Most modern parents believe that from the very first days of a child's life, it is necessary to comprehensively develop it. Today, there are many pedagogical systems developed by both foreign and domestic specialists aimed at the early development of the child.
In this article, we will talk about one of them, which has been popular for several decades, authored by Glen Doman, a neurosurgeon from the United States. The technique of this author, contributing to the earlier development of children, is now widely used throughout the world. She is engaged in with both healthy children and those with any developmental problems.
Who is Doman?
Before we begin to consider the technique, let's say a few words about its author - Glen Doman. In 1940, he successfully graduated from the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, after which he worked for a short time in the hospital as a physiotherapist. He served in the infantry throughout the Second World War, going from a private to a company commander.
Returning to a peaceful life, he resumed medical practice, and subsequently engaged in the rehabilitation of children with serious pathologies and diseases of the nervous system, as well as various brain dysfunctions. In 1955, he created, and then for a long time, and directed the Philadelphia Institute for Human Development. As a result of many years of research and practical work with both sick and healthy children, many discoveries have been made and a development technique for Glenn Doman has been created.
Basic provisions
When developing the early development system, Doman and the staff of the institute headed by him relied on the following principles:
- Only with constant work can the human brain grow and develop.
- The child’s intelligence develops best with intensive brain load from the first days of life to three years.
- The good physical development of a small person contributes to a more intensive formation of the brain and motor intelligence.
- In the phase of active growth, which lasts from the moment of birth to 3-5 years, the child’s brain is programmed for training and does not require additional motivation.
When to start?
Based on the basic principles developed by Glen Doman, the method of early development can be used starting from 3 months, when the child is already responding to objects. The classes begin with a demonstration of cards, which depict a variety of real objects - fruits, animals, toys, birds, vehicles and others. Thanks to such activities, logical thinking, speech, attention, photographic and audio memory develop. Parents who used the technique of Glenn Doman in their classes with children leave positive reviews, since for the kid it is an exciting game, not a boring training. This technique is designed for children under the age of three, since later, Doman noted, the ability to absorb new information is significantly reduced.
Motor intelligence
The more intensively the child’s brain is loaded, the faster it develops, Glen Doman found out as a result of research. The technique that he developed suggests developing the baby’s mental activity through the formation of “motor” intelligence, that is, through the development of a variety of motor skills. To “force” the development of movements, Doman developed a special simulator - a track for crawling. This is a narrow space, limited on two sides by sides. The width of the track should be such that the hips and forearms of the baby touch the sides. All this is aimed at creating an imitation of the intrauterine space and awakening in the child’s memory the “first reflex”, thanks to which he could be born. Such a simulator allows the baby to crawl and “conquer” fairly large distances by the age of 4 months, thereby developing its motor intelligence, brain and ability to perceive new information.
You can make a similar design from two ready-made bookshelves, covering the walls and the space between them with a soft blanket or plaid. To interest the baby, at the end of the "path" you can install a bright toy.
Main tool
In parallel with the simulator track, special cards are used for the early development of children.
They are made of a certain size and contain realistic images and inscriptions, which helps the child to perceive information and get the brain load necessary for development. It is enough for the baby to show cards with images of the concepts being studied, and the child will find the rules to which they obey. According to Glen Doman himself, this technique, if used correctly, will be able to raise a child prodigy and genius.
Where to get them?
If there is interest and a desire to work out with your child, then you can:
- buy;
- find kits on the Internet and print them;
- pick up pictures and make cards yourself.
It’s only important to remember that if the technique of Glenn Doman is used, the cards should be with a white background on which a large, and most importantly, as realistic as possible image of the object is placed.
At the bottom, in large red letters the word is written, which denotes the object, object or phenomenon depicted in the picture.
Creation Rules
For those who decide to make Doman cards with their own hands, here are their main parameters and characteristics:
- Dimensions: 28 x 28 cm. As many parents note, a decrease of a couple of centimeters did not affect the classes.
- Each card has one image.
- The background is only white.
- The image should be clear and as realistic as possible.
- The name of the item depicted on the card is written under it in large red block letters. On the reverse side, duplicate the inscription in pencil. In the future, it will be possible to record interesting facts and information there.
- The proposed information should be new and unfamiliar to the child, otherwise he will quickly lose interest.
How to conduct classes?
How often and how much time classes will continue, parents decide for themselves, focusing on the physical and emotional state of the baby and his regimen. It is worth doing only when the child is calm and alert, has slept and is full.
For classes, you need to pick up 5 cards related to one topic and demonstrate to the baby each for several seconds, while pronouncing the name of the subject, recommends Glen Doman. The methodology envisages the replacement of one card from the set with a new one after three lessons. Thus, all pictures will be replaced. In about a week, you can slowly get to know both the method itself and the cards.
Starting from the second week, the following daily routine is recommended:
- prepare in advance 5 sets of words of the same or different topics;
- during each lesson, one set is demonstrated once;
- lesson time about 10-15 seconds;
- up to 15 demonstrations are held per day;
- each set and card is shown to the child three times a day.
Learning to read
The technique of reading Glenn Doman is based on mechanically memorizing the whole word at once by the kid, and not folding it from separate letters and syllables.
First, the child is shown and voiced individual words, then phrases, and then simple sentences. On the same principle as working with cards, reading books are built. For several days, an adult reads a book two to three times a day. At some point, the child will want to read the book on his own. Since the baby remembers the whole word, and does not add syllables from the letters, seeing it in the text, he recognizes and reproduces its sound.
Foreign languages
If your kid masters his native language without any difficulties, then the technique of Glenn Doman is English, and another foreign language will also help to master. You can start practicing from the age of two.
Before starting to learn a foreign language with a child, parents should adequately assess their level of proficiency in it. A well-defined pronunciation and knowledge of grammatical foundations will be sufficient to help the child learn a new language. If you doubt your own pronunciation or knowledge, it is better to find a teacher.
Regardless of whether there is a teacher or not, it is possible to organize the following flows of information for a child that will contribute to the study of the selected language:
- Songs and audio fairy tales, television broadcasts in this language, which can be included as a background when playing or laying to children from birth to two years. Most likely, the child will not look at the screen, but his brain will “record” words and sounds.
- Starting from two years, when a child can already for a rather long time focus on a moving image, one can start watching animated films, fairy tales, and theater plays for children in a foreign language. This will help the baby to correlate situations, movements and objects with sounds and understand their meaning.
- From the age of three, you can teach your child to use interactive language learning programs on a computer or other device.
Thanks to the tremendous work that Glen Doman did, the method of early development of children became very popular. Many parents take it as a basis and optimize for the age characteristics of the development and health status of their baby, often combining it with elements of other systems. Remember that for a child this is a game and it should be fun, interesting and exciting.