Children Learn From One Another
Children do learn from one another. But, the pandemic has probably halted some activities for you and your baby. That play group or class that you wanted to sign up for just isn’t happening at the moment.
I considered these circumstances and almost decided not to write about this topic. However, the current situation doesn’t mean the information isn’t important. So, let’s dive in!
Modeling Skills for Each Other
Suzuki Early Childhood Education (SECE) Baby Class is an opportunity to involve your baby and yourself in music, listening, and literacy activities. Parents learn new things and how to model them for their child.
The class has a family group atmosphere. Children 0-3 years old and their parents learn in a child-centered and non-stressful way.
Teachers adapt the activities to follow the individual child’s learning timetable. Younger children watch and learn from the older children.
All the children are learning to listen carefully. Also, they are all working toward a specific outcome with each activity.
The activity may emphasize keeping a steady beat or doing an action on a particular beat. Other activities highlight learning the concept of up and down. This particular concept is important for children to learn spatial relationships.
The children not only watch the parents do the action, but see the other children doing it as well. This is powerful motivation for children and their parents to try new skills or improve existing ones.
Benefits for You and Your Baby
One of the benefits of SECE Baby Class is that many of the activities teach life, social, and emotional skills. The circle songs teach cooperation. It is a time to learn how to get along with others.
The program purposefully builds in activities for children to learn self-control. There are activities where the children must wait their turn. There are activities in which not everyone even gets a turn each week!
Now little babies don’t really care about when they get their turn. But, eventually they will care.
However, it is less likely to be a problem for them. They have seen the correct behavior modeled by parents and other children.
Maybe the most important benefit that everyone learns in Baby Class is empathy (the ability to sense or feel what another person is feeling).
Older children develop empathy toward the younger ones. The younger ones see empathy modeled.
Parents develop empathy for other each other. Sometimes, our children don’t always participate or do the things we know they can do. That silent communication between parents that they understand is crucial.
Children also learn generosity and kindness in Baby Class. Parents and older babies demonstrate those social skills in the activities that require sharing.
Rolling the ball to others or passing around the small stuffed dog in the “Bow Wow Wow” activity are two examples. For baby, it does seem much more fun to keep the ball or the dog. But, as they see others sharing, they also begin to learn to do the same.
Sharing From the Heart
Your child will learn to share from the heart and not just because those are the rules. They learn that it makes someone else feel good when we share. Take it to the next level and they learn that they feel good when they share.
All of the Baby Class activities will encourage the development of your baby’s character and personality. They will learn how to form relationships with others.
Perhaps, most importantly, the relationship between you and your baby will deepen and grow through the activities. That was Dr. Suzuki’s ultimate goal: to nurture beautiful hearts and develop fine abilities.
“Where love is deep much can be accomplished”
Shinichi Suzuki
So, keep in mind that the pandemic will not last forever. You will one day be able to take your child out to play groups and classes again. For now, they are not interacting with other children as they once did.
My guess is that parents are missing the groups and classes as well. If it is for no other reason than getting to have ADULT conversation, that’s OK!
It will indeed be very exciting and powerful for you and your baby to get back to learning from other children. In the meantime, remember that it is up to you to demonstrate the skills your baby needs to learn.
Model empathy, cooperation, generosity, and kindness for your child to imitate. The world really is in need of people with those those traits and skills right now.
For now, it will be you and your child learning together. When we can all come together again, we can expand our influence with beautiful hearts and fine abilities.
On the “Beautiful Heart Musical Journey” with you,
Susan
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How are you making sure that you are modeling skills and behaviors for your child? Share one skill or behavior you are modeling now for your baby in the Comments below.
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