by Pat Lamb (Author of: Let the Children Come; Children, Come to Me; When the Stars Fall Down; Widening the Church Doors to Teach the Narrow Way; My Thinking Book; Love is…) Books are available on Amazon; Barnes & Noble; www.patlambchristianauthor.com
Train up a child…
Experience is the Best Teacher
One of the best things that parents can do for their children is to give them a variety of experiences. There are many benefits in doing so. Giving a child experiences in various areas increases a child’s understanding of the world around him/her. It also increases a child’s vocabulary resulting in greater comprehension in reading. Of course, it is important to choose the right kind of experiences.
When my husband and I worked on the Navajo reservation, we had a little boy who had many social problems. He could do practically nothing in school. He was frightened and kept running away from the dormitory and school. He was sent to Phoenix to see a psychiatrist. The problem was that the boy had lived with his deaf grandmother most of his life and spent most of his time herding sheep. He had no one to talk to and no experiences other than sheep-herding. This is an extreme example of a child who needed experiences. He was frightened because he knew nothing about other children or the world around him. He was not retarded mentally. He seemed to catch on quickly once we started working with him and allowing him to play with the toys we had purchased for the children.
The more experiences a child has, the greater understanding the child obtains of the world. The child develops a greater understanding of the emotions of people and is better able to fit into society. S/he also observes job requirements of various jobs and will be more able to be self-supporting in adulthood.
Every new experience introduces new vocabulary to a child. We tend to block out the things we don’t understand and “latch on” to the things that are familiar to us. Many times students in my GED classes will tell me, “I have never heard that word before!” In actuality, it may be a word that is commonly used in conversations. They had simply blocked it out because they didn’t understand it. When a child has many experiences, the vocabulary obtained from those experiences becomes familiar and is no longer blocked out. The child then not only has a better understanding of what is read, but also better understands conversations that are going on all the time.
What kind of experiences can we give our children? Visiting National Parks is perhaps one of the best. Right now, Civil War reenactments are taking place at some parks. National Parks are set aside because of their benefits to us. When our children were young, my husband had a habit of stopping at roadside historical monuments when we traveled. At home, simple projects around the house add to a child’s knowledge. When dad teaches a child to repair something, that child is learning the names of tools, etc. Cooking and sewing are good experiences for children. Even refinishing furniture and cleaning are good for children.
Summer is the perfect time to give children good experiences that will increase their vocabulary and help them understand the world around them. It would be good to take advantage of this opportunity.