Is it necessary to formally teach children younger than 5 years of age?
• We believe most children, 4 years of age and under, are not ready for formal education. Their motor skills are clumsy and their attention span is short. We feel it is important for parents to enjoy their children at these ages and not become so anxious to get them into the world of reading and writing too fast. Creating, exploring, and playing is most often robbed from the child, if “school” is introduced too soon. • It is vital that you ask God to give you a vision for training and educating your children before or when they are born. You and your husband should write down your goals for your family and discuss them yearly, if not more. These goals should be transferred to a realistic yearly, monthly, weekly, and daily schedule. Keeping to a schedule was as important to our family, when our children were toddlers, as scheduling is today. • Our goals as parents of young children should focus on teaching our children — to fall in love with God and obey His Word, to love their parent
