Till the age of six or seven, I remember school
being lots of fun. In school, there was lots of play, experiential learning and
activities. Everyone participated in the classroom and we were all intelligent
and got stars for our work. I also got to spend lots of time with my family. I
was definitely learning a lot in this environment. Why was learning so much fun at the pre - primary level?
Image - rochester.kidsoutandabout.com
I was having a conversation with a self-directed
learner in India recently. It was a four-hour conversation and because the both
of us were so passionate about learning, we could have gone on for four more
hours. The conversation then shifted to how little children were such natural
geniuses.
In the first five – six years of their life,
kids learn some extra-ordinary skills from scratch without any direct outside
influence (school or government).
· They learn how to speak a new language and to communicate their needs
through words and body language.
· They understand how to work with people around them and how people
around them behave in different situations.
· They also develop an intuitive understanding of how people like to be
treated in different situations.
For example, imagine getting into an accident
and losing your ability to walk. Now imagine having to re-learn how to walk
again from scratch. Just thinking about the effort it will take to make that
happen in tiring. It is like learning Chinese or Sanskrit from scratch at the
age of 35.
What is even more amazing is that even with all of the learning kids do;
they always manage to take out time to play and are always full of life and
positive energy.
Isn’t that extra-ordinary intelligence? Isn’t that a genius in the
making.
I strongly believe that the people that are able
to sustain their childlike curiosity and natural intelligence into their early
teens and adult years are the ones that turn out to be most creative and
imaginative in their individual careers.
They often choose a field they are highly
passionate about and find a way to impact people in that particular field in a
child like almost genius manner.
Let us learn together
Tweet @AbhishekShetty_
Sat-chit-ananda
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