Masaru ibuka after three years late. Masaru Ibuka - It's too late after three. Short version for dads. What is early development

In the 70s of the last century Masaru Ibuka created a unique book "After three it's too late". The meaning and content of this book caused a large number of different responses in pedagogical circles around the world. Many of the points stated by Masaru Ibuka were non-standard and differed from the traditional beliefs of educators in Japan.

Today effective and humane Masaru Ibuka's upbringing system is relevant not only in Japan, but also abroad. Babies brought up according to this system acquire reading skills early, swim well, communicate freely in foreign languages, and also master the art of playing many musical instruments. At the same time, they perfectly adapt to the changing social environment, and also remain positive and mischievous kids.

On the pages of the author Masaru Ibuka books does not offer specific guidance to parents on education happy children. All outlined Japanese innovator principles are common practice loving and caring parents. It will be useful for all parents to familiarize themselves with this book and Masaru Ibuka, even if your child has not been included in this age category for a long time.

About the author of the methodology

Masaru Ibuka was not a famous psychologist and did not have a pedagogical education. Ibuka is known in Japan as a successful businessman and progressive engineer.

The Japanese genius was born in the last century in a difficult period for his country. After the death of his father, his mother left him in the full care of his grandparents. Ibuka inherited from his father a cognitive activity, interest in the new and an engineering mindset. Grandfather tried to raise the baby "in Japanese", allowing him to do everything that would not harm his health. He provided the opportunity for the child to carry out various technical experiments and perform complex research. Ibuka's grandfather encouraged his grandson's activities and never criticized him in case of failure. Masaru Ibuka entered the university at the Faculty of Electrical Engineering. While still a student, he was awarded a special prize at a world-class industrial exhibition held in Paris. The Japanese innovator became the author of many inventions of a technical nature, also Masaru Ibuka is one of the founders and chief engineer of the famous sony Corporation, which is associated with high quality and the latest technology.

Interest to the methods of early development and the basics of developmental psychology by Ibuk did not come about by chance. The only one Masaru's son was developmentally retarded after a severe illness. A caring father began to take an interest in issues of pedagogy, to consult on the principles of early development with innovative educators and renowned practicing psychologists. Based on invaluable information was born author's effective method of early education and child development. Masaru Ibuka often quoted the Japanese violinist Shinichi Suzuki, who argued that there are no retarded children, since the development of a child depends on a rational method of teaching.

The kids attending the lessons of this teacher, at the age of three, performed violin works of a high level of complexity, and most importantly, they did it with joy and great desire.

Masaru Ibuka founded the Talent Training organization and created current in Japan Early Development Association, which uses innovative pedagogical methods in its work.

The essence of the Masaru Ibuka technique

Masaru Ibuka author's method once again proved endless possibilities And capabilities young children. Its main principles are set out in the book "After three it's too late." The Japanese innovator is sure that it is At the age of three years, the most important stage in the development of the baby takes place., which affects his future intellectual and emotional potential. It has been scientifically proven that from the moment of birth to six months, 50% of neural connections are already formed in a child, and up to 80% of such connections are formed in the brain cells by the age of three. Thus, the baby after three years has an excellent base for further learning and development. But, if parents do not pay attention to a child under three years old, then they should not expect brilliant results from him in the future.

Masaru Ibuka in his own methodology, he offers parents and teachers not to change the content of the material for learning, but to improve the ways of teaching the crumbs. Necessarily emphasized attention on individual characteristics of babies. The author is also sure that the degree of giftedness and genius are not completely predetermined by nature, but it can be successfully formed at the age of three. Parents who know their baby better than any teacher should feel when exactly it is necessary to give the baby new knowledge and skills.

Masaru Ibuka wrote that the early development of a child is not necessary in order to raise child prodigies.

Every kid has the right to grow up healthy, kind, inquisitive and always happy!

What can a small child do?

Adults often limit the flow of new information for the baby.

We take responsibility to decide what is difficult for the child to perceive now, and what, on the contrary, is easy and fast. In fact, the crumbs do not have any stereotypes and ideas about what is “easy” or “difficult”. If he is interested, then the lesson absorbs him completely, regardless of the complexity of the information.

Children at the age of three have an excellent figurative memory.

Toddlers easily memorize new words denoting various objects. For example, the words raccoon, hippopotamus or any complex Chinese character are deposited in their memory instantly. But words with abstract information are much more difficult for kids to remember.

Babies as young as five months old are capable of appreciating complex pieces of music.

An interesting experiment was conducted in a Japanese family. The parents of one baby were big fans of classical music, so they systematically included various world-famous musical compositions for him. When the baby grew up a little, he began to show motor activity to the rhythm of the music. If the tempo of the melody accelerated, then the movements of the crumbs also became more active. Classical music helped the baby to calm down and improve his mood. When the parents once turned on jazz music, the baby simply burst into tears. Thus, children from birth are endowed with a musical taste and are able to appreciate even the most complex symphony.

The baby's brain is able to perceive an unlimited amount of information.

Toddlers can "absorb" various information. Parents should not be afraid to give their child a lot of new information. After all, the baby’s brain quickly perceives new information, but when it feels an overabundance, it simply “turns off” for a while. Masaru Ibuka argues that parents should only worry about the fact that they often offer little information to the baby for his full development.

A child at the age of three remembers only information that is interesting to him.

At this age, the baby acquires the ability to independently make any decisions. The child actively memorizes interesting information for him. For example, when a mother constantly reads fairy tales to a baby, he gradually remembers their content. And if you change the storyline of one fairy tale, then the kid will immediately point out the mistake to you. Further, the child prefers any one fairy tale and seeks to read it on his own. He does not yet know the letters, but with the help of pictures he reproduces his favorite fairy tale. Then he is interested in the meaning of various letters. This cognitive chain testifies to the child's great interest in learning.

Any kid can master a foreign language.

Parents bring their children to Suzuki's violin class for the summer holidays, who do not know a single word of Japanese. The youngest students are the first to speak Japanese. Then the guys from the junior and middle classes. Parents of children are recognized as the most hopeless students. It will take them years to master the Japanese language. Their children often act as interpreters.

The main thing for the crumbs is the environment, not the genes

Masaru Ibuka in the author always indicates what exactly environment matters For development abilities little genius. In his opinion, heredity cannot claim the main role in this matter.

In Japan, a number of experiments were carried out to determine what kind of environment positively affects the development of a child's innate abilities. Masaru Ibuka wrote in an author's book about the results of these studies.

We often hear the following phrases in everyday life: “My husband is an excellent writer, therefore our daughter writes interesting essays” or “Our son will definitely become a doctor, like his grandfather and father.” Indeed, sometimes the son of a teacher also becomes a teacher, and the daughter of an entrepreneur becomes an entrepreneur. But, this situation does not mean that these professional abilities were passed on to their children at the genetic level. Just from birth babies found themselves in an environment that disposed them to continue the work of their parents. The environment contributed to the development of cognitive interest in this specialty. All children are the same after birth, but grow up with different abilities only due to environmental influences and life experiences.

Masaru Ibuka warns parents that today's kids are developing intellectually and physically very intensively. In this regard, it is important to properly stimulate each stage of their development. Parents must subtly feel,What right at the moment baby needs. For example, they must choose the right time to instill in him the basics of a foreign language or to acquire skills in roller skating.

It should also be borne in mind that a children's room without any stimulants inhibits the development of the child. It has been experimentally proven that external factors have a positive effect on the future intellectual and emotional abilities of the crumbs.

Masaru Ibuka believes that leaving babies in the care of strangers is quite a drawn event. After all, the positive and negative impressions of early childhood can determine the future course of thoughts and actions of the crumbs.

He urges parents to make the foundation always strong, since it will not be possible to re-build the foundation later when the building is already completely ready.

