Right now we have four children under the age of two who are both blowing my mind, measurably altering my expectation and generally totally fascinating me.
Some of my recent experiences:
1. A puzzle that I used to think of as hard is being completed by children eighteen to twenty months old.
2. Everyone is responsible for taking off their shoes and socks and place them in a corner prior to nap. Then they must spell their name which is in upper case letters on the end of their floor cot. They also take their blanket at the end of the nap, place it in the basket and bring their socks and shoes to us for some help in putting them on. This is followed by a trip to the bathroom to get their hairbrush and have us help them be ready for playtime. These tasks now involve a sixteen month old child who joined us three weeks ago.
3. They are all independently responsible for entertaining themselves during open playtime; we have taken the responsibility of teaching them play skills. Our role becomes as a moderator once they have mastered independent and group skills: they choose to play by themselves, with a friend or in a group and are expected to communicate their needs.
4. They have access to all the toys i.e. get puzzles and return them when completed, gather small toys to play with, cook food in the kitchen set, play musical instruments, or with the barn and farm animals. It is rare that we have to interfere, but if that happens they are given the language, if necessary, to resolve problems. They also participate in performances which includes play a xylophone and singing, the whole group joins in the signing with them.
5. They all know their basics, i.e. letters, numbers, colors, shapes, and may sit in on older children’s classes if they are attentive.
6. They are also expected to follow the rule which are based in respecting each other. “You don’t grab a toy because it is not yours”, “You don’t hit because it hurts”.
7. When they break any rules they are told to go to the door and think about what they have done, which is usually 2 to 3 minutes. We then have a conversation with them reminding them of the importance of both caring and respecting their friends.
Not only does our approach create an exciting and rewarding environment for everyone, but it practically eliminates the possibility of what is referred to as the “terrible twos”.
I believe the terrible twos occur because a child was allowed total freedom to do whatever they wanted. There typically were no rules or they were not enforced. Most parents do not believe the child could understand and follow rules at a young age. Then when they turn two and can typically both communicate more effectively, both physically and verbally, they resent or do not understand why they are now being corrected and may be reprimanded for behavior they were always allowed to do.
Understandably, they will resist the corrections and possibly be very angry because of it.
We have never had that experience, most of our children have joined us at a very young age and therefore had a more respectful and educational experience.
As I have written many times before, once you understand that your child is intelligent from the beginning, it will change everything.
Your joy, surprise, and rewards will be amazing!
Good luck!
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