I didn't know there was a term for this! My children are just starting to enter the education system and I constantly find myself thinking, "Why are we devoting

I didn't know there was a term for this! My children are just starting to enter the education system and I constantly find myself thinking, "Why are we devoting so many hours to learning this (something like the alphabet) when we could just spend a few minutes on it here and there and in 6 months or a year they'll be able to pick it up with minimal effort?"