Wow, they pick things up so quickly
By dorannmwin
@dorannmwin (36392)
United States
August 24, 2012 11:07pm CST
I know that I've shared with you that Paul was going to be starting kindergarten this year. He has now had a total of seven days of school. He is already sharing things with me that he has been learning at school and it is really impressing me.
He is in Spanish immersion and he has been coming home counting to ten in Spanish and he actually had to explain to me what his homework was asking for (and I had four years of Spanish in school). In addition to that, when we went to dinner tonight, he was reading all of the letters on the menu off to me.
I don't think I really noticed how quickly children at this age pick up on things when Kathryn was in kindergarten because she really didn't learn a lot in kindergarten as she started school being able to read and write, count, etc. She's been bored in school throughout. In fact, this year she is one of only 4 fourth graders in her school that has been identified as being gifted (96th percentile in general knowledge and general intelligence).
So, I just wondered if other parents have noticed how quickly that children pick up on things once they have started school? Have you ever considered allowing your primary aged child to learn a foreign language?
1 person likes this
12 responses
@stary1 (6612)
• United States
25 Aug 12
dorannmwin
Children are like sponges, they absorb things very quickly. If you have any desire to have them learn a foreign language by all means do it!!! Children pick up languages very easily and do not have preconceived ideas that it is 'hard' to learn.
Most important have fun with your children.. they grow up quickly. Everyday is a learning experience for them if you just give them the exposure and point things out. Simple everyday things like having them read cereal boxes goes a ong way in helping their knowledge and intelligence grow.
1 person likes this
@dorannmwin (36392)
• United States
29 Aug 12
Oh, it definitely is the truth that they grow up far too quickly. It seems like just yesterday that both of mine were in diapers and now they are both in school and I'm at home alone all day long.
@roshigo58 (4859)
• Pune, India
25 Aug 12
hi,
It is really a God gift otherwise not possible for an ordinary person.He should be motivated towards a highest goal to achieve by proper guidance.I am sure one day he will be a successful man in the world. My son after completing his engineering degree in IT and joining a good company started learning German language and for the last two exams he is the topper in the company.
1 person likes this
@dorannmwin (36392)
• United States
27 Aug 12
I actually believe that everyone is able to learn multiple languages, however, I also believe that this something that isn't always done because the idea of children knowing things that their parents don't know is something that is scary to some parents.
@bounce58 (17387)
• Canada
5 Sep 12
My youngest started first grade yesterday. And I'm still amazed at how quickly he picks up things. He had a good kindergarten as far as reading is concerned as he'd been starting to read chapter books for 6-8 year olds.
They do have a french class in school, and I think it's a good exposure to a different language.
@dorannmwin (36392)
• United States
6 Sep 12
From kindergarten through third grade my daughter did have the opportunity to have Spanish one day a week and that has resulted in her having a fairly decent working knowledge of Spanish. Now with Paul, he is spending two hours of the day speaking only Spanish and two hours working on English. It is very different, but he is definitely picking it up quickly.
@natliegleb (5175)
• India
25 Aug 12
children at their young age are without any preemptive thoughts or stress factor and they can pick up easily at young age.so its always best to learn new things at childhood only
@dorannmwin (36392)
• United States
10 Sep 12
I really think that it has to do with the fact that as we get older, life gets a lot more complicated.
@dorannmwin (36392)
• United States
27 Aug 12
One of the reasons that children learn so much when they are very young is because of the fact that everything is new to them. This is actually something that I think makes early childhood education so very important.
@natliegleb (5175)
• India
8 Sep 12
that is quite true,but after some age they develop too much complications and cant remember with ease
@mikej143 (309)
• Philippines
25 Aug 12
Wow! yet children were they could develop there skills and interest to it but of what show your child its incredible. you should still to care and develop of what She's in to children love to explore things specially new to them and if they are willing too they would put time to learn, don't let the parents will be a hindrance of their learning and exploring things new but instead be a guidance and make choice for them and let them decide for their own to have independence in there selves.
1 person likes this
@dorannmwin (36392)
• United States
27 Aug 12
Allowing the children to explore their own interests is something that has always been very important to us. I believe that it is because of the fact that we encourage the children to explore their own interests is part of the reason that they are both very interested in science because we do a lot of science at home and science is something that is sadly lacking in our public schools.
@anehc12 (58)
• Philippines
25 Aug 12
Not only how quick they learn - but also how quickly and easily we forget. I am constantly on the internet trying to understand simple grammatical and mathematical words or formulae I learnt many years ago - all so i can help my kids with homework.
