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Forcing is kind of hopeless. So is logic, and reasoning. How children learn (they can't rely on a fully formed prefrontal cortex like adults) is very differen

by j45 2y ago

Forcing is kind of hopeless. So is logic, and reasoning. How children learn (they can't rely on a fully formed prefrontal cortex like adults) is very different than how adults learn (no fully developed prefrontal cortex until 25-26), learning about this can help a lot. Learning more about the Reggio Emelia approach might help parents curious about this, it has been quite surprising how much is possible naturally. One of the best things to do is to relentlessly read to and with your kids. Showing kids the math in every day things, especially things they already love is a helpful way of making it approachable, or at least aware. Also, linking a topic to their interest's radar, encouraging curiosity, play in general, and letting them potentially discover it can go a long away. When they've got something they want, teaching math and savings is a great thing. Understanding life is a lot harder without knowing a basic bit of math, and can be made a bit easier when doing it younger. I had a math teacher that once made it clear, some stuff can just click, others is just about doing a lot of examples to learn the patterns. Doing math is very different than being creative with being comfortable to find it. Today, I'd probably setup a good prompt to find a way for the child to share their mine to discover how they like to learn, and how they might like to learn faster and easier by taking some shortcuts through math directly or on navigating an ontology/taxonomy perspective.

fleshmonad 2y ago
When I was 8, I went to the library in our town a lot. My parents went there sometime to return their books. At some point I just stayed there when they would go home. First I was in the children/teenager section and soon in the general library, where I would read about programming and computers. I learned C by age of nine. The "undeveloped PFC" argument is shallow, unspecific and usually just used to infantilize younger people. It may be useful if the child is under 6 years old, but at the time someone is 17 or older, it becomes essentially useless. My learning process was always, and still is fueled by curiosity.
Izkata 2y ago
> One of the best things to do is to relentlessly read to and with your kids. My mom would bring us into the clubhouse in the backyard and read to us, which I found really boring. Ended up not liking books because of it, and I'm pretty sure the same happened to both of my brothers. For years I'd only read the bare minimum required for school. Years later I happened to see an neat book cover in the impulse-buy section of a store and begged for the book. That one book was what actually got me set on reading, and from then on I'd always have something with me. She never realized this and still thinks I like reading because she read to us. I can't help but wonder how many of the anecdotes here are also parents not realizing what's actually going through their kids' minds.

by j45 2y ago

fleshmonad 2y ago

When I was 8, I went to the library in our town a lot. My parents went there sometime to return their books. At some point I just stayed there when they would go home. First I was in the children/teenager section and soon in the general library, where I would read about programming and computers. I learned C by age of nine. The "undeveloped PFC" argument is shallow, unspecific and usually just used to infantilize younger people. It may be useful if the child is under 6 years old, but at the time someone is 17 or older, it becomes essentially useless. My learning process was always, and still is fueled by curiosity.

Izkata 2y ago

> One of the best things to do is to relentlessly read to and with your kids. My mom would bring us into the clubhouse in the backyard and read to us, which I found really boring. Ended up not liking books because of it, and I'm pretty sure the same happened to both of my brothers. For years I'd only read the bare minimum required for school. Years later I happened to see an neat book cover in the impulse-buy section of a store and begged for the book. That one book was what actually got me set on reading, and from then on I'd always have something with me. She never realized this and still thinks I like reading because she read to us. I can't help but wonder how many of the anecdotes here are also parents not realizing what's actually going through their kids' minds.