Learning is child's play

CARRIE LUPOLI, a childcare development consultant, was recently in Kuala Lumpur to conduct a workshop on parenting for Fisher-Price Malaysia.
She took the time to speak to some mothers at a pre-workshop gathering, where she shared her thoughts on the goals and challenges of parenting, as well as the value of teaching your child through play.
“When it comes to childhood education, do we as parents know where we are going?” she asked. “If the goal is to raise independent adults, we have to remember that one day, our children won’t need us and they have to be able to go out into the world with the skills that we give them.”
Despite her many degrees and 17 years in early childhood education, Lupoli prefers to be known as a fellow parent, constantly talking about her experiences with her two girls - Grace, who was born when she and her husband lived in Singapore, and Ellie, whom she adopted from Malaysia as an infant.
She explains that parents can help their children develop physical, social and cognitive skills starting from a young age, by teaching them through suitable age-appropriate play activities.
She added: “Children learn by repetition, so we need to set aside time everyday to spend with our children in order to help them develop and learn. An interactive playtime helps a child develop a complete set of skills.
“Even when you give a child an aide, like an educational toy or a TV programme, you need the parent to be there to explain and interact with the child. You also have to make sure you introduce it to them at the right age, and then be there to make sure it really does help them develop in the right way.”
She is also critical about letting a child use a tablet or mobile device early. “The American Academy of Pediatrics has a guideline that says that from newborn babies to two-year-olds should not be given any gadgets at all, and then afterwards, not more than an hour a day,” she says.
“Our kids’ brains develop at a pace according to the world in front of them. Right now, studies show that one out of 10 kids has ADHD, and they are attributing it to the fact that their brains are being formed at the same time that they’re watching this fast action on a screen.
“And also, there are very few skills that are being learnt on a tablet. Some people tell me it does help train fine motor skills, but we do so much more with fine motor skills in our everyday life with play than they can just moving their finger on a tablet! Problem solving, following directions – there’s nothing that they can learn on a tablet that they can’t learn in play.”
Lupoli also believes that children themselves are the best judge of their own development. “When they want to change the direction of play and discover something new, that is their way of showing us what they need or want.
“It is our job to listen to them and let them guide us. As parents, we should set up some boundaries and rules, but otherwise, we should let them control the flow of play.”
Despite all her experience, even Lupoli herself sometimes has moments of doubt about her parenting. Asked what her advice would be for other parents in the same situation, she said: “We always have this goal in mind as to what we want for our kids, and that helps keep us focused.
“At the same time, we have moments where our kids will show us pieces of what we taught them, and it’s these little moments that are a good test to show that we’re on the right track.
“I also think that it helps to communicate with other people, to know that you don’t have to do it on your own.
“So whether it’s your partner or friends, we have to be engaging in dialogue about what we’re doing, what we’re seeing, and get other people’s perspectives. It doesn’t mean we take all their advice, but sometimes it’s good to hear what other people are thinking.”
Interested parents can check out Fisher-Price’s website (www.fisher-price.com) for a Playtime Guide with suggestions on age-suitable activities to do with your child.



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