Basic principles of education Masaru Ibuka

Interest in something needs to be encouraged in the baby. Ibuka encourages parents to arouse interest in learning in their own children. For example, to teach a kid to count, interest him in numbers. Instead of forcing the child to write, you just need to awaken his interest in the process of writing letters and numbers. For the development of interest, it is recommended that adults create favorable conditions. After all, a child will not learn to draw if there is no paper and pencils around him.
Babies love everything rhythmic. In the United States, teachers have achieved great results in learning English with young children through the development of a special text, presented in poetic form and accompanied by rhythmic music. The kids happily sang English words, which were perfectly remembered to a rhythmic melody. Masaru Ibuka, by this example, guides parents and caregivers to combine learning with pleasure, helping the baby to achieve positive results.
Repetition helps the child develop his interest. All kids love it when they repeat one fairy tale or story that is interesting to them many times a day. As a result of repetition, the child’s brain forms the correct circuits that will help develop his intelligence in the future. So a child at the age of three months is able to remember a complex musical composition, if it is systematically repeated to the baby. Remember that children under the age of three can absorb a large amount of information.
Children's fantasies develop creativity. The child's imagination and fantasies are the "embryos" of his creative abilities. Parents should encourage non-standard solutions and vivid fantasies of their own children. For example, when an adult draws a teapot, the kid can see a sea fish with an open mouth on the sheet. Do not tell the child that he is wrong and that this is really a kettle. Just fantasize with him, developing his creativity and abstract imagination.
Tell your child only honest information about sexual matters.. Masaru Ibuka, in his own methodology, advises parents to communicate with the baby on intimate topics and always truthfully answer the questions posed. Children at the age of three begin to be interested in sexual matters. They notice that boys and girls are not built in the same way, and they also wonder how they were born. The child should receive a clear and truthful answer to all questions. Sex topics should be discussed with the baby in a friendly tone so that from the very beginning he relates to this topic naturally. Masaru Ibuka writes in his author's book that parents who consider the topic of sex taboo simply received inadequate upbringing in childhood.
Wrong diet forms bad habits. Taste characteristics of the child are formed up to three years. In this regard, offer your baby to try dishes that differ in different tastes. You should not feed the crumbs only healthy food. It should still be tasty and beautifully decorated. So the baby will be able to develop their tastes and develop the right attitude to the process of nutrition.
Playing the violin promotes concentration and develops the qualities of a leader. Parents whose children attended Dr. Suzuki's classes claimed that the kids did their homework with joy, quickly prepared for exams, and also had time to study well. At the same time, they had free time, which was spent on any hobbies or playing with peers in the yard. Music lessons contribute to the proper formation of character, and also develop a valuable skill - concentration. This is due to the fact that children systematically train and are in "harmony with the music."
Memorization of poems develops memory. It has been scientifically proven that the brain of a child is able to remember about 200 small poems, subject to constant memory training. Encourage your child to memorize poems that are short and rhythmic. The content of the poem should be understandable to the baby and cause him only a positive reaction. Masaru Ibuka recommends that parents first read the verse with their child. Then repeat it several times with the baby so that he can remember it. The next day, repeat the memorized work again and proceed to memorizing the next poem. If the child has forgotten a line, ask him to repeat the entire verse from the beginning. Each time your baby will need less time to memorize. Using this technique, your child will train memory, as well as develop intellectual and creative abilities.
Surround your baby with the best you have. In the process of raising children, it is important to surround them with beautiful works of art and great paintings. Masaru Ibuka considers painting and music to be the main components of the aesthetic foundation of the baby.
Toddlers are great imitators. Children in the first year of life are able to imitate babies of their own age and the behavior of adults. At the age of three, the crumbs turn into real imitators. They imitate the manner of speaking, repeat the gestures and facial expressions of adults. In this regard, Masaru Ibuka recommends that parents control their own emotions and behavior in the presence of children. The Japanese innovator considers the process of imitation an act of creativity. Therefore, it encourages parents to treat this age feature not too strictly and to contribute to its development.

How to develop creativity and physical skills in toddlers

The Masaru Ibuka technique involves the early development of creative abilities in babies. The Japanese innovator believes that these qualities must be developed in a child from his very birth. In his author's book, It's Too Late After 3, Ibuka recommends that adults take advantage of the following tips:

Give your baby crayons as early as possible. A baby at the age of eight months is able to hold a pencil. This period for the baby is characterized by his self-affirmation, which manifests itself in the acquired ability to tear books, break toys and draw in inappropriate places. These actions lead many parents to complete despair. Masaru Ibuka invites parents to correctly direct the activity of the baby. For example, give him colored pencils and a piece of paper. As a rule, the baby will draw a couple of crooked lines on the sheet and, most likely, tear his own work. For a child, these actions are a manifestation of self-expression. Ibuka urges parents not to criticize the actions of the kids, but rather to contribute to the development of their intelligence and creative abilities. Any prohibitions will negatively affect the future potential of the child.
The standard drawing sheet promotes the development of a standard person. Masaru Ibuka advises parents to give their child the right to choose. For example, we often limit the child's abilities by offering him a sheet of paper of standard sizes for drawing, or we believe that these fairy tales are suitable for the baby. By such actions, adults hinder the development of the imagination and capabilities of their own kids. Let the baby begin to draw his first masterpieces on a large sheet of paper, on which you can even crawl in the process of creativity.
A large number of toys scatters the attention of the baby. To develop a child's out-of-the-box thinking and inventive resourcefulness, Ibuka urges parents not to buy him a large number of useless toys. It is proved that the baby plays well with one toy, inventing various interesting games with it.
Do not hide items that may be dangerous to the baby. Very caring parents sometimes create a complete vacuum around their baby. They remove everything, in their opinion, dangerous for the child. Masaru Ibuka recommends that adults do not forget the importance of tactile sensations for the organic development of the child. It is important for a baby to learn objects of various textures, and it is also interesting for him to study their properties.
Toys for a child should be pleasant to the touch.. Masaru Ibuka invites parents to purchase multifunctional toys that are of high quality. Especially the Japanese innovator welcomes toys that the baby can fold on their own. This category of play aids contribute to the emergence of positive emotions and the joy of achievement in the child. It is important that the toy matches the age characteristics of the crumbs.
Sculpting, appliqué and origami develops the child's creative potential. Clay, colored paper, plasticine do not have a specific purpose and can be given any shape. In this regard, this material is a multifunctional game aid for the child. The sooner the child is invited to make a boat or cut a flower, the more actively his creative and intellectual abilities will develop.
Physical exercise contributes to the development of intelligence. Masaru Ibuka, in his book “It's Too Late After Three,” writes about the importance of developing physical activity in babies. He encourages parents to start training physical skills as early as infancy, as they not only keep the baby healthy, but also perfectly develop his intellectual abilities. As a rule, a child who started walking early is much smarter than their “crawling” peers.
Walking is very beneficial for children. Clinical studies have proven that about 400 muscles in our body are involved in the process of walking. In this case, there is a rhythmic alternation of phases of relaxation and muscle tension without loss of energy. Walking can stimulate thought processes. It is no coincidence that writers take a lot of walks, as a result of which new ideas for creativity appear.
Motor abilities of children need systematic training. Masaru Ibuka believes that the motor abilities of babies depend not only on heredity, but also on regular physical training. You can have excellent inclinations for swimming or athletics, but without special training, these abilities will not be able to develop. So, the Ikeda spouses are professional gymnasts who trained their own child according to a special system. As a result, their baby achieved excellent results in this sport. When the second child appeared in the family of athletes, the parents decided not to train with the child, believing that he would inherit their sports skills without training. As a result, the baby did not achieve positive results in sports.
The child turns any work into a game. Masaru Ibuka urges parents to remember that for the baby, any of his activities is not aimed at achieving a result, but is focused on the process itself. Adults should show the baby how various types of work are performed. For the development of motor activity and mental abilities, the child can be offered to perform various housework.

The Japanese innovator Masaru Ibuka did not develop innovative educational games or games like many famous methodologists. Ibuka provided caring parents with invaluable advice for organic development, raising their own kids. Let's consider some of them:

The child develops harmoniously only thanks to the love of parents.
The main goal of parents is the harmonious upbringing of their own children.
Begin the upbringing of children with personal self-education and upbringing.
Adults are forbidden to force the will of children.
Children are not the property of adults.
Parental insecurity can harm the baby.
Try to make the baby be better than you in the future.

There are no clear rules and patterns in Masaru Ibuka's technique. The development, upbringing of the baby is carried out only in conjunction with the parents. Babies, developing according to the author's system, have grown up as comprehensively developed personalities. Little geniuses up to the age of three were able to draw superbly, played musical instruments, spoke foreign languages and were distinguished by physical activity. At the same time, the system of tasks for the child was developed individually, taking into account his psychological and emotional characteristics.

The Masaru Ibuka technique allows you to form a harmonious personality from the moment of birth.

