Why Early Learning Is Crucial

Why early learning?

As a teacher and a parent, one question that I often hear is “Is it ever too early for children to start learning?”. Parents are often concerned that “learning” may be too formal or strenuous an activity to be pushed onto their young ones.

However, what we fail to notice as adults is that learning is a constant part of a child’s early years! Right from their first steps, to their first words, children fearlessly pick up new skills and explore the world all by themselves, because as humans learning is ingrained into our existence. We thrive every day even as adults when we keep learning. 

Research too has shown that it takes three years from birth for the brain to fully develop and the period from birth to 8 years of age is extremely ripe for learning. The experiences, interactions and interests that children get exposed to during this period stay with them all through their life.

One of the major factors that play a huge role during this early learning period is parents themselves. Everything that a parent says or does impacts the emotional, social and cognitive needs of a child’s early learning. When the parent-child relationship is filled with encouragement, motivation and care, it helps young ones grow to their full potential.

The second ingredient is a child’s own imagination. Not only does a child’s imagination fuel their cognitive growth but it also allows children to come up with ideas in a creative way. Try giving children simple activities like drawing a futuristic scene or making up their own story and you’ll see their imagination come to life.

How do we optimise early learning?

With early learning being such a crucial part of healthy development, how can we as adults encourage little learners to absorb, experiment, develop and grow to their full potential? 

Children learn from observing, copying and experimenting with their hands and bodies. Have you seen children play with building blocks? They don’t need an instruction manual to learn how to use it. They touch the blocks, figure out how they connect through trial and error and build something novel all by themselves! The activity that facilitates this process of hands-on learning is play. 

Educators have always known that hands-on learning through play works wonders for young children because this is how they naturally learn. Studies have shown that childhood play can help children develop flexible behavioural strategies that they can use as adults too. Leveraging the benefits of hands-on play to meet the early learning needs of children is what can enhance the joy of learning among young ones. (Here’s another article I wrote on all the different ways in which play helps early learning).

Children are much more likely to pick up new skills and information when they’re having fun and nothing beats actual experiences when it comes to understanding concepts. For example, I’ve seen that when I teach concepts like fractions to children using a cake cut into pieces  (something that children famously enjoy), it helps them understand the concept much more effectively because they are learning by doing!

Technology can also play a role in optimising early learning. “Phygital” learning methods that combine the benefits of hands-on-play with the engagement and flexibility of digital media is a great new way for children to learn while playing. 

In phygital learning, children still play with physical toys and do activities on worksheets but the feedback and its connection to learning concepts happen on a digital screen. This not only personalises learning for them but also allows real-time feedback based on each child’s individual learning potential.  This gives educators and parents the chance to use interactive stories and game-like quizzes to help in the early learning of young ones.

Childhood is the period when the right learning inputs make the most impact. By combining early learning with play and engaging activities the process can become enjoyable for both children and their care-givers.