Learning starts in infancy, long before formal education begins, and continues throughout life. Early learning begets later learning and early success breeds later success, just as early failure breeds later failure. – James J. Heckman

All of us absorb, acquire, and learn all through our lives. It begins from the day we are born. It is now very well acknowledged and accepted worldwide that the early years of life are of paramount importance for learning. That’s when the foundations for the future are positioned, and when we begin moving down the pathway that will take us through childhood, the teenage years and eventually into adulthood.

What are the early years? 

The term ‘the early years’ is used in different ways. To some individuals it means the years from birth to eight years; to others it means the years before school; while some focus mainly on the first three years of life. All these phases are critical in every child’s life. The essential thing is that we make available tangible opportunities for children to absorb, progress and have fun through those years, irrespective of what expression we use.

What is Early Childhood Care and Education?

The term ‘early childhood care and education’ (ECCE) refers to a range of processes and mechanisms that sustain, support and aid in the holistic development of children, from birth to age 6 years.Due to the rapid neural connections, brain development and growth that take place at this age, this period is considered a critical window of opportunity for optimizing children’s development through the combined impact of education, care, health, nutrition, protection and stimulation. The field of early childhood care and education is replete with evidence that attests to the considerable benefits of good-quality ECCE programmes. Children who have participated in quality ECCE exhibit tremendous gains in their overall social, cognitive and intellectual development.

(http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0021/002171/217145e.pdf)

What marks learning? 

Children are born equipped to learn and be fascinated with the world around them. It is likely for them to use all their capacities to learn. From birth, children are learning about themselves, other people and the world around them, and playing a dynamic role in their own learning and progress. There’s no question about the astounding extent children can enquirer, explore and discover. 

All a parent and caregiver has to do is spend time with the baby, toddler or child to eyewitness the incredible leaps in abilities,cognizance and empathy that transpire in the first eight years of life.

Children’s development and learning are marked by: 

• Stimuli within themselves – their genomic inheritance, personality, sexual role, and healthiness.
• Impetuses within the family – family relationships, parenting styles and morals, the family’s economicstate, parents’ level of edification, parents’ profession, and parents’ physical and mental health.
• Motivation within the community – children’s facilities (both accessibility and worth), support for parenting, housing, safety and crime in the neighborhood, unemployment levels and the overall feeling of faithamid the inhabitants.
• Reassurances within their culture – with diverse cultures marked by dissimilarities in parenting styles, beliefs and values, and different opinions in what way children should be educated.

What does the research specifies about the importance of the early years? 

The significance of the early years is now well known throughout the world. These years are a time when the brain fosters and much of its ‘wiring’ is laid down. The experiences and associations a child has, plus nutrition and health, can profoundly affect this course greatly. Positive experiences aid the brain to grow in healthy ways. However, negative experiences such as negligence and abuse, affect brain development in more detrimental ways, and contribute to emotional and behavioral problems later in life. So the experiences a child has in the early years can either support learning or hamper it.

The brain is the only organ that is not fully formed at birth. During the first three years, trillions of connections between brain cells are being made. A child’s relationships and experiences during the early years greatly influence how their brain grows.

(Source: https://www.zerotothree.org/resources/221-getting-ready-for-school-begins-at-birth)

What are some important areas of learning? 

Health and physical well being are the foundation for all learning and development. Such areas as eating habits, outlook towards keep fit and self-care routines shape from the child’s most primitive experiences. 

One of the most imperative things children learn in the early years is about themselves – that is, they develop a picture of themselves that affects the ways they approach any situation, task, or affiliation with another person. In other words, they develop a self-concept. An essential part of that self-concept is the image they have of themselves as learners: is it okay to be inquisitive, to discover, to ask queries, to tackle problems, to try to figure things out, to investigate? Is it okay to try something and fail occasionally? Being a good learner means having the enthusiasm, seeing yourself as capable, and taking judicious risks.

There are many different means to classify learning in the early years, but whatsoever the classifications, it is essential for parents, and others who work and live with children, to keep in mind the wide range of types of learning that are essential in the early years. 

Some essential areas of learning are item is ed underneath:

Physical development:

developing skills of coordination, control, manipulation and movement and to understand the importance of a healthy diet and lifestyle.

Personal, social and emotional development: 

• developing a positive sense of self and respect for others
• a sense of your own strengths, talents and uniqueness
• how to look after and take care of yourself
• self-knowledge - understanding of feelings
• behaving in acceptable ways and controlling your own behavior
• how to relate to others, both adults and other children
• how to resolve conflict
• getting used to the things that make people different from each other
• a sense of belonging to family, community, culture
• social skills including dressing, undressing and washing, as well as having an enthusiasm for learning

Communication, language and literacy: developing confidence and proficiency in communicating, speaking and listening, listening to stories and beginning to read and write.

Problem solving, reasoning and numeracy: developing an increasing understanding of problem solving and numbers, through stories, songs, games and play.

Knowledge and understanding of the world: learning to make sense of the world, finding out about the natural environment, using tools and different materials to make things.

Creative development: developing imagination and creativity in art, music, movement, dance, imaginative and role-play activities.

What do children need to support learning in the early years?

