Baby Flash Cards - Can They Make My Child Smarter?

How do I use baby flash cards?
Some teachers may ask why put in all that effort during the first few years of your infant's life? Are babies are merely repeating sounds without taking in meanings? Studies show that babies as early as four months old are able to learn bacic mathematics, new languages and comprehend written words.
The advantages of helping your baby before they reach the formal years of schooling are enormous. Your child will have more skills in the classroom compared to their peers and will have enthusiasm for further learning.

The most effective way to train a toddler's brain is through using baby flash cards. Maths in particular has been a notable subject area for toddlers to train and make great progress. Baby flash card learning allows children to use their right-brain to identify the number of dots on a page, rather than counting them.

Do babies like flash cards?
A toddler would enjoy learning as they are naturally curious about the world around them. Your role as a parent and teacher is to make the learning session enjoyable. Use encouragement for your baby, and most importantly - speaking alongside with your infant as the flash cards play. There is no need to have set time constraints for teaching. Be calm and patient with your child and allow them to learn at their own pace, as baby flash cards are supposed to be a fun activity. Do not be discouraged if you show the flash cards to your toddler and there is no initial progress, continue using flash cards on a daily basis as your infant is naturally taking in and will absord the information.

When you show them visual cues with flash cards, the right-brain will be absorbing the information subconsciously for later reference. The right brain uses an intuitive memory, which is more active in a child and easier to trigger than in adults, who later become dominated by their left-brains. Our own use of flash cards has shown toddlers (18 months to 2 years) counting or identifying the differences between 98 and 99 dots on a single page in a few seconds.

Left-brain dominance results in linear thoughts, and recall is correlated to the degree of repetition and 'rote' learning associated with a concept or set of facts. Hence problem solving can be achieved but is based on what has been methodically repeated and consciously classified as 'important'. This rote style learning is difficult in young children, which is why people assume early teaching is not feasible.

How often should I practice flash cards with my toddler?
The optimal amount of time to practice flashcard teaching is three times a day, on a daily basis with your baby. If you miss on that day, then it's OK to continue the next day or day after as intermittent exposure is better than none at all. Treat it as a normal play time or interaction, and not a special exception. The advantage of using baby DVDs is that it provides structured sequencing of the flashcards, you can then sit with your infant(and not opposite them) and speak and repeat each card as it is shown. Progress your child to using child flash cards as a natural step, reinforcing structured learning in a non-stressful way. It opens up the child to learning foreign languages and sciences, where retention of formula and phrases are important components to developing competency. Children learn words contextually, meaning they learn by association of the sound, and action or object, with emphasis provided by you. The most important thing to remember is to have fun with your baby and see them grow into a confident and happy child when they are ready for formal schooling.


Further Reading:

Castro-Caldas, A., Peterson, K.M., Reis, A., Stone-Elander, S. & Ingvar, M. (1998). "The Illiterate Brain. Learