Elena and Boris Nikitin became known in our country as teachers, parents and authors who invented the original method of raising children. In addition, they are committed to the idea that the creative abilities of babies are formed from early childhood. Nikitins are the happy parents of seven children and grandparents of twenty-four grandchildren.
The essence of the technique
The Nikitins methodology is based on the belief that since childhood, every child has tremendous abilities for any activity, and most importantly - to manage to realize them. Otherwise, abilities fade away. According to the authors, the abilities and skills of babies that have been practicing almost from birth are better developed.
Boris Nikitin is the founder of the idea, which implies that the responsibility of each of the parents is to create the right developmental environment and “outrunning” conditions for children. That is, the space in which they are constantly located (house or apartment) should be filled with aids and games that contribute to the development of creativity and intelligence, as well as equipment for physical exercises.
In addition, you need to devote a lot of time to classes with your child. Nikitin’s methodology establishes that special attention should be paid to ensure that the manuals for teaching a baby are a little more difficult today than his abilities.
Main ideas
To better understand the named technique, it should consider some of its main ideas.
- There is no need to do any special exercises, workouts or lessons. Each of the children is engaged in exactly as much as he wants. At the same time, gymnastic exercises should be combined with other activities.
- Each of the parents, whether mom or dad, should not be indifferent to the skills and abilities of the baby. Adults should participate in competitions, games of children and in their life.
- It is necessary to feed a newborn baby on demand, even if he wants to eat at night. No need to create any mode specifically. The same goes for children after one year of age. Elena and Boris adhered to the rule not to feed babies by force.
- The Nikitin technique also confirms the need to conduct regular hardening procedures, as well as air baths. Children should not be in a completely sterile environment.
- Teaching the basics of baby hygiene is necessary from their very birth. For this child, you need to stand above the basin, including at night.
- Special gymnastic exercises should be given to the baby so that he is well developed physically. As Nikitin’s technique emphasizes, it is advisable for children to install a sports complex in an apartment or house so that they can train in their free time.
- Children need to be given complete freedom to enable them to fully understand the world around them. This method will help the baby to take an active position in life.
- Each of the parents should introduce the child to the world of dangerous objects (for example, matches, scissors). The baby is allowed (under the supervision of one of the adults) to touch a hot pan or slightly prick his finger with a needle. According to Boris Nikitin, this method of education will teach children caution, and in the future they will be careful in handling dangerous objects.
- If there is a big threat (for example, a car, a window, an open wide open, or a train), an exaggerated fear and concern should be portrayed. The kid should take this behavior of parents as a model.
- Nikitin’s technique for children says that you can’t categorically forbid something to a child. It’s better to say that this new book cannot be torn, but this old read newspaper can be.
- For the first time giving the baby a fork, spoon or pencil in his hand, you should immediately fix the correct position of the subject. Otherwise, the child will have to retrain.
The game "Unicub"
Nikitins used Unicub as the games supporting the described technique. Many followers of this technique liked him. This game includes 27 dice. Each of their faces is painted in yellow, red and blue. With the help of them, the child learns what three-dimensional space is. And thanks to this game, in the future he will be able to better master such complex sciences as drawing and mathematics.
As additional materials, 60 types of tasks are attached to Unikub, each of which has a certain level of difficulty.
The simplest is designed for children aged 2 to 3 years. According to Nikitins, the method of early development is designed to somewhat exaggerated requirements for the child, giving him the opportunity to grow and develop. A lot of parents support them in this, but some experts believe that giving “Unicub” to the little ones is not worth it, since it makes no sense to develop spatial thinking at the age of 2 or 3 years. Specialists advise younger students to play Unicub.
B. Nikitin’s methodology is based on the fact that parents should not force the child to engage, if he does not want to do this, the child should not be forced. So, you need to start dealing with tasks with a game that should take place in a free form. The constructed model can be depicted on paper with the baby.
How to play Unicub
For starters, adults themselves must become familiar with the rules of the game. The authors of Unicub advise parents to try to collect the faces of the same shades on their own. It should turn out a cube. The kid, of course, may need the help of mom or dad, but in the future he will be happy to play on his own.
If the child does not work out any model, then the adult should not help. It will be better if the baby postpones the game for a while, and then proceeds to it with renewed vigor until it understands itself. According to Nikitin’s technique , any child will like the cubes .
Nikitins in their book "Intellectual Games" give recommendations to start studying with "Unicub" from the moment when the baby is 3 years old. Children can determine for themselves what their level of ability is when choosing tasks.
But, as mentioned earlier, some specialists and teachers insist that this game is more suitable for preschoolers. Unicub, in their opinion, will be a great help for parents who are preparing their children for first grade. Thanks to such activities, the kid will become more attentive and assiduous.
Fold Square Game
The next game, which is part of the Nikitins development system, is recommended for the development of logical thinking. According to the authors, it is suitable for babies in the age range from 3 to 7 years. “Fold the square” looks like a set of different geometric shapes, from which you need to collect the squares. Each detail is painted the same color.
The game is presented in three difficulty levels. In the first, the square is made up of two parts, in the second - of three. With each new level, the number of parts increases.
The Nikitin development methodology suggests that very young children are advised to give no more than three parts for collecting. As for the older kids, they can deal with a square of five parts. And children who are preparing for school can take tasks and more difficult - from seven details.
