Love to Laugh and Learn

Fun and interesting learning activities to do with the children in your life

  • Home
  • About Me
  • Attractions
  • Recipes
  • Privacy Policy

When Do Children Start Learning

October 11, 2011 by Mama Carmody 18 Comments

Print Friendly, PDF & Email

When Do Children Start Learning

 

Before I start sharing some of my learning activities, I thought it might be a good idea to cover the topic of “when do children start learning”.

In my opinion, coupled with the experience I had with my children, I believe that learning starts even before a child is born. But since you probably won’t put a lot of stock in what I believe, I searched the Internet and found some studies that have come to the same conclusions about when children start learning.

I’m not going to spend a lot of time going over all of the research I have found. I do think it is important to share a couple of links with you so that you can see what studies have found. Once we understand when learning begins it will help us understand when we can start the educational process with our children.

Research

In an analysis done by Stephen M. Maret, Ph.D., he states that verbal communication from the mother to the fetus, results in earlier talking, independence and better concentration after birth.

Another good article that refers to several studies done with fetuses is “A Peek into Fetal Memory: Learning in Utero” by Mark Earley.

*** update 1/10/13 A new report just posted January 3, 2013 on WebMD: Babies Listen and Learn While in the Womb

Now that we see that science says children start learning when they are still in the womb, it helps us understand that it is never too soon to start exposing them to learning activities.

The earlier we start exposing children to different learning activities, the less pressure and the more fun we can have with them. If you start reading to an infant and talking about colors or numbers (or whatever concept you are introducing) you can simply have fun with it and don’t need to put pressure on them because they are too young to expect them to master the concept.

But My Child Is Older

Don’t worry, if your child isn’t an infant. Children are like sponges. Take advantage of their natural curiosities and turn them into fun learning experiences. Not sure how to do that? I’m here to help you with that.

Experiences With My Children

As I said earlier, I believed that children started learning in the womb so I started a certain “learning” activity even before they were born.  I wanted my children to be able to recognize their father’s voice. Since he worked all day and he wasn’t the one carrying the child around inside him, I wanted some way for him to connect with his unborn child. I had him read a children’s storybook onto a tape recorder. Then when I would sit down or lie down to rest, I would put a headset against my stomach and run the tape.  We had a very interesting experience at the birth of our oldest daughter that made me believe that this technique had helped.  She had just been born and the nurses had taken her aside to clean her up and get her vitals.  She was upset and screaming at the top of her lungs. My husband couldn’t get to her to touch her because the nurses were working on her but he walked near her and simply said, in a sweet, new daddy voice, “What’s wrong honey?”  At the sound of his voice she immediately quit screaming. I was surprised and pleased.

I took little board books with me to the hospital and started reading to my children right away. If I remember correctly the books were about colors and shapes. I always wanted to stay ahead of what they SHOULD know so I could keep it light and fun. I wanted my children to feel successful once they got into school. I didn’t want them to feel pressured or always struggling to keep up.

At the same time, I wanted them to enjoy their childhood and not feel like they were in school even when they were at home. I wanted to make learning fun for my children and I want to help you do the same for yours.

Related Posts

Learning Should Be Fun
The Lessons – Overview
Colors – Overview
Shapes – Overview
Fun with Music – Overview

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...

Filed Under: Articles Tagged With: learn, learning

Comments

  1. Tegan says

    December 9, 2011 at 4:58 am

    Love to hear about your experiences and a great suggestion for those wanting to make sure that baby has ample exposure to dad in utero. I also think reading books is really valuable, regardless of a child’s age.

    Reply
    • kcarmody says

      December 9, 2011 at 12:41 pm

      Thanks for stopping in. I do love books. You will find them incorporated in almost every lesson.

      Reply
  2. Lubna says

    December 8, 2011 at 2:18 pm

    I am sure learning starts in the womb. You have provided a great real life illustration.

    Reply
    • kcarmody says

      December 8, 2011 at 4:19 pm

      Thanks so much for stopping by. I really appreciate it.

      Reply
  3. TCoop says

    November 27, 2011 at 1:39 am

    I don’t think your methods are “controversial” at all, really. I remember learning when my music teacher said he sang to his daughter in the womb, when she was born her mother was having some “issues,” so the first person to hold her wasn’t the mom but her dad. Her sang to her some notes and he swears that she recognized him. It’s very important to “interact” with your children in the womb. I think I’m a music fan because my mother went to a lot of concerts when she was pg with me – ha ha :).

    Reply
    • kcarmody says

      November 27, 2011 at 9:22 am

      Thank you for sharing your experiences. They are very interesting.

