A learning environment, of course, extends far beyond a play arcafar beyond any physical boundaries, It includes people and attitudes, ideas and forms of behavior. In order for the youngster to make the most of her natural drives, the learning environment needs to have certain qualities.
One quality of extreme importance is what authorities call "responsivity," although that term seems to mean nothing very different from the plain English word, "responsiveness." A child needs an environment that responds to her behavior. The quicker and more consistent the response, the more rapidly she will learn. Responsiveness is at issue when the young infant cries and is either answered or 1gnored.
Thus it is a quality that is bound up with the child's needs for self esteem and control. A responsive environment Should not be one that caters to a child's whims or unreasonable demands. The responses can be negative aS well as positive, as 1ong as they are clear and consistent. If a child willfully rips apart a favorite book in a fit of anger for instance, the response from her parent mignt De: Oh, that's too bad. You'll miss that book, and we certainly won't be buying another copy of it any time soon. The youngster immediately learns the consequences of her action.
Another key quality is freedom. Behavioral freedom must be bounded by limits that are clearly defined and enforced by the parents: Children feel insecure when there are no limits, and when they sense that their courses of action are totally in their own hands. Within the set limits, a youngster should have complete liberty to explore. Physical confinement of the child should be kept to a minimum. A playpen, for instance, can be a handy place to safely stow a toddler or a crawling baby when you must leave her alone in the room for a few minutes, but it is not a fit environment for a child toO spend a whole morning in.
While a child needs limits on her actions, she should know that there are no restraints at ail on what she thinks or feels. The sentiments that float unbidden to the surface of the child's mind are not subject to the sane judgment of right or wrong that applies to actions, and therefore they must not be censured. As a parent, you should instead encourage the youngster to discuss them. If a child is told that certain kinds of ideas or feelings are bad, she will begin to repress the, thus Closing otf the gateway to her unconscious mind, which should be a lifelong source of originality and creativity.
Finally, an ideal environment for learning is characterized by another quality, which is very ciosely related to freedom in thinking and feeling, but dificult to name or describe. This special quality is whatever it takes to stimulate a child's imagination. She needs to learn moOre than reasoning, decision making or how to process factual information. She also needs to learn hoOW to fantasize. You can encourage this development by reading aloud imaginative books that take wing from reality and by teling her your own stories, which shows her that not all stories come from books, that she can create them, too. Imagination, of course, cannot be forced to deliver on demand. A child must be in the mood for rantasizing; but fortunately, most children above the age of three seem to be in the mood much of the time, which is why they spend SO many happy hours at pretend play.
No more than forcing imaginative thought can you force your child to participate in any other learning experience, and you should never try. If you regard the whole learning process the same way your child does-as a continuous, lively and fascinating game you will both have the time of your lives with no effort at all.
good job bro....keep it up