Einstein Never Used Flash Cards: How Our Children Really Learn-- And Why They Need to Play More and Memorize Less

Front Cover
Play Is Back

Reassuring to parents and educators, Einstein Never Used Flash Cards shows why-- and how-- to step away from the cult of achievement and toward a more nurturing home life full of imaginative play and love of learning.

Here's the message that stressed-out parents are craving to hear: It's okay to play!

In fact, it's more than just okay-- it's better than drilling academics. After decades of research, scientists and child development experts have come to a clear conclusion: Play is the best way for our children to learn.

Children who are prematurely pushed into regimented academic instruction display less creativity and enthusiasm for learning than their peers

Children who memorize isolated facts early in life show no better long-term retention than their peers.

Children who learn through play also develop social and emotional skills, which are critical for long-term success.

Somewhere along the line, we've gotten off track by stressing academic products and programs to our preschoolers. Thankfully, Dr. Kathy Hirsh-Pasek and Dr. Roberta Michnick Golinkoff have a simple remedy for our children that is based on overwhelming scientific evidence from their own studies and the collective research results of child development experts.

Einstein Never Used Flash Cards goes beyond debunking the myths spread by the accelerated-learning industry. Parents and educators will find a practical guide to introducing complex concepts through smart, simple, and loving play.

For every key area of a child's development (speech, reading, math, social skills, self-awareness, and intelligence), you'll understand how a child's mind actually learns. Then you'll discover exercises (40 in all) that will showcase emerging skills and leave your child smiling today-- and prepared for tomorrow.
 

Contents

How Babies Are Wired to Learn
16
How Children Learn about Quantity
38
Reading between the Lines
97
The Quest to Define Intelligence
126
Who Am I? Developing a Sense of Self
152
Develop Social Intelligence
181
CHAPTER 9
200
The New Formula for Exceptional Parenting
244
NOTES
269
INDEX
287
Copyright

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About the author (2003)

Kathy Hirsh-Pasek, Ph.D., is a member of the psychology department at Temple University, where she directs the Infant Language Laboratory and participated in one of the nation's largest studies of the effects of child care. The mother of three sons, she also composes and performs children's music.

Roberta Michnick Golinkoff, Ph.D., is the H. Rodney Sharp Professor in the School of Education at the University of Delaware, where she holds a joint appointment with the departments of linguistics and psychology and directs the Infant Language Project. She has also been a recipient of the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Fellowship and is the mother of a son and a daughter.

Together, the authors were featured on the PBS Human Language series and are the authors of How Babies Talk.

Diane Eyer, Ph.D., is a member of the psychology department at Temple University and author of Motherguilt and Mother-Infant Bonding.

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