September 12, 2017 · By admin

Children learn like breathing

<<Easy PaMa - Column article on September 5, 2017>> Learning is like breathing for children. A group of students enter the campus one after another. Classmates who have not seen each other for a long time tell each other about their experiences in the summer vacation. The school uniforms on their bodies have never been so white and new. The teachers are running around in the corridor. This is what every campus looks like on the first day of school.
Summer quietly ends and school begins in September. I heard from parents that many children have to attend classes at school for 6 or 7 hours a day, and then attend pinyin classes, math Olympiad classes, and taekwondo classes after school, and then finish ten homework in one go before going to bed. The schedule is flawless and seamless. I believe no one will object to saying that it enriches children's lives.
In the natural world, all kinds of organisms operate according to their own rules, and children also have unique learning rhythms. Some children are suitable for a fast pace, while others need to slow down; but no matter what kind of child they are, they need time to relax. Learning is like breathing, the inhalation and exhalation must be orderly to be continuous; if you only inhale but not exhale, how can the child take the next breath? Similarly, children attend classes all day from Monday to Friday to absorb knowledge, and continue to absorb more on Saturdays and Sundays. So, do they have enough space to breathe? Parents who are reading this article, you can try to breathe in continuously while holding your breath. I believe you will have to give up after just a few seconds. The same is true for studying. If you try too hard to absorb knowledge, you will end up losing more than you gain. A large amount of knowledge will only leave a thin impression in your mind. On the contrary, the best learning rhythm is to learn to relax yourself, slowly review what you have learned in the past, and apply it in games and daily life.
As a parent, how can we help our children learn? We have come into contact with more than 5,000 children and parents in the past two and a half years, and hope that by sharing examples, we can provide some inspiration for parents in planning their children's schedules.

1. Some parents try not to fill their schedules. They focus on their children's rest after class, giving their little brains enough space to digest and absorb the knowledge learned in class. On weekends, they interact with children to strengthen family ties, participate in community activities, and get close to nature.
2. Some families choose to let their children get in touch with nature on weekends. It was the butterfly breeding season, and the children on the farm were able to find butterflies, butterfly eggs, caterpillars and butterfly pupae in just a short period of time. They witnessed the different growth stages of butterflies with their own eyes and had a refreshing experience outside the classroom. The caterpillars that we usually only see in books, lying still and lifeless on paper, can never be as surprising and delightful as a real caterpillar crawling on a leaf.
3. We once took the children to visit street markets and fish markets that they rarely visit in normal times, such as Ap Lei Chau and Sheung Wan, to learn where the fish come from and what seafood is made into dried goods. We also took them on a sea taxi (kaitiao) across the Typhoon Shelter and helped them buy authentic specialties to go home with their meals. The activity allowed them to experience that some things actually require the cooperation of many people to make them happen, just like the fish on the dinner table needs to go through the efforts of fishermen, wholesalers, distributors, and the cooking mother before it can appear, and it does not appear out of thin air.
4. Some families also choose to go to the park for fun. Adults and children play some nature games together. Children sit in a circle under a tree to listen to stories, or even play creative art and explore science. This allows children to experience the connection between people and nature, breathe freely and stretch, and inject new energy into the next week's learning.

We firmly believe that in order to naturally develop children's higher-order thinking and social skills, children need to work with their parents on weekends to apply what they have learned during the weekdays, so as to think from multiple perspectives and understand the people and things around them, break through blind spots in thinking, understand different values ​​and cultures, and become people with rich knowledge and skills who work hard.
The world is infinite, and your child’s potential may be greater than you imagine. Listen carefully to the rhythm of children's breathing, let them breathe freely and learn happily, so that they can absorb more fresh air and tell more moving stories. For more information about Nature Play activities in September 2017, please visit the FACEBOOK page https://www.facebook.com/natureplayinthecity *********************************************************************
Natural play allows children to learn through play, guides spontaneous learning, and fully activates children's creativity, social, motor development, cognitive and sensory abilities! Please email to natureplayhk@gmail.com or call 9883 9423 / 9505 6076 for enquiries and registration
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