Masaru Ibuka technique video

After three it's too late

Masaru Ibuka

The author of this amazingly kind book believes that young children have the ability to learn anything. He reflects on the huge impact of the environment on newborns and offers simple and understandable teaching methods that contribute to the early development of the child. In his opinion, what adults learn with great difficulty, children learn playfully. And the main thing in this process is to introduce new experience in time. But only the one who is next to the child every day can recognize this “on time”. The book is addressed to all mothers and fathers who want to open up new wonderful opportunities for their young children.

Every mother wants to see her child smart and creative, open and self-confident. But, unfortunately, not everyone knows how to contribute to the careful development of the intellect of their baby.

Masaru Ibuki's book "It's Too Late After Three" talks about the necessity and importance of early childhood development. After all, the first three years of life is a unique period in the formation of a child's intellectual abilities, when every day can become an important stage in rapid and comprehensive growth.

This book turned my life around. She helped to correctly and consciously approach the development of my own children. And I have not yet met a single mother who, after reading this book, would not be imbued with the idea of early development. We are sure that now we will have more such mothers and fathers.

By initiating the reprint of Masaru Ibuki's book, we want to give parents of young children the pleasure of reading it. And they will get even more pleasure from the future successes of their kids. We really want our country to have more smart children and happy parents.

Evgenia Belonoshchenko,

founder and soul of the Baby Club company

Kindergarten Is Too Late!

Masaru Ibuka

After three it's too late

Translation from English by N. A. Perova

Publishing house Art. Lebedev Studios

Introduction to the English edition

If, behind the kindness and benevolence with which this book is written, you feel the importance of what it tells about, then perhaps, together with other similar books, it will make in your imagination one of the greatest and kindest revolutions in the world. And I sincerely wish that this goal will be achieved.

Imagine a revolution that will bring the most wonderful change, but without bloodshed and torment, without hatred and hunger, without death and destruction.

This kindest of revolutions has only two enemies. The first is inveterate traditions, the second is the status quo. It is not necessary that ingrained traditions be shattered and ancient prejudices disappear from the face of the Earth. No need to destroy something that can still bring at least some benefit. But what seems terrible today, let it gradually disappear as unnecessary.

Masaru Ibuki's theory makes it possible to destroy such realities as ignorance, illiteracy, self-doubt, and, who knows, maybe bring, in turn, a reduction in poverty, hatred and crime.

Masaru Ibuki's book does not make these promises, but the astute reader will have this perspective at all times. At least such thoughts were born in me while I was reading this book.

This wonderfully kind book makes no startling claims. The author simply assumes that young children have the ability to learn anything.

He believes that what they learn without any effort in two, three or four years, in the future is given to them with difficulty or not at all. In his opinion, what adults learn with difficulty, children learn with play. What adults learn at a snail's pace, children are given almost instantly. He says that adults are sometimes lazy to learn, while children are always ready to learn. And he says it unobtrusively and tactfully. His book is simple, straightforward and crystal clear.

According to the author, one of the most difficult activities for a person is learning foreign languages, learning to read and play the violin or piano. Adults master such skills with difficulty, and for children it is an almost unconscious effort. And my life is a vivid confirmation of this. Although I have tried to learn as many as a dozen foreign languages, having worked as a teacher on all continents, teaching children from both the most privileged sections of society and the very bottom, I really know only my native language. I love music, but I can't play any musical instrument, I can't even memorize the melody properly.

In order for our kids, growing up, to be fluent in several languages, to be able to swim, ride a horse, paint in oils, play the violin - and all this at a high professional level - they need to be loved (which we do), respected (which we do rarely) and put at their disposal everything that we would like to teach them.

It is not difficult to imagine how much richer, healthier, safer the world would be if all children knew languages, arts, basic sciences before they reached adolescence, so that later years could be used to study philosophy, ethics, linguistics, religion, and also art, science and so on at a more advanced level.

It is not difficult to imagine what the world would be like if children's great desire to learn was not blunted by toys and entertainment, but encouraged and developed. It is easy to imagine how much better the world would be if the hunger for knowledge of a three-year-old child was satisfied not only by Mickey Mouse and the circus, but also by the works of Michelangelo, Manet, Rembrandt, Renoir, Leonardo da Vinci. After all, a small child has an infinite desire to know everything that he does not know, and he does not have the slightest idea of \u200b\u200bwhat is bad and what is good.

What reason do we have to trust Masaru Ibuki's advice? What speaks in his favor?

1. He is not a specialist in the theory of education, therefore, does not know what is possible and what is not: a necessary condition for making a significant breakthrough in an established field.

2. He is definitely a genius. Starting in 1947, when his country was devastated, he founded a company with three young partners and $700 in his pocket, which he called Sony. He was one of those pioneers who raised Japan from ruins and despair to the level of a world leader.

3. He not only talks, he does. As Acting Director of the Early Development Association and Director of Talent Education at Matsumoto, he is currently enabling thousands of Japanese children to learn through the program described in this book. Masaru Ibuka proposes to change not the content, but the way a child learns.

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read in three languages under Dr. Vers in Brazil. I saw 2 year olds from Sioux ride adult horses in the Dakotas. I have received thousands of letters from mothers all over the world asking them to explain to them the miracles that happen to their children when they are taught to read from my book.

I think this book is one of the most important books ever written. And I think that all parents living on Earth should read it.

Glen Doman,

Director of the Development Institute

human potential,

Since ancient times, it has been believed that outstanding talent is primarily heredity, a whim of nature. When we are told that Mozart gave his first concert at the age of three, or that John Stuart Mill read classical literature in Latin at the same age, most people simply respond: “Of course, they are geniuses.”

However, a detailed analysis of the early years of both Mozart and Mill suggests that they were raised strictly by fathers who wanted to make their children outstanding. I assume that neither Mozart nor Mill were born geniuses, their talent developed to the maximum due to the fact that they were created favorable conditions from early childhood and were given an excellent education.

Conversely, if a newborn is brought up in an environment that is initially alien to his nature, he has no chance of developing fully in the future. The most striking example is the story of the “wolf girls”, Amala and Kamala, found in the 1920s in a cave southwest of Calcutta (India) by a missionary and his wife. They made every effort to return the children raised by wolves to human form, but all efforts were in vain. It is taken for granted that a human-born child is a human, and a wolf cub is a wolf. However, these girls continued to show wolf habits even in human conditions. It turns out that education and the environment in which the baby enters immediately after birth, most likely determines who he will become - a man or a wolf!

As I reflect on these examples, I am thinking more and more about the huge impact education and environment have on the newborn.

This problem has become of the greatest importance, not only for individual children, but for the health and happiness of all mankind. So in 1969, I set about founding the Japan Association for Early Development. Our and foreign scientists gathered to study, analyze and expand the application of Dr. Shinichi Suzuki's method of teaching kids to play the violin in experimental classes, which then attracted the attention of the whole world.

As we progressed in our work, it became quite clear to us how flawed the traditional approach to children was. We habitually believe that we know everything about children, while we know very little about their real capabilities. We pay a lot of attention to the question of what to teach children over three years of age. But according to modern research, by this age, the development of brain cells has already been completed by 70-80 percent. Doesn't this mean that we should focus our efforts on the early development of the child's brain before the age of three? Early Development does not offer force feeding of infants with facts and figures. The main thing is the introduction of new experience "on time". But only the one who cares for the child day in and day out, usually the mother, can recognize this “on time”. I wrote this book to help these moms.

Masaru Ibuka

Potential of the child

1. Important period

Kindergarten is too late

Probably, each of you remembers from your school years that there was a particularly gifted student in the class who, without visible effort, became the leader of the class, while the other was trailing behind, no matter how hard he tried.

At my age, teachers encouraged us something like this: “Smart or not, this is not heredity. Everything depends on your own efforts.” And yet, personal experience clearly showed that an excellent student is always an excellent student, and a loser is always a loser. It seemed that the intellect was predetermined from the very beginning. What was to be done about this discrepancy?

I came to the conclusion that the abilities and character of a person are not predetermined from birth, but for the most part are formed at a certain period of his life. There have been disputes for a long time: whether a person is shaped by heredity or the education and upbringing that he receives. But until now, no more or less convincing theory has put an end to these disputes.

