Why You Don't Need to Rush Your Child

On-Demand Class · Parenting

Are you feeling pressured to start your child on the road to success as quickly as possible? "Earlier is better" has become a prevalent belief in society and among parents. But it's a myth and harmful! I'll tell you why you don't need to rush!

Class Description

A mother told me that her son was seven months old when she first felt the pressure to enroll him in enrichment programs. She said, “Here I was with an infant who had just learned to sit upright by himself, and someone was asking me what classes he was going to be taking, as if he were ten!” Another mom, this one an early childhood professional who understood child development, complained to me that she was under tremendous pressure to enroll her daughter in the local, competitive soccer program. When I asked her daughter’s age, she replied, “Two and a half.” What these stories – and many others like them – have in common is the belief that earlier is better – that you just can’t start kids too soon on the road to success. Whether we’re talking about academics or athletics, this idea has become deeply ingrained in our society. But where has it come from? Why are parents and children being burdened by this false notion? Why are parents being made to feel terrified that if they don’t give their little ones a jumpstart on the “competition,” their children will fall behind and end up as miserable failures? What you’re much less likely to hear is the truth about what actually happens to your kids if prodded to complete tasks before they’re developmentally ready. As noted early childhood expert Jane Healy once told me, “When you start something before the brain is ready, you’ve got trouble.” I'll share the truth with you and reassure you that there's no need to rush!

Sessions Overview

  1. Why You Don't Need to Rush Your Child into Academics: Somewhere along the way someone decided that if children are to succeed in life, they must get a head start on academics. Letters, numbers, reading, and writing. But this belief is a myth and fails to take child development into consideration. I'll share the truth and allay your worries here!
  2. Why You Don't Need to Rush Your Child into Athletics: Little ones are being enrolled in youth sports in order to give them a competitive edge, not just in sports but in life. But what happens when children whose bodies and brains are still forming are asked to take on athletic tasks? I'll let you know and tell you why you don't need to worry about rus…

Your Instructor

Rae Pica

Rae Pica is an early childhood consultant dedicated to the development and education of the whole child. She is the author of 22 books, including What If Everybody Understood Child Development? and What If We Taught the Way Children Learn? Rae has shared her expertise with such groups as the Sesame Street Research Department, the Head Start Bureau, the National Association for the Education of Young Children, Chicago Children's Museum, and state health departments, resource and referral agencies, and school districts throughout North America. A former instructor at the University of New Hampshire, Rae is internationally known as a speaker, blogger, and online course creator. Rae is most proud of her fierce defense of childhood. She lives in Northern Virginia.

Degrees and Certifications

B.S., Movement Education & Early Childhood Studies

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