How successfully the task will be completed depends primarily on the interest of the baby in the game and the level of his training. According to parents, it’s best to start playing “Fold the Square” with the usual tasks. This approach will arouse the child's interest in classes. In addition, each correctly completed task must be reinforced with praise. Nikitins convince that this method will consolidate a positive attitude towards the game.
Fold the Square Principles
Each of the components is mixed by adults, after which the baby sorts everything according to the desired colors. To do this, he selects a handful of details of one shade and gradually adds up small squares. You need to do this without rushing, and each part as a result should turn into a large square. The game should be complicated gradually. The first three boxes are made up of three parts, and the next ones are already made of four, etc.
With the help of such a game, according to the parents who acquired it, the baby can easily develop quick wit, spatial thinking and a sense of color. The child learns logic, thinking which set of geometric shapes can be made into squares. It should gradually complicate the tasks of "icebreaker method." That is, you need to temporarily stop dealing with a difficult task, so that it is easier to deal with in the future. This approach allows children to solve tasks independently, without the participation of mom and dad.
Fold Pattern Game
According to the Nikitins, children from 2 years old can play the next game. Although, according to the reviews of parents, older preschoolers are also interested in creating patterns according to the model.
The game is presented in the form of 16 cubes of exactly the same size, each of the faces of which is painted in a single color - blue, white, yellow and red - colors. The rest have a diagonal separation. In addition, they have contrasting shades (yellow-blue and red-white).
In addition to the box with the game, an understandable instruction is attached, which presents patterns of Nikitin’s technique of varying complexity.
With the help of such educational entertainment, you can develop spatial and figurative thinking, artistic and design abilities, as well as imagination and attention. The named game was to the taste of the parents of the kids, moreover, they found that you can create such cubes yourself. For this purpose, any cubes made of cardboard, wood or plastic are suitable. Their faces can be painted or pasted using colored paper.
The basic rules of the game “Fold the pattern”
Each of the tasks in the aforementioned educational entertainment has its own level of difficulty, so the kid can choose the one that suits him according to his strength.
Each pattern can be invented independently or folded according to the existing sample. While observing the seniors who create the designs, the baby will gladly begin to imitate them, and then make his own drawings. Young children can first create a full-scale pattern on paper, and then create their own images from geometric shapes.
Nikitins are advised to master the so-called icebreaker method, which was mentioned earlier. This means that each of the classes should start with a short pause, while leaving the training back a few steps. After the baby is already able to repeat the task with which he is familiar, mom or dad offer him a new one.
By the way, having adopted Nikitin’s “icebreaker method”, the methodology and technology of the social educator’s work will be of great help. After all, any complexity in the life of a child can be solved in the same way. If the problem cannot be overcome immediately, it is better to leave its solution and deal with it after a while, with renewed vigor.
How to interest a child in a game?
The question of how to interest a child’s game worries many parents. To do this, do not deviate from some principles:
- Education should bring joy to both the baby and his parents. This is the basis of the Nikitin training methodology. After all, every achievement of a child is also an achievement of his mom and dad. Victory inspires children, and this is the key to his success in the future.
- The kid should be interested in the game, but in no case be forced to force it. Each of the tasks the child must perform independently. Parents should be more patient and not suggest the right solution. The kid must think and look for mistakes on his own. Gradually rising, he will begin to cope with tasks of increasing complexity. This Nikitin technique helps a child develop creativity.
- Before assigning children tasks, adults need to try to do them themselves. In addition, parents should record the time during which they can find the answer to a task. Not only a child, but also mom and dad must learn to do it very quickly.
- You should start with tasks that your baby can do, or with the simplest parts. A prerequisite is the success obtained at the very beginning of the game training.
- There are times, according to reviews, when the baby can not cope with the task. This means that adults have overestimated the level of development of their child. You should take a short break for a few days, and then start with the tasks easier. The best solution is if the baby can choose the desired level on their own. In no case can you rush him, otherwise the child will lose interest in learning.
- The order of the game by the method of Nikitin is determined simply. It’s best to start with the Fold Pattern game. Parents can be included in such creativity with their children.
- Each of the hobbies of the baby passes in waves. This means that if his interest in learning begins to disappear, he should not be reminded of the game for several months. After this time, the child can be reminded of her, and he again with pleasure will begin to complete tasks.
- After the baby learns to fold models and patterns according to ready-made instructions, you can move on to new ones. To do this, experienced parents advise to have a notebook and sketch (you can entrust this responsible task to the child) figures for execution.
- You can arrange small competitions. Children in this case solve tasks on an equal basis with adult participants. You do not need to be afraid that the authority of the parents will suffer. The Nikitins developmental technique suggests that kids will like to compete with mom or dad.
Controversial issues
The described technique still causes a lot of controversy. As her opponents emphasize, Elena and Boris Nikitin focused on the development of intelligence, labor skills and physical abilities of children, but did not pay attention to the moral, humanitarian and aesthetic side of education. With the help of these exercises, they say, there is an intense effect on the left half of the brain, and the right is practically not affected.
That is, if the baby has a penchant for the humanities, studying according to the system of Elena and Boris Nikitin, parents can miss the age that is sensitive to the development of such abilities.
Another important issue concerns physical hardening. Despite the fact that the Nikitin family’s methodology highly recommends this, carrying out such procedures should not be overdone. You need to monitor the well-being of your child. There are children who respond well to temperatures of + 18 ° C, but there is also a category that does not tolerate such conditions. In this case, the conditions should be softened.
But in general, if you choose from the Nikitin methodology only what suits the child, as her followers emphasize, you can develop his abilities without much effort.