They need: 

• Adults who help them to stay safe and healthy.
• Positive caring relationships that are enduring. All children need people, or at least one person, who believe in them, care for them, and want to support them as learners. Children do some of their most powerful learning from imitating what people around them do, so it is essential that they are with adults who are learners themselves.
• Adults who appreciate the individuality of each child, and who respect and respond to the child’s feelings, needs and interests.
• Resources and experiences to learn from, and time to get involved with them.
• Opportunities to be actively involved in meaningful experiences.
• Learning happens best in context, that is, when there’s a real need to know. So going to the supermarket, working in the garden, cooking with an adult, helping to wash the car, as well as going to the park or the beach are some of the best kinds of learning experiences. TV, DVDS, computers and other forms of technology, can also be wonderful tools for learning if used in moderation and with the help of an adult.
• Books to look at and read, stories to listen to and people to have conversations with. Children can benefit from having stories read to them from the very beginning, even before they are able to understand what’s being said.
• A group experience which can be a playgroup, a childcare, a kindergarten, or some enrichment program. In order for children to benefit, these experiences need to be of a high quality under the supervision of trained professionals. 

Children need reassurance but they don’t need to be ‘pushed’ and put under stress to learn things earlier than they would if they weren’t pushed. Learning happens best when caring adults work with the child, have loving relationships, and explore the world together in ways that are interesting and fun.

Caregivers can engage their children in fun activities to support development across all areas. These activities can easily be incorporated into a family’s daily routine. They help children to develop cognitive skills, get ready for their school years, and build strong relationships with the people around them.  

Talk, Chat, Discuss, Converse

Children are language learners from the day they are born! One of the simplest – and best – ways to develop a child’s language skills is to talk with them. Every day presents new and enjoyable opportunities to introduce new words to your child and to develop their communication abilities. 

Ideas for engaging your child with language:

• Describe your food as you’re eating it. Use words to describe color, texture, and taste.  Ask your child to do the same.
• Use synonyms to expand your child’s vocabulary. For example, use different words for happy (excited, pleased, delighted), big (huge, giant, enormous), or kind (nice, gentle, caring).
• Play “I Spy” while commuting to/from school or other activities. Introduce new words along the way.
• Sing songs together.  Songs help children to remember new words and ideas. Rhyming songs help children to learn about sounds and the relationship between words.
• Take a walking tour through your house, neighborhood or park.  Make sure to engage different senses – and the words that correspond with them – by talking about sights, sounds, and smells.
• Ask your child to use three words to describe one thing every day.
• For ideas for conversation starters with young children, see the website Talking is Teaching.
• Narrate your day together.  Share about your day and ask your children to do the same. When activities overlap, tell the story together.
• If you can, speak more than one language at home. Studies have shown that bilingual children have larger vocabularies and a heightened ability to monitor their environments. 

Get Moving

Children love to be active – running, dancing, and jumping! It’s important to encourage physical activity for the development of their fine and gross motor skills. Children need at least 60 minutes of physical activity each day.

Ideas for burning energy with your kids:

• Play with balls – catching, kicking, and bouncing
• Put on one of your favourite songs and dance around your house
• Make up an obstacle course with found objects (e.g. jump over a stick, place a rock in a different place, and touch the grass and the sky five times)
• Act out one of your storybooks together
• Have animal races (e.g. run like a cheetah, hop like a kangaroo, soar like an eagle) 

Be Emotional

Children who can recognize and express their feelings are better equipped to face all kinds of situations.  Using a wide variety of feeling words helps children begin to understand and articulate their own emotions. 

Ideas for encouraging emotional expression:

• Use varied words to identify different feelings (happy, sad, upset, frustrated, mad, angry, excited, disappointed, etc)
• Play charades to match body language to feeling words
• Give your child creative outlets for expressing feelings like drawing a picture of how they feel or identifying colors that match different emotions
• Ask your child to consider things from another person or child’s point of view by asking how they would feel if someone did the same thing to them
• Do role plays to identify solutions to emotional situations (e.g. taking turns instead of fighting over a toy)
• Listen to different kinds of music and identify emotions associated with each kind of music 

Make Time for Free Play

Children learn best through play! Studies by the American Association of Pediatrics emphasize the importance of free, unstructured, play. Play helps children to develop their creativity and imagination.  It teaches children how to cooperate with each other, share and resolve conflicts.  When playing, children discover their own areas of interest, guide the pace of their play, and build decision-making skills.  Free play encourages self-sufficiency and independence. 

Ideas for encouraging free play:

• Keep a box of items for pretend play. This can include everyday items like kitchen utensils, pieces of fabric/ribbon, balls, or old dress-up clothes/shoes.  See where their imagination takes them!
• Don’t over schedule children.  Build time into your schedule for children to engage in free play.
• Let your children be bored. Some of the best ideas develop out of boredom when children are challenged to create their own activities.
• Plan open-ended play dates.  Invite other children over and encourage children to play together freely.  Give them space to develop their relationships with each other and to develop leadership and social skills.
• Make a box with chits of ideas for imaginary play (e.g. pretend you are on a train, pretend you are an artist, pretend you are at the zoo). Invite your child to draw a chit to get play started. 

Ask thoughtful questions

Young children are curious!  This innate curiosity can be encouraged by their caregivers to develop critical thinking skills.  When children ask their favourite question – “why?!?” - caregivers can engage in a dialogue with children, helping them to think through the way the world works. 

When a child asks you “why,” ask them:

• What do you think will happen next?
• What do you think will happen if you do that?
• Why do you think this is happening?
• How can we find out more about this?
• How do you know that? 

Get started today!  Choose one of the activities listed above and do it today with your child.  Incorporating these ideas into your days are a great way to engage your child in fun, age-appropriate, learning activities.