Finally, studies of brain physiology, on the one hand, and child psychology, on the other, have shown that the key to the development of a child's mental abilities is his personal experience of learning in the first three years of life, that is, during the development of brain cells. No child is born a genius, and no one is born a fool. It all depends on the stimulation and development of the brain during the critical years of a child's life. These are the years from birth to three years of age. It's too late to educate in kindergarten.

Every child can learn well - it all depends on the teaching method

The reader may wonder why I, an engineer by profession and now the president of a company, got involved in early human development. The reasons are partly "public": I am not at all indifferent to today's youth riots, and I ask myself how modern education is to blame for the dissatisfaction with the lives of these young people. There is also a personal reason - my own child lagged behind in mental development.

While he was very young, it never occurred to me that a child born with such deviations could develop into a normal educated person, even if he was properly trained from birth. Dr. Shinichi Suzuki opened my eyes, stating that "there are no retarded children - it all depends on the teaching method." When I first saw the amazing results of Dr. Suzuki's Talent Education method, a method for teaching kids to play the violin, I was very sorry that, as a parent, I could not do anything for my own child in due time.

When I first took up the problem of student unrest, I thought deeply about the meaning of education and tried to understand why our system generates so much aggressiveness and dissatisfaction. At first it seemed to me that the roots of this aggressiveness in the system of university education. However, delving into the problem, I realized that it is already characteristic of high school. Then I studied the system of middle and junior school and eventually came to the conclusion that it is already too late to influence the child in kindergarten. And suddenly this thought coincided with what Dr. Suzuki and his colleagues were doing.

Dr. Suzuki has been practicing his unique method for 30 years. Prior to that, he taught junior and senior classes using traditional teaching methods. He found that the difference between capable and incapable children was very large in the upper grades, and so he decided to try teaching the younger children, and then the smallest ones, gradually continuing to reduce the age of the children he taught. Dr. Suzuki teaches the violin because he is a violinist. When I realized that this method can be

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successfully applied in any field of education, I decided to seriously study the problem of "early development".

Early development does not aim to educate geniuses

I am often asked if early development helps to produce geniuses. I answer: "No." The only purpose of early development is to give the child such an education that he has a deep mind and a healthy body, to make him intelligent and kind.

All people, if they do not have physical defects, are born approximately the same. The responsibility for dividing children into smart and stupid, downtrodden and aggressive lies with education. Any child, if given what he needs and when he needs it, should grow up to be intelligent and with a strong character.

From my point of view, the main goal of early development is to prevent unhappy children. A child is not allowed to listen to good music and taught to play the violin in order to grow an outstanding musician out of him. He is taught a foreign language not in order to bring up a brilliant linguist, and not even in order to prepare him for a “good” kindergarten and elementary school. The main thing is to develop in the child his boundless potentialities, so that there will be more joy in his life and in the world.

The very underdevelopment of the human cub speaks of its enormous potential.

I believe that early development is associated with the huge potential of the newborn. Of course, the newborn is absolutely helpless, but precisely because he is so helpless, his potentialities are so great.

A human child is born much less developed than animal babies: he can only scream and suck milk. And baby animals, such as dogs, monkeys or horses, can crawl, cling, or even immediately get up and go.

Zoologists say that a newborn baby is 10-11 months behind a newborn animal cub, and one of the reasons for this is the human posture when walking. As soon as a person took a vertical position, the fetus could no longer be in the womb until its full development, and therefore the child is born still completely helpless. He has to learn to use his body after birth.

In the same way, he learns to use his brain. And if the brain of any animal cub is practically formed by the time of birth, then the brain of a newborn child is like a blank sheet of paper. From what will be written on this sheet, it depends on how gifted the child will become.

Brain structures are formed by the age of three

The human brain is said to have about 1.4 billion cells, but in a newborn, most of them are not yet used.

A comparison of the brain cells of a newborn and an adult shows that during the development of the brain, special bridges-outgrowths are formed between its cells. The cells of the brain, as it were, stretch out their hands to each other so that, holding tightly to each other, they respond to information from the outside, which they receive through the senses. This process is very similar to the operation of transistors in an electronic computer. Each individual transistor cannot work on its own, only connected into a single system, they function like a computer.

The period when connections between cells are most actively formed is the period from the birth of a child to three years. Approximately 70–80 percent of such compounds are nucleated at this time. And as they develop, the capabilities of the brain increase. Already in the first six months after birth, the brain reaches 50 percent of its adult potential, and by three years - 80 percent. Of course, this does not mean that the child's brain stops developing after the age of three. By the age of three, the back part of the brain mainly matures, and by the age of four, that part of it called the "frontal lobes" is included in this complex process.

The fundamental ability of the brain to receive a signal from the outside, create its image and remember it is the basis, the very computer on which all the further intellectual development of the child rests. Such mature abilities as thinking, needs, creativity, feelings, develop after three years, but they use the base formed by this age.

Thus, if a solid base has not been formed in the first three years, it is useless to teach how to use it. It's like trying to achieve good results on a bad computer.

The baby's shyness in the presence of strangers is evidence of the development of the ability to recognize patterns.

I would like to explain the special use of the word "image" in my book.

The word "image" is most often used in the meaning of "scheme", "sample device", "model". I propose to use this word in a broader but more specific sense to refer to the process of thinking by which the child's brain recognizes and perceives information. Where an adult grasps information, mainly using the ability to think logically, the child uses intuition, his unique ability to create an instant image: the adult's way of thinking is not available to the child and will come to him later.

The clearest evidence of this early cognitive activity is the infant's ability to distinguish between human faces. I especially remember one baby whom I saw in the children's hospital. It was said that he was able to distinguish between 50 people at the age when he was only a little over a year old. Moreover, he not only recognized them, but also gave each his own nickname.

"50 people" - the figure may not be very impressive, but even for an adult it is difficult to remember 50 different faces in one year. Try to write down exactly the facial features of all your acquaintances and see if you can distinguish one face from another analytically.

The cognitive abilities of the child become apparent by about six months, when shyness appears. His small head can already tell familiar faces, like mom or dad, from unfamiliar ones, and he makes that clear.

Modern upbringing makes the mistake of swapping the period of "strictness" and the period of "everything is possible"

Even today, many psychologists and educators, especially those who are considered "progressive", consider it wrong to consciously teach a small child. They believe that the excess of information negatively affects the nervous system of the child and it is more natural to leave him to himself and allow him to do whatever he wants. Some are even convinced that at this age the child is selfish and does everything just for his own pleasure.

Therefore, parents all over the world, under the influence of such ideas, consciously follow the principle of "leave it alone."

And the same parents, when their children go to kindergarten or school, instantly abandon this principle and suddenly become strict, trying to educate and teach their children something. For no apparent reason, "affectionate" mothers turn into "terrible."

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should stop before kindergarten. Non-intervention at an early age, and then pressure on the child at a later age, can only destroy his talent and cause resistance.

2. What can a small child do

Adult concepts of "difficult" and "easy" are not suitable for children

We adults take it upon ourselves to say, for example, that this book is too difficult for a child, or that a child cannot appreciate classical music. But on what basis do we draw such conclusions?

For a child who does not have clear, well-established ideas about what is "difficult" or "easy" - English or Japanese, Bach's music or children's songs, monotonous, monotonous music or harmony of sounds - everything should start at the same time, for him it is the same everything is new.

The conclusion drawn from the senses does not depend on knowledge, on the contrary, knowledge can become an obstacle to the senses. Probably, many, looking at the famous painting, said to themselves: “She is beautiful!” - although in fact it did not touch you at all, its value for you is only in the name of the artist and in its price. A child, on the contrary, is always honest. Any subject or occupation completely absorbs his attention, if he is interested in it.

It's easier for a child to remember "dove" than "nine"

I remember one case when my two-year-old grandson, whom I had not seen for a long time, was visiting me. He looked out the window, showed me the neon signs, and proudly said, "This is the Hitachi, and this is the Toshiba." Trying to hide my delight, I decided that my grandson at the age of two could already read the Chinese characters for "Hitachi" and "Toshiba". I asked his mom when he learned the Chinese alphabet, and it turned out that he didn't read "Hitachi" and "Toshiba" in Chinese, but simply remembered the trademarks as images and distinguished them that way. Everyone laughed at me like I was a “stupid, loving grandfather,” but I am sure that this happens to many.

