| Teaching Children | | | | understanding abstract ideas, just imagine how difficult |
| "You can't do that; you'll give your baby shaken baby | | | | it must be for a child to understand. When we teach |
| syndrome." My mom then went into a fifteen minutes | | | | with something physical that we can see, feel and |
| lecture on how tossing my baby in the air was | | | | touch then it is easier to remember. When teaching |
| damaging my kid. Not wanting to permanently damage | | | | numbers to children it is often easier to use blocks to |
| my kid I toned down my playing with her. My wife was | | | | teach them how to add or subtract. |
| extremely glad to see that her baby was not flying | | | | Credibility: How do you get your children to believe |
| through the air. In order to stop me completely, my | | | | your ideas? Luckily, most children naturally believe their |
| wife asked the doctor if it caused shaken baby | | | | parents. It's not until they reach the dreaded teens |
| syndrome. Much to her dismay the doctor informed | | | | where they start to think that they know better than |
| her that there was no reason to fear. With this great | | | | their parents. This is the time when it is most critical to |
| news my baby can again touch our ceiling. If you look | | | | make your ideas credible. The Heaths show that vivid |
| on the internet, most sites will state that it will damage | | | | detail add a level of credibility that otherwise wouldn't |
| your kid. How do stories like these spread so easily | | | | endorse your story. |
| while the important ones die? | | | | Emotional: Why do a lot of mothers believe that |
| | | | tossing their kids in the air is going to damage their |
| Simplicity: Make your ideas simple! That does not mean | | | | child? Is it based on facts or emotion? I'm extremely |
| that you can only teach simple concepts. It does mean | | | | impressed how much my wife sacrifices for our child. I |
| that you should only teach one concept at a time. "If | | | | can understand why she is a little protective of her |
| you say three things you say nothing at all." Children | | | | child. Stories that play on her emotion as a mother will |
| have a great desire to learn new things. If it is muddled | | | | stick compared to one that just give cold hard facts. |
| with several ideas then they won't remember any of | | | | Stories: Can any one doubt the power of a story! To |
| them. | | | | this day, I love hearing stories of my dad flying |
| Unexpectedness: Have you ever watched a bad | | | | helicopter missions in the navy. Some of the best |
| movie to the end just to see how it turns out? The | | | | children's books use stories to portray a message. |
| Heath brothers explain how our brains hate the idea of | | | | Why not use the same tactic when teach our |
| a knowledge gap. This is why we watch a bad movie | | | | children? |
| to the end or stay up late to see how the book ends. | | | | We live in an informational era. The amount of |
| Creating a knowledge gap for you children will help | | | | information that is available to kids today is amazing |
| them want to understand ideas. Try moving a piece of | | | | and scary. Being able to instill correct ideas that will |
| metal with a hidden magnet and watch as they try to | | | | provide a guide through our kid's lives is on extremely |
| figure it out. | | | | important task as a parent. That is why it is important |
| Concreteness: How do you make an abstract idea | | | | to learn how to make ideas stick. I recommend that |
| easy to remember? As adults we have a difficult time | | | | every one read "Made to Stick". |