April 26th, 2007 Miseducation Posted by Melitsa in Good reads

I found David Elkind’s book Miseducation at the library.

I’m finding it an interesting read. While he makes some good points I find some things are sweeping generalisations not adequately back up by reasearch. Elkind talks about Superkids back in 1987 but much of what he talks about still applies to today. He is concerned with how society miseducates the youngsters by getting them to do things before their time.

I have enjoyed reading so far as it’s a light read and has really made me stop and think about how I parent and what I want my sons to learn. That is always a good book when that happens.

His tips on what to look for in a healthy early childhood education are as relevant now as they were 20 years ago.

Play is such an important and misunderstood aspect of a young child’s life. The way that Elkind describes how first grade work is moving down to Kindergarden and Kindergarden to preschool should give everyone pause for thought. Does starting earlier really help or is it Miseducating and causing future problems?

Balance in my opinion is where the answer lies. Let the kids play and learn. We need to educate ourselves into how to make that possible without relying on electronic ‘all singing dancing’ toys, academics and scheduling our children without down time.

What play activities do you do with your children so they aren’t over scheduled or ‘mis educated’ ?

Melitsa Avila is a former teacher, mother of three boys and military wife who talks about living an intentional play lifestyle using practical and everyday play activities to do with the under 5s. She publishes related ebooks & newsletters. Melitsa is the host and producer of a weekly Early Childhood radio show: Raising Playful Tots bringing parents and carers together with Early childhood practitioners. Thanks for reading!

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