I recently received a letter from a 28-year-old mother in Fujisawa who had read a weekly series of my articles on early development. From her letter, I learned that her eldest 2.5-year-old son began memorizing car brands when he was about two years old. In just a few months, he could easily name about 40 cars, both Japanese and foreign brands, sometimes he could even name the brand of the car that was under the cover. And a little earlier, probably under the influence of the Expo-70 TV program, he began to memorize the flags of different countries and now he could recognize and correctly name the flags of 30 countries, including such as the flag of Mongolia, Panama, Lebanon - flags that even an adult will remember with labor. This example suggests that children have one quality that adults have not had for a long time.

The child is endowed with a remarkable ability to recognize objects by images, which has nothing to do with analysis, the child will learn this much later. A perfect example of this hypothesis is the ability of an infant to recognize the face of his mother. Many babies begin to cry if they are picked up by strangers, and calm down and smile in their mother's arms.

As an experiment, Mr. Isao Ishii taught Chinese writing at our Early Development Association. Three-year-olds easily memorized complex Chinese characters such as "pigeon" or "giraffe". The fact is that for a child who effortlessly remembers even the slightest changes in facial expressions, difficult Chinese characters are not a problem. Unlike abstract words like "nine", he can easily remember words for concrete objects like "giraffe", "raccoon", "fox", no matter how difficult they are. Therefore, it is not surprising that a child can beat an adult in cards. If an adult consciously has to remember a place, a number and a picture, then the child has a wonderful figurative memory.

It is easier for a child to understand algebra than arithmetic

One of the fundamental ideas of mathematics is the theory of series. It is quite difficult for an adult who first studied the concept of number, and then geometry and algebra, to understand it. And for a child, the logic of series theory or set theory is easy to understand.

A "row" or "set" is simply a collection of things with common qualities. The child gets to know them when he starts playing with blocks. He takes them one by one, distinguishing them by shape: square, triangular, etc. Already at this age, he understands well that each cube is an element of a “row” and that a bunch of cubes is one row, and triangles is another. This simple idea that objects can be sorted into groups according to certain characteristics is the main principle that underlies series theory. It is natural for a child that he understands the simple and logical set theory more easily than the complex and intricate logic of arithmetic.

So, I'm convinced that the traditional notion that arithmetic is easy and algebra is hard is another adult misconception about the abilities of children. The brain of a child can easily perceive the logic of set theory, which is the beginning for understanding the basics of algebra.

Here is an example of an arithmetic problem: “There are only 8 animals in the zoo, turtles and cranes. They have 20 legs. How many turtles and cranes live in the zoo?

Let's first solve this problem algebraically. Let's denote the number of cranes as x, and the number of turtles as y, then x + y = 8, and 2x + 4y = 20. We assume that x + 2y = 10, that is, x = 8? y=10? 2y; so y = 2. It turned out 2 turtles and 6 cranes.

Now let's solve this problem with turtle and crane arithmetic. If we assume that all animals are turtles, then it turns out that they have 32 legs. But according to the problem, 20 are given, which means 12 extra legs. And they are superfluous because we assumed that all animals are turtles, which have 4 legs, but in fact some of them are cranes, which have 2 legs. Therefore, the extra 12 legs is the number of cranes multiplied by the difference in the number of legs of both animals; 12 divided by 2 will be 6, that is, 6 cranes, and if you subtract from 8, the total number of animals, 6, the number of cranes, you get the number of turtles.

Why solve this problem with such complex "turtle" arithmetic, when we have a logical and direct way to get the answer by substituting x and y for unknown numbers?

Although the algebraic solution is difficult to master right away, a logical explanation of algebra is much easier to understand than an illogical solution that seems easy at first glance.

Even a five-month-old baby can appreciate Bach

At one of the enterprises of the Sony company, a kindergarten was organized. They did a study to find out what kind of music children like. The results were unexpected. Beethoven's 5th symphony turned out to be the most exciting music for kids! Popular songs, which are broadcast from morning to evening on TV, took 2nd place, and in the very last place were children's songs. I was very interested in these results.

Babies have found the most interesting classical music, which we as adults often keep at a fair distance from them. Are children endowed from birth with the musical taste necessary to appreciate a complex symphony? According to Dr. Shinichi Suzuki,

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already five-month-old babies like the Vivaldi concerto. And this reminds me of a story.

Young parents, great lovers of classical music, let their newborn child listen to the 2nd suite of Bach for several hours every day. Three months later, he began to move briskly to the beat of the music. When the rhythm accelerated, his movements became more jerky and active. When the music ended, he expressed displeasure. Often, when the baby was angry or crying, the parents turned on this music, and he immediately calmed down. And once, when they turned on jazz, the child just burst into tears.

The ability to perceive complex musical forms is a miracle. I am convinced that many Japanese do not perceive Western classical music simply because in their childhood they did not hear anything but children's songs and national music.

A six month old baby can even swim

Many adults do not know how to swim (they swim, as they say, "like an ax"). Therefore, you may be surprised to learn that a tiny child can be taught to swim. A child who has not yet begun to walk tries to stay on the water in the same way that he tries to crawl on the ground. And the important thing is not that a small child can swim, but that he swims because he is a child.

A few years ago I read an article in the newspaper that a Belgian named de Benesale opened a swimming school for infants. He believed that a three-month-old child could be taught to lie on his back in the pool, and by nine months to breathe correctly in the water.

In August 1965, Rize Dim, chairman of the International Conference of Women Athletes, held in Tokyo, spoke about teaching swimming to children under one year old, which became a big sensation. Mrs. Deem dipped a five-month-old baby for the first time in a 32°C pool, and three months later he could swim for about 6 minutes. The kid even set a kind of record - 8 minutes 46 seconds he could stay on the water.

At a press conference, Mrs Deem said: “A child knows how to float on water much better than how to stand on land. First, you keep him in the water until he gets used to and floats on his own.

As it dives into the water, it holds its breath and closes its eyes until it floats to the surface. That's how he learns to swim by working with his arms and legs." Mrs. Dim assured many times that all human abilities and talents can be developed even before the year.

The fact that a baby can swim is just one fact that confirms the limitless possibilities of a child. A toddler who is taking his first steps can learn to roller skate at the same time. Walking, swimming, sliding - all this the child masters effortlessly, if properly directed and encouraged.

Of course, such experiments are not carried out in order to teach the baby to swim or play the violin. Swimming is just one way to develop a child's abilities: it improves sleep, promotes appetite, sharpens reflexes and strengthens muscles. They say: "Strike while the iron is hot."

In other words, it is too late to strike iron if the metal has already hardened.

The brain of a child can accommodate an unlimited amount of information.

"Brother and sister, linguistic geniuses who understand English, Spanish, Italian, German and French: five languages, plus the language of their 'aggressive' father." Many Japanese probably remember the sensational report that appeared in the newspaper under the heading "Aggressive father." The article told about Mr. Masao Kagata, who left his career as a teacher and, declaring himself a householder, devoted his life entirely to raising children.

His son was then two and a half years old, and his daughter was three months old. The children were still very young, and the "aggressive" father-educator was severely criticized. Concerns have been raised that a large amount of knowledge will affect the nervous system of children.

It is easy to see that this criticism was unfounded by looking at the prosperous and prosperous Kagata family. And it’s not worth judging whether the father is doing the right thing or not, having abandoned work and devoted himself entirely to raising children.

It is important that the teaching method used by Mr. Kagata demonstrates the intellectual capabilities of toddlers. Here is what he said:

“I started teaching them conversational English, Italian, German, French… almost at the same time. On the radio, French lessons are often explained in English. Therefore, I decided that if you teach many languages at once, then you can combine the teaching methodology together. It was at this time that my children were learning to play the piano, and the notes they played had explanations in Italian and translations in English, German and French. If they didn't understand the explanations, they didn't know how to play. That was one of the reasons why I started teaching them languages. I have often been asked if children get confused by learning five languages at the same time. I think not: they used them correctly. We studied foreign languages only on the radio. These broadcasts are conducted by very friendly announcers. Pronunciation exercises are repeated methodically and for a long time. And when children begin to speak themselves, they pronounce everything correctly” (“Early Development”, May 1970).

So, we can assume that the ability to absorb information is much higher in a child's brain than in an adult. Just do not be afraid to "overfeed" or overexcite him: the children's brain, like a sponge, quickly absorbs knowledge, but when it feels full, it turns off and stops perceiving new information. We should be concerned not that we give the child too much information, but that it is often too little to fully develop the child.