1 person likes this
@dorannmwin (36392)
• United States
27 Aug 12
You are right, we really do have a tendency to forget those things that we don't use all the time. For me, I'm a reader and I also like to do math games and such that do help me to keep my brain sharp.
@jillhill (37354)
• United States
25 Aug 12
Three of my grandkids actually lived over seas and they hired a tutor to teach them the language of the countries in which they were living. My son however when he was little started kindergarden being able to read...and it had it's drawbacks...he was also bored! HOpe they catch up with your little gifted Kathryn....my son got lost in the boredom and it took a while before he got his college degree. They really need to keep them interested!
@dorannmwin (36392)
• United States
27 Aug 12
I've said for a while now that a gifted child needs an IEP just as much as a child with learning disabilities needs an IEP because each of these groups of children have their own individualized sets of needs. I was really happy to learn that once children have been formally identified as gifted in our county, the gifted resources teacher does work with the children's homeroom teachers to develop an PEP (personalized education plan) for the gifted children.
@shaggin (71663)
• United States
25 Aug 12
My daughter was bored in kindergarten because they didnt teach her anything that she didnt already know. That is so awesome your son is learning things so quickly. I seriously wouldnt be able to help my children at all with their homework if it was spanish I dont know any at all. Thats so adorable he is explaining it to you. You will learn as he learns :)
@katsmeow1213 (28717)
• United States
25 Aug 12
I have one entering preschool now and one finished kindergarten last year. I do see how quickly they pick up on things. I was very impressed at how quickly my son learned to read and write while in kindergarten. I was also impressed that my preschooler, who went to nursery school last year, has already been working on writing his name. He can write the first 3 letters perfectly, but he has 7 letters in his name so he gets a little messed up on the last few.
When my twins were younger I was listening to them playing.. they were about 3, and I heard one of them count backwards from 10, and that was impressive. They learned that from a TV show.
As for learning a second language.. I personally do not like the idea for children this age. I think it could be confusing for them to learn things in 2 languages at once. I know a lot of children do it, especially children who grow up in a home where they speak a different language. But I personally just want my children to focus on learning things in English.. and they can learn a second language when they are older if they choose to.
@dorannmwin (36392)
• United States
27 Aug 12
The reason that I did decide to enroll Paul in the immersion program is because of the fact that we have a very big Hispanic population here and I thought that his knowing Spanish will be a benefit to him.
@much2say (53952)
• Los Angeles, California
25 Aug 12
Good to hear Paul is doing so well in school already! Oh yah, kids pick things up real quickly . . . it only gets harder later on, so that's why it's so important to give them a solid foundation in education (among other things) NOW! I especially noticed this in the toddler stage and just after. When my daughter had already known her alphabet and letters before then - same with my son. My daughter also knew her Japanese alphabet (oops - I got lazy in that department with my son). She picked up on Spanish due to "Dora" - and some of her friends at school speak Spanish, so she's picked up some there too. My son calls any non-English language "Japanese" - ha ha - he's different from my daughter in that he pronounces words in other languages correctly (he's overall a better listener period). The little guy picks up a lot from his older sister and her classmates too (that must help). I'm considering having them both learn Japanese somehow (just too tight to pay for any more instruction right now).
@dorannmwin (36392)
• United States
27 Aug 12
That is funny that your son calls any non-English language "Japanese." It kind of reminds me of Kathryn when we moved over here. The first friends that she made were the little boy and girl two doors up, they are a Hispanic family and she insisted for the longest time that their names were Dora and Diego. In actuality, the oldest boy is Joshua, the little girl is Cecilia and their baby brother (Paul's age) is Jared.
@911Ricki (13588)
• Canada
25 Aug 12
I think it depends on the school itself, and many dont focus on one child. I remember in school I had difficulty and they did =nt help me. By grade 7 I ouldnt add or tell time, my parents pulled me out of school for a year and I learnt more in that one year than I did in any other year I went to school. I wouldnt put any of my kids (if or when I have them), iin our school system I would rather homeschool them.
@dorannmwin (36392)
• United States
27 Aug 12
I did consider homeschooling as an option for my children. However, I didn't know if it would be something that I would be able to properly do for them. I wouldn't want to hurt their education because I wasn't properly equipped to teach them at home.
@manduri20 (108)
• Uganda
25 Aug 12
it's really amazing when they come home and they tell you about school everything they learn
@dorannmwin (36392)
• United States
27 Aug 12
It is actually hard for me to get him to tell me about his day, but I can tell that he is learning a lot because of the fact that he will start singing songs from school and such when he thinks that no one is paying attention to him.
