What would be ideal for a toddler? Learn thru play or learn thru curriculum?

Anonymous

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Personally, I think it depends on a child’s personality and preference. As a kid, I love pretend play and often had role-plays with my family and cousins. My mother not only encouraged it and also played along. Back in my time, she had no idea she was helping me to learn through play and I felt like I had an enjoyable childhood. For my elder sister, on the other hand, she loves reading and thrives on curriculum learning. She enjoys exceling past her level and took pride in having being able to complete tasks that are beyond her age group. Again, my mother simply helped (unintentionally) by purchasing materials that seemed more challenging for her. Both of us had fun growing up. Though these were back in the good old days where enrichment lessons for pre-school children are almost unheard of, I still feel that enjoying the learning process is most important. This will cultivate a love for learning. This would definitely help later in life as your child has to face school and then the workplace. So, since both types of learning have their pros and cons, decide what best suits your child’s learning style would help you decided between which to choose.

It's definitely a personal choice, and you'd have to base it on your child's personality type. But I must say, which kid DOESN'T like doing something fun?! Why not use that as an opportunity to teach him something :D Of course both brings pros and cons, how about a mixed approach to both?

For younger kids - definitely play! They learn how to interact with the world. Honestly, the only thing that hasn't really changed in the world is how important social interaction is. I don't believe any curriculum will ever replicate it. Let kids be kids!