The child remembers only what he is interested in

So far, I have described the wonderful ability of the child's brain to absorb information. Of course, the brain of a child at this stage of development is like a machine that mechanically swallows everything that is launched into it, it is not yet able to select information and understand it.

But soon the time comes, the child acquires the ability to make independent decisions, that is, an area of the brain develops that is able to use the formed intellectual apparatus. It is believed that this occurs somewhere around the age of three. And it is precisely at this time that the question arises of how and with what to interest the child. The kid eagerly remembers what he is interested in. Other abilities begin to develop - he may already want to create, do something; they are important for the development of the intellect and the formation of character.

You read stories and fairy tales to your children, even if they still understand little of what they read. Your child listens to them many times and remembers, and if you read inattentively, he instantly notices errors. The child remembers children's stories and fairy tales very accurately, but this accuracy is based on associative memory rather than understanding.

Then the child becomes interested in one story, and he wants to read it himself. And although he does not know the alphabet, he compares the story he heard with the pictures in the book and "reads" the book, carefully following the letters that he cannot yet read. Just during this period, the child

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begins to persistently ask the meaning of various letters. And the fact that he is so persistent is evidence of his great interest in knowledge.

It is not difficult for a child under the age of three to learn what interests him, and you should not be worried about the amount of energy and effort expended in doing so.

Many skills cannot be acquired if they are not learned in childhood.

At work, I often have to speak English. But I'm always worried about my mistakes in pronunciation and intonation. It's not that the person listening to me doesn't understand my "Japanese-English" - they do. But sometimes an expression of confusion appears on his face, and he asks me to repeat something. Then I spell the word so that they understand me.

But the neighbor's boy - he is a year and two months old - pronounces English words very correctly. Many Japanese find it difficult to pronounce the sounds [r] and [l], but he succeeds. This is probably because I started learning English in high school, and this boy learned to speak English at the same time he was learning Japanese. His first exposure to a second language began with listening to English recordings, and then he began to speak English with an American woman, mastering a foreign language at the same time as his own.

This comparison suggests that when a sample of the native language is formed in the mind, it is already difficult to perceive samples of someone else's. However, as I have already explained, the brain of a child up to three years old is able to assimilate the thinking system not only of his native Japanese language, but also of any other, and this process can, as we have already said, go on simultaneously. Therefore, children at this age can easily speak any language, as if in their native language. If you skip this period, it will be much more difficult for you to teach your child what he learns so easily in early childhood.

A foreign language is not the only subject that can be mastered at an early stage of a child's development.

Ear for music, physical abilities (coordination of movements and a sense of balance) are formed just at this age. Around the same time, the basis of aesthetic perception, the sensory reaction, also develops.

Every year at the beginning of the summer holidays, parents from different countries bring their children to Dr. Suzuki's violin class. No need to explain that none of them know a word of Japanese. The little ones start talking first. Then children from junior and middle classes. The most hopeless are their parents.

And if many children speak Japanese perfectly in a month, then parents need years, they have to use the services of children as translators.

It is possible to develop hearing in a child with hearing impairment

So far I have considered the latent potentialities of the normal child and the importance of early education in developing these capabilities. However, unfortunately, there are many children with physical disabilities in the world: polio patients, mentally retarded, deaf, dumb. Early development should not bypass them, on the contrary, precisely because of their difficult situation, it is necessary to identify their deficiency as early as possible in order to compensate for these shortcomings as far as possible with the help of early development techniques.

I would like to tell you a story that I recently read in the newspaper: the story of a child who was born deaf, but later was able to participate without difficulty in conversation thanks to the great efforts of his parents. Atsuto, now six years old, was born just the epitome of health. He was one year old when his parents noticed the abnormality, they wondered if everything was fine with the child with hearing, but did not worry yet, believing that their child is one of those who start talking late. But when Atsuto did not speak at the age of one and a half, they took him to see a doctor.

The parents turned to Dr. Matsuzawa, a specialist in the treatment and education of hearing-impaired babies, for help. He began by teaching the child to recognize his own name by ear. Then the child began to learn other words. Gradually, the doctor combined words with meanings, developing in him traces of hearing that still remained. Dr. Matsuzawa believes that in the early years, a deaf child can indeed be "taught" to hear.

He writes: “Only a mother can quickly discover that something is wrong with her child. A week after birth, the newborn reacts to a loud sound or noise. After a few months, the baby will recognize the voice of his mother, and after four months, his name. If a child does not respond to loud noises or does not respond when his name is called, it can be assumed that something is wrong with his hearing. By about three years of age, a child will recognize many of the words that adults use in everyday life, so these early years are the best time to teach different words to a child with hearing impairments.

Most of all, it is necessary to avoid isolating the child from sounds, because he allegedly does not hear them anyway. It is not true that even a completely deaf child is not able to hear anything. If a child constantly listens to sounds, he will develop the ability to hear.

Thus, parental efforts and education can develop a child's ability to hear, even if he was born with a severe hearing impairment.

Influence of Early Experience

Environment matters, not genes

In the previous chapter, I spoke about the dormant abilities of a small child. And whether a tree grows from a bud or a beautiful flower from a bud depends on what conditions you create for this and how you take care of your wards. In my opinion, in the development of a child, education and environment play a greater role than heredity.

In Japan, a number of experiments were conducted with twins who were raised in different families from birth. Studies have shown that even twins, if they grow up in different conditions and are brought up by different people, will be very different from each other both in character and in abilities.

The question is what kind of education and environment will best develop the potential abilities of the child. The answer to this is the results obtained by scientists who conducted a variety of studies in various situations and using various methods. In addition, there are many examples of parents who were not satisfied with school education and tried to teach their children themselves. In addition, there are results of experiments conducted on dogs and monkeys, and these results also speak for themselves. Now I would like to discuss some of these experiments.

A child born to a scientist father does not necessarily become a scientist

I often hear mothers say: “My son must have taken after his father, he has no musical ear at all” or “My husband is a writer, so our child writes good compositions.” Of course, as the proverb says, "The apple does not fall far from the tree", or, as they say in Japan, "The rose does not grow from the bulb."

Indeed, there are cases when the son of a scientist becomes a scientist, and the son of a merchant becomes a merchant. But these cases do not mean, however, that these professional qualities were passed on to children with genes. From the moment they were born, they were probably brought up in an environment that inspired them that they should continue the work of their fathers.

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The environment created by the parents becomes the environment of the child. She develops his abilities for the father's profession, awakening interest in this profession.

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There is currently an erroneous opinion in society about early development, based on outdated works. Among them is the popular book by Ibuka Masaru, It's Too Late After Three. Despite the increasing number of publications about the dangers of early development, parents are in a hurry to invest in the child as much knowledge as possible before the development window closes at the age of three.

After three it's too late - the erroneous conclusions of the 60s!

In the 60s, a number of scientists made erroneous conclusions that the human brain closes certain developmental opportunities after 4-6 years. According to this theory, in order to maximize the development of the child's potential, it was recommended to provide a continuous flow of various information from birth to three years. in large volumes. Including the submission of untimely information that the child is not able to comprehend was recommended. According to the teachings of the 60s, this information was also assimilated and could subsequently be used. It was about this theory that Ibuka Masaru wrote in his book "After three it's too late."

I suggest you study the opinion of modern age physiology. To get acquainted with this opinion, I will cite excerpts from the speeches of Maryana Mikhailovna Bezrukikh - professor, academician, psychologist, doctor of biological sciences, head of the Institute of Developmental Physiology of the Russian Academy of Education. Please note that she is not an ordinary specialist who has her own personal point of view on the issue of development. Her opinion coincides with the official point of view of the science of Physiology.

A brief explanation for moms about the myth "After 3 it's too late":

“The development window does not close after three years. An enriched environment is necessary for proper development. The child needs active communication with an adult in the system of adequate requirements. Requirements must be age-appropriate:
For example, from a year to two actual tasks are the development of speech and movements.(Note that building at 2 years old is still early. This is another popular fad in early development.) . At three or four years it is movement, speech, communication, emotions (socialization).”

Scientific rationale(excerpt from the report "Modern preschooler Myths and realities of development"):

Text with excerpts from the report in refutation of the theory "After 3 it's too late":

“Over the past decades, we have been very actively conducting research on the functional and cognitive development of the child. It was very important for us to understand what kind of child comes to the first grade. It was important for us to understand where the risk factors for learning and maladaptation begin. The same difficulties in reading and writing can have different causes. At the moment, a large study of children 6-7 years old is being completed. Over 60,000 children included. We do not know of analogues of such a large-scale study.

