Children do not belong to the government. However, some parents fail to understand that moms and dads are responsible for training their children. Sadly, too many parents assume that “professional” educators know how best to prepare a child for school and what should be taught to children in K through 12 instructional programs. Ironically, thousands of children are “under-educated” before and after they are introduced to formal instructional programs. Following are some practical tips which all children should experience at scheduled times (as appropriate) between conception and graduation.
- Listen to stimulating instrumental orchestra music based on harmony and melody (rather than dominant rhythm and beat). Hymns and classical arrangements are best.
- Learn to crawl with left-right arm and leg patterns during early stages.
- March to music that encourages and stimulates high leg lifts and arm swings while completing designed patterns (figure eights, squares, circles, triangles, rectangles, etc).
- Observe, identify and reproduce stimulating patterns, shapes, colors, and sequences among geometric figures and alphabetical letters.
- Listen to and learn to discriminate among various vowel and consonant sounds, pitches, tones, notes, scales, and meter of musical arrangements and instruments (percussion, string, keyboard, brass, woodwind, etc).
- Listen to dramatic audio productions of wholesome adventures (Hank The Cow Dog, Holy War, Pilgrim’s Progress, dramatized Bible, biographies of heroes and champions, etc.) Note: listening is actually more productive for brain development than watching movies on DVD, Video, or television.
- Learn phonetic reading skills that enhance audio and visual discrimination among vowels, consonants, blends, diphthongs, syllables, etc.
- Expose to positive adult male and female role models who become life-long heroes and heroines.
- Restrict/forbid visual, physical, and audio exposure to negative energy and negative character drains (in media, literature, neighborhood: pornography, alcohol, drugs, promiscuous and sensual persons, etc).
- Provide nutritional food and avoid “junk food” that turns carbohydrates into sugar (fat). Provide fresh fruit and vegetables while avoiding high sugar and fat content.
- Teach children to assume responsibility for life choices, and to forgive and be forgiven to keep their conscience clear and communication open.
- Require children to follow a daily routine of expectations: make bed, put away clothes, shoes, toys, and games, and complete chores (feed pets, clean table, sweep room, take out trash, report for meals, etc) in a timely manner.
- Guide children to serve other people in their times of need (disaster, hardship, death, etc).