      Reply

Trackbacks

  1. Mama Carmody is Relocating - says:
    November 5, 2015 at 7:02 am

    […] Should Be Fun When Do Children Start Learning The Lessons – Overview Colors – Overview Shapes – Overview Fun with Music – […]

    Reply
  2. Diamonds: Learning Activities for Shapes - Love to Laugh and LearnLove to Laugh and Learn says:
    January 3, 2015 at 8:57 pm

    […] Shapes – Overview The Lessons – Overview Circles: Learning Activities for Shapes Ovals: Learning Activities for Shapes Squares: Learning Activities for Shapes Rectangles: Learning Activities for Shapes Triangles: Learning Activities for Shapes Stars: Learning Activities for Shapes Hearts: Learning Activities for Shapes Learning Should Be Fun Colors – Overview When Do Children Start Learning […]

    Reply
  3. Fun with Music - Overview | Love to Laugh and LearnLove to Laugh and Learn says:
    June 7, 2013 at 8:49 pm

    […] Should Be Fun When Do Children Start Learning The Lessons – Overview Colors – Overview Shapes – […]

    Reply
  4. The Lessons - Overview - Love to Laugh and LearnLove to Laugh and Learn says:
    May 20, 2013 at 12:32 pm

    […] Should Be Fun When Do Children Start Learning Colors – Overview Shapes – […]

    Reply
  5. Learning Should Be Fun -Love to Laugh and Learn says:
    April 27, 2013 at 9:09 pm

    […] When Do Children Start Learning → […]

    Reply
  6. Triangles: Learning Activities for Shapes | Love to Laugh and LearnLove to Laugh and Learn says:
    April 18, 2013 at 3:30 pm

    […] Learning Activities for Shapes Rectangles: Learning Activities for Shapes Learning Should Be Fun When Do Children Start Learning The Lessons – […]

    Reply
  7. Stars: Learning Activities for Shapes | Love to Laugh and LearnLove to Laugh and Learn says:
    April 17, 2013 at 10:39 am

    […] Learning Activities for Shapes Diamonds: Learning Activities for Shapes Learning Should Be Fun When Do Children Start Learning The Lessons – […]

    Reply
  8. Rectangles: Learning Activities for ShapesLove to Laugh and Learn says:
    January 20, 2013 at 11:38 am

    […] Learning Activities for Shapes Squares: Learning Activities for Shapes Learning Should Be Fun When Do Children Start Learning The Lessons – […]

    Reply
  9. Squares: Learning Activities for ShapesLove to Laugh and Learn says:
    November 26, 2012 at 9:56 am

    […] Learning Activities for Shapes Ovals: Learning Activities for Shapes Learning Should Be Fun When Do Children Start Learning The Lessons – […]

    Reply
  10. Ovals: Learning Activities for ShapesLove to Laugh and Learn says:
    September 23, 2012 at 6:13 pm

    […] Learning Activities for Shapes Learning Should Be Fun When Do Children Start Learning The Lessons – Overview This entry was posted in Learning Activities and tagged craft, […]

    Reply
  11. Circles: Learning Activities for ShapesLove to Laugh and Learn says:
    September 10, 2012 at 7:03 am

    […] Should Be Fun When Do Children Start Learning The Lessons – […]

    Reply
  12. Learning Should Be Fun -Love to Laugh and Learn says:
    December 4, 2011 at 2:43 pm

    […] Love to Laugh and Learn Fun and interesting learning activities to do with the children in your life Skip to content HomeRecipesAttractionsPrivacy Policy When Do Children Start Learning → […]

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Subscribe

  • Facebook
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter
  • Instagram

Don’t Miss This Great Book

Categories

  • Articles
  • Attractions and Events
  • Autumn/Fall
  • Children's Books
  • Christmas
  • Coloring Pages
  • Colors
  • Community Helpers
  • Contest
  • Cooking with Kids
  • eBundles
  • Gardening
  • Halloween
  • Holidays
  • Learning Activities
  • Music
  • Reviews
  • Sensory Bins
  • Shapes
  • Thanksgiving
  • Uncategorized

Follow Me on Bloglovin

Follow on Bloglovin
Subscribe via RSS

Recent Posts

  • Mother’s Day Memory Jar and Free Printable Card
  • Favorite Mother’s Day Handprint and Footprint Crafts
  • Dig into Gardening: Fun Activities, Science Projects, and Healthy Eating Tips
  • “Someone I Love Has Gone to Heaven”
  • Love to Learn about the Nativity
  • The Lame Valentine Sensory Bin
  • Hearts: Learning Activities for Shapes
  • Martin Luther King, Jr. Day Activities

Check This Out

Holiday Toy List – STEM Toys

Books

US Family Guide

USFamilyGuide.com

Recent Comments

  • Mama Carmody on Your Favorite Childhood Book
  • Lisa Smiley on Your Favorite Childhood Book
  • Harlow's Harvest on Eggs in a Nest: Cooking with Kids

Copyright © 2025 · Lifestyle Pro Theme on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in