The main problems of children going to the first grade:

Super early education. We have not yet realized how vicious the practice of forcing a three-year-old child to read and write can be.
Inadequate requirements of adults. The child is required to do what he cannot - the ability to read and write. This factor is inhibitory to the functional development of the brain.
Limited contact with peers. A child who communicates only with his mother and grandmother cannot fully develop. Gone was the culture of the court with spontaneous communication. There is a replacement of communication with adult technical gadgets. Only 10% of parents read books to their children, the rest prefer to include an audiobook or a cartoon.
The disappearance of the game as the leading type of activity.

“There is an opinion that modern preschoolers know more, smarter than their peers 20-30 years ago. Research over the past 20 years shows that this is not the case. That which determines the voluntary regulation of activity, that which is the basis of activity, is not formed in 60% of children! The general stock of information and knowledge, this is what is given a lot of attention, this is what we “train” very early today. In this regard, there are fewer problems, but with unformed arbitrariness, no stock of information and knowledge gives a lasting effect. This those children who come to school reading, counting, retelling encyclopedias by heart, but, unfortunately, by the end of the first half of the year they have a large set of problems. And the problems are growing like a snowball. At 40-60% of children the organization of attention suffers. The function of selective attention is formed up to 8-9 years, this is something without which effective reading and writing is impossible. Memory, speech, this is something that upsets us very much. Unformed speech up to 60% of children.

Limitation of contacts, the disappearance of the game as the leading type of activity, technical means. Motor development, visual perception, visual memory - these are the functions that should ensure the effective formation of basic learning skills - writing and reading. In our country, a significant proportion of children cannot master these skills without difficulty. Compared to 2005, the situation has not improved. There were no memory lapses at that time.

There is a myth that the window of brain development closes at 4-6 years of age. The concept of the "closed window" of the 60s. Since then, developmental physiology has made a huge step in understanding the mechanisms of functioning and the mechanisms that provide cognitive processes.

This myth allows us to debunk the visual data of age-related changes in the neural organization of the cerebral cortex:

The sensorimotor cortex matures very early. The section of the sensorimotor cortex at 3 years is strikingly different from 8 years. At 3 years old, these are almost single neurons. There are practically no horizontal connections. And what is the organization of activities without horizontal links?

But does development end at age 8? Doesn't end! If we look at images of the frontal association cortex (the area that develops the latest) at 6 and 19 years old, we see that development is poor at 6 years old. And even at the age of 19, the possibilities of creating connections do not end.

«… New connections are formed at any age up to a very old age. There are no situations when new connections are not formed! But the situation should be new and non-standard, and therefore at any age. Even after a stroke, patients are raised already on the second day of patients, they are raised to form new neural pathways, and they are formed. 10 years ago, a report at a congress of neurophysiologists on the restoration of activity through the formation of fundamentally new neural pathways made a splash. Then it was open eat . At the moment, we already know this, and therefore, to say that the window of a child’s development closes at 4-6 years old is closed and there is no reason to demand from the child that he cannot yet.«

Is it too late after 3? | early reading

Another myth that M.M. Bezrukikh - early reading:

“I would like to prove to you that the formation of writing and reading skills at 3-4 years old, when today we begin to demand this from a child, creates a system of inadequate requirements ...”

An excerpt about the dangers of untimely reading from the report “Modern preschooler Myths and realities of development Bezrukikh M.M.”:

The text of the video about the dangers of early reading, for those who do not like the video format:

... Only at the age of 6-7 years is effective visual differentiation possible (the ability to distinguish visual images of letters). Strictly speaking, we should not start learning to read before this age, and in accordance with all the documents, the child should not be taught to read and write before school. What is happening today is happening with our connivance. Teachers do not take enough into account the data of psychology, neurophysiology, which should be taken into account when drawing up methods.

With the help of special equipment, the movements of the eyes of children during reading were recorded. The points on the chart are the fixation on the word. Dot diameter - fixation time.

This is the reading of a well-read child. And we see that attention is fixed on the word. By 4th grade, reading becomes economical and efficient. But this is not the case for everyone.

Look at the following example. We tried to figure out what kind of child it is. Because we have individual data on all the children studied. This is a child who was taught to read from the age of three. Similarly, a child in the first grade reads.

“Early and ultra-early reading forms an inadequate mechanism in which either the holistic perception of several letters in the eye escapes and then returns. Even a term appeared - guessing reading. In the second variant, visual differentiation was difficult. You see a fixation on every letter, not even on a syllable. You see how many return movements, regressions. What is very difficult slows down and makes the process of reading meaningless. It is impossible to understand the meaning of this reading! Therefore, we try to convince educators and teachers. We believe that the development of today's methods of preparing a child for school should undergo a significant psychological examination.

According to Bezrukikh, only 20% of children at 4 years old have visual differentiation for reading. Please note that experts always talk about full age. Those. in this case, we mean children who are already 4 years old.

After three it's too late | Glenn Doman's technique (comment by M.M. Bezrukikh on efficiency)

The answer to the question about the Glenn Doman technique:

The text of the video for those who do not like the video format:

« I want to say Doman's work - work on intensive training of the child. Unfortunately, Doman's further development has not been traced. We know the situation that if you show a child three pictures (Monet, Shishkin, Picasso, Monet, Shishkin, Picasso, Monet, Shishkin, Picasso ...), then there will be a memory. Excuse me, but even the monkey will start pressing the button for us to get a banana.

In fact, Doman did not insist on card training. Anyone who is interested, read his work and find out what he considered an important focus of child development - movement and speech. It doesn't matter to the child that you show the forest or the Christmas trees. He will read "forest". This is not reading. This is a quasi-reading (false, imaginary reading). Those psycho-physiological mechanisms that will either provide us with the implementation of the reading process, or it will be a memorization for a certain period.

If we talk about the benefits of familiarizing ourselves with painting, then the more we look, the more we turn to it, the better we know it. At the same time, we memorize mechanically. The presence of associations gives emotions, from this we remember better.

But all Doman's popular books describe the situation with mothers who do not have the right to their own life, not a single hour during the day. They are busy with this process from morning to night. It was in the USA in the 60s of the last century, when the brochure "Make Your Child Genius" was sold for 1 dollar. It passed in America, but it came to us. And today we sell the same cards with the refrain "read before walking«.

On the inexpediency of Glenn Doman's methodology, you can study the opinion of which completely coincides with the opinion of Bezrukikh M.M. It also includes comments about the ineffectiveness of the methodology from other development professionals.

In conclusion

Photo from Ibuka Masaru's book "It's Too Late After Three" by Alpina Non-Fiction

Given the negative comments on previous articles, I ask you to take the information literally, do not invent the non-existent and do not rush from extremes to extremes. It is imperative to develop children, but it is important to competently choose development methods and their elements.

Bezrukikh M.M. in many of his reports he recommends a book on the development of Vodovozova E.N. (1844-1923) "Mental and moral education of children from the first manifestation of consciousness to the age of eight." Remarkably, this book was first published in 1871! It describes the development of the principles of education in Russia since the 16th century, considers the implementation of Western ideals of education in Russia, the basic principles of moral education and education of the mind. For our time, the book is unusual and attractive in its style of presentation. I propose.

The videos discussed in this article were filmed back in 2012, but the desire of mothers to teach reading from the cradle is still ongoing. This happens with the filing of advertising by manufacturers of developing goods. In turn, your reposts on social networks will help other mothers learn about the dangers of premature development and its inefficiency:

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Full video presentations: "Modern preschooler Myths and realities of the development of Bezrukikh M M" , Psychophysiological features of teaching writing and reading «
Website of the Institute of Developmental Physiology of the Russian Academy of Education - ivfrao.ru

About the Author

Recently a software engineer. Favorite platforms ASP.NET, MS SQL. Experience in the field of programming 14 years. In blogging since 2013 (year of birth of Yana). In 2018, she turned her hobby into her favorite job. Now I am a blogger!

