern kids face.
The “What Smart Kids Know” series of 14 titles included sensitive subject matters that I thought were exceedingly important but, for which, there did not seem to be much in the way of structured teaching vehicles. With titles about strangers, dangerous stuff, 911, drugs, self-esteem and the like, my task was to engage young children in thought provoking discussions about significant subjects in ways that were both entertaining and promoted long term retention of essential information.
In order to optimize my efforts I began reviewing all available scientific research into the learning and retention characteristics of young humans. The latest research on the human brain and its development confirms what our ancestors knew instinctively, that the early years of children's lives are critical to their cognitive, emotional and physical development.
The early years are a time of tremendous growth and development, and children’s early learning experiences have profound implications for their later success in school and in life. The importance of the language activities shared with children beginning in the first years of life cannot be over emphasized. These activities are not limited to reading, but also include storytelling, singing, rhymes and ordinary exchanges of old sayings that take place in the course of everyday life.
Scientific research confirms what ancient wisdom instinctively understood
Now, after more than 20 years of focused study, new brain research is confirming the merit of these activities. With the help of new brain imaging technologies, brain researchers are gaining insight on how and why these activities promote early development--not only intellectual growth, but healthy social and emotional development as well. On the basis of this research, many pediatricians place such value on the stimulation children receive when read to at a young age that they have begun to prescribe reading to babies along with regular check-ups and vaccinations.
“The neuroscience associated with this research is complicated, but its lesson is simple: babies' brains develop at astonishing rates in the years after birth. Young children have a tremendous capacity to learn from the moment they are born, but optimal development hinges on the experiences provided for them by the adults who care of them. Scientists have long believed that reading to children creates a context in which learning can occur. Today, however, they have evidence that reading is one of the experiences that actually influences the way young brains develop--that is, the way the brain's circuitry is "hard wired." ¹
But how does this work? At birth children have most of the brain cells, or neurons, they will need for a lifetime of learning, but these brain cells are not yet linked with the complex networks that are needed for mature thought processes to take place. In the early years, young children's brain cells form connection--synapses--very rapidly.
What causes brain cells to form connections? Genes control some of the process, but experience is also a crucial ingredient. Every time a parent interacts with an infant or toddler, connections are formed. Positive interactions with nurturing parents like the attention children receive when they are read to--profoundly stimulate young brains. This stimulation causes new connections to form neural pathways (we might think of as "learning pathways") and strengthens existing ones. In the first years of life, children form extra synapses. In fact, a three-year-old has twice as many connections as an adult”.
What does all this mean? It means that parents will always be their children’s most important teachers. That a consistent program of introducing thought provoking storytelling, singsong, rhymes, fables, proverbs and like will have a lifetime effect on a child’s core values and ability to cope with life’s challenges appropriately. When your child goes off to our crowded schools, hopefully they will begin to gain knowledge, but it remains up to you to instill wisdom, common sense and good judgment.