From a Bud to a Bloom

Life begins with a seed, a baby, a calf and so on. The first stage of life in human starts as an embryo in the mother’s womb, the brain develops in the womb of the mother. The nourishment is provided through the umbilical cord from the mother to the baby. Every step the mother takes, whether it is walking, sleeping, breathing, thinking, listening, all put together the five senses reach the baby to develop the necessary organs.

Once the baby is developed with all the body parts in the womb, it is ready to enter the world. The moment the baby enters the world; the first reaction is a wail. This signifies that the baby responds to the difference between the womb and the outside world.

 In the next moment the baby’s sensitivity responds to its mother’s touch and calms him/her down with the feeling of security. These are the early signs of a child’s development. In due course of time the child develops all-round physically and mentally. Gradually the child starts recognizing the surroundings the immediate members of the family, like mother, father, siblings and grandparents. One by one the child achieves the milestones and finally comes to the stage where he/she is introduced to the academic world to prepare the child for the challenges in future.

 One such example I would narrate from my neighborhood family. One morning the young child, 18 months old was playing with his grandfather. The boy took one of his toys and pretended as he is the mother and dressed the grandfather by applying face powder and combed his hair, imitating his mother as she does to dress him. The pattern of learning begins. A child is always learning through imitating his/her family members.

The Gurukul was the best place where the children learnt the culture, the Vedas along with martial arts and the three R’s (Reading, Writing and Arithmetic).

Today’s scenario is quite different; the wooden toys are been replaced with soft toys. Around the age of one, children are introduced to different types of toys like musical instruments, doll houses, Doctor’s kits etc., which help them understand and initiates them into the different professions of life which stimulates their brains to start thinking of choosing a profession. When they are two years old the storybooks are replaced by the digital stories. In true sense, children have also changed with the trend. They are exposed to the digital world like electronic gadgets and nursery rhymes played on the screen. Early years are foundation of developing strength physically and mentally. The child grasps things at a very early age.  These years are the formation years of a child and the right foundation has to be laid so that the child grows up as a strong and academically efficient adult.

The world has brought learning syndrome for the children to develop their skills at a very faster rate. At the age of two and half years old a child learns to go to School. He/she is prepared to adapt the environment at the early stage. He tries to make friends, charm others, imitates things from elders, and takes the challenges happily. Since everything is new and develops enthusiasm to discover the objects.

Fiction stories allow the children to go into the imaginary world. They try to enact the characters and absorb the quality moral and also discover the needs and wants requirement in his/her life.

The quantitative and the qualitative knowledge acquired in the School also influence the early stage of a child. Environmental science awareness and life skills created from home and School make the child to develop thinking skills. 

So to sum up, academics should start at early age to prepare a child for the challenges of life as an adult. As the saying goes the best time to mould the clay is when it is wet and fresh. Similarly during the early years a child’s mind is fresh and unpolluted and is ready to absorb the knowledge of life and skills.  

By - Reshma Mohan