"After three it's too late" - the erroneous conclusions of the 60s!: 14 comments

Alexandra
Katya, I have been stuck on your site for the third day: (initially I was looking for something to do with a baby 1 year 9 months old, but in the process of reading the goal was forgotten). It's great that there are such boring moms :)
I would like to add a little of my experience.
It seems to me that there are children in whom the centers responsible for reading mature early. My eldest daughter reads at 7 at the speed of a philologist :) (“The Hobbit” in three hours). Books are her love from six months and (it seems) for life. From 2 to 3 we played with cards like yours (picture on one side, word on the other). I managed to make words of three types: KIT (SGS), PORRIDGE (SGGS), GROM (SSGS), because then she read the words in their entirety. The first books we read were labyrinth tales with stickers and large print (what a pity they weren't reprinted!!) in 3.5. At 4 she read fluently to herself. My role is to limit reading so that there is no undue strain on the eyes.
In general, according to my observations, everything that involves reading centers (notes, for example) is very easy for her (despite the fact that, say, in mathematics, she does not have enough stars from the sky - all by age).
But with the younger one, it's different. She just turned 5, and she has just grown up to read books together (words of 7-8 letters fluently, long in syllables). With her, we started learning to read several times, but put it off, because she was clearly not ready.
Let's see how it goes with the third one. While his passion for books rests on my lack of time :)
This is to the fact that early learning to read is not always the ambition of parents to the detriment of the harmonious development of the child. Sometimes a child is "sharpened" for math / reading / music and learns in this direction with greed. The main thing is to distinguish the greed of the child from your own ambitions :)
Diaga

The book "It's Too Late After Three" by the Japanese author Masaru Ibuka, translated into Russian by Evgenia Belonoshchenko, the founder of the Baby Club. The book is known and recognized all over the world, although it was not written by a professional teacher or psychologist, but by a businessman who decided to change the world - this makes the book even more intriguing.

Masaru Ibuka - About the Author

Masaru Ibuka is a Japanese entrepreneur, one of the founders of Sony, and an innovator in parenting. Masaru has a mentally retarded son, but at the time of his upbringing, there was no theory yet, and the child was brought up in the old fashioned way. As Acting Director of the Early Development Association and Director of Talent Education at Matsumoto, he is currently enabling thousands of Japanese children to learn through the program described in this book.

After three it's too late- Review

I have long wanted to read the book after three, it's too late, I heard from all sides that this is a revolutionary approach to education, radically different from the Soviet and Russian ones. In fact, there is no revolution - you just need to love and help your child, support his emerging interest, forget and not impose your fears on him - and everything will work out. A kid can do everything, but only we adults usually limit him, due to our fears, prejudices and often fear of public opinion.

Masaru Ibuka wants to draw attention to the topic of parenting and change the mind about the development of children up to 3 years of age. Why exactly up to 3 years - “in the process of brain development, special bridges-processes are formed between its cells. The cells of the brain, as it were, stretch out their hands to each other so that, holding tightly to each other, they respond to information from the outside, which they receive through the senses. The period when connections between cells are formed most actively is the period from the birth of a child to three years. Approximately 70-80% of such compounds are nucleated at this time. Of course, this does not mean that the child's brain stops developing after the age of three. By the age of three, the back part of the brain mainly matures, and by the age of four, that part of it called the "frontal lobes" is included in this complex process. Such mature abilities as thinking, needs, creativity, feelings, develop AFTER THREE years, but they use the base formed by this age.

The main thoughts of the book "After three it's too late"

The main ideas of the book that I remember, and which I hope to put into practice:

- the author gives an interesting method of Dr. Suzuki's development of a child through learning music, or rather playing the violin
The child thinks in images. "He can easily memorize words for specific objects, such as 'giraffe', 'raccoon', 'fox', no matter how difficult they are."
- at the age of up to a year, you need to develop the sensory skills of the baby, stimulate physical development (by swimming, for example), and not teach letters. "He swims because he is a child."

- The only goal of early development is to give the child such an upbringing and education so that he has a deep mind and a healthy body, to make him intelligent and kind. “It is in the first years of a child’s life that it is necessary to be both strict and affectionate with him, and when he begins to develop on his own, you need to gradually learn to respect his will, his “I”. More precisely, parental influence must end before kindergarten. Non-intervention at an early age, and then pressure on the child at a later age, can only destroy his talent and cause resistance. But it seems to me that in real life, in Russia, at least, everything happens the other way around - parents begin to raise their children closer to school, poring over lessons and scolding for deuces, and everything that happened before is a time of fun and pampering.
It's important to support the child. Parents should properly stimulate the development of their baby at each stage, reinforce the child's nascent interest. To do this, you need to carefully observe what and when the child needs, what he is interested in. There will be no one to do this except parents - they are closest to the child.
- there are no ready-made formulas and recipes. There are attentive and loving parents who respect and support their baby.

Conclusion

The author cites many stories from life, after which you really begin to believe that the baby can do anything. The book does not contain a specific methodology for raising geniuses, the author talks about important aspects and behaviors that help develop a child. Everything is very individual, and each parent decides what is best for his child, but Masaru shows how important it is to make this right decision, and how it can affect the future fate of the baby.
I liked the book, it makes you think and reconsider your views on the approach to raising children. I think it will be of interest to all young and not so young parents.

Every mother wants to see her child smart and creative, open and self-confident. But, unfortunately, not everyone knows how to contribute to the careful development of the intellect of their baby.

Evgenia Belonoshchenko,

founder and soul of the Baby Club company

Masaru Ibuka

Kindergarten Is Too Late!

Masaru Ibuka

After three it's too late

Translation from English by N. A. Perova

Publishing house Art. Lebedev Studios

Introduction to the English edition

Imagine a revolution that will bring the most wonderful change, but without bloodshed and torment, without hatred and hunger, without death and destruction.

Masaru Ibuki's theory makes it possible to destroy such realities as ignorance, illiteracy, self-doubt, and, who knows, maybe bring, in turn, a reduction in poverty, hatred and crime.

Masaru Ibuki's book does not make these promises, but the astute reader will have this perspective at all times. At least such thoughts were born in me while I was reading this book.

This wonderfully kind book makes no startling claims. The author simply assumes that young children have the ability to learn anything.

What reason do we have to trust Masaru Ibuki's advice? What speaks in his favor?

1. He is not a specialist in the theory of education, therefore, does not know what is possible and what is not: a necessary condition for making a significant breakthrough in an established field.

Is it all doable or is it a rosy dream? Both. And I am a witness to that. I saw the newborn children of the Timmermans swimming in Australia. I heard four-year-old Japanese kids talking in English with Dr. Honda. I've seen very young kids do complex gymnastics under Jenkins in the US. I saw three-year-olds playing violin and piano with Dr. Suzuki in Matsumoto. I saw a three year old child reading in three languages under Dr. Versa in Brazil. I saw 2 year olds from Sioux ride adult horses in the Dakotas. I have received thousands of letters from mothers all over the world asking them to explain to them the miracles that happen to their children when they are taught to read from my book.

I think this book is one of the most important books ever written. And I think that all parents living on Earth should read it.

Glen Doman,

Director of the Development Institute

human potential,

Philadelphia, USA

Author's Preface

As I reflect on these examples, I am thinking more and more about the huge impact education and environment have on the newborn.

Masaru Ibuka

Part 1
Potential of the child

1. Important period

Kindergarten is too late

Every child can learn well - it all depends on the teaching method

Early development does not aim to educate geniuses

The very underdevelopment of the human cub speaks of its enormous potential.

A human child is born much less developed than animal babies: he can only scream and suck milk. And baby animals, such as dogs, monkeys or horses, can crawl, cling, or even immediately get up and go.

Brain structures are formed by the age of three

The human brain is said to have about 1.4 billion cells, but in a newborn, most of them are not yet used.

Thus, if a solid base has not been formed in the first three years, it is useless to teach how to use it. It's like trying to achieve good results on a bad computer.

The baby's shyness in the presence of strangers is evidence of the development of the ability to recognize patterns.

I would like to explain the special use of the word "image" in my book.

Modern upbringing makes the mistake of swapping the period of "strictness" and the period of "everything is possible"

Therefore, parents all over the world, under the influence of such ideas, consciously follow the principle of "leave it alone."

Meanwhile, from the above it is clear that everything should be the other way around. It is in the first years of a child’s life that it is necessary to be both strict and affectionate with him, and when he begins to develop on his own, you need to gradually learn to respect his will, his “I”. More precisely, parental influence must end before kindergarten. Non-intervention at an early age, and then pressure on the child at a later age, can only destroy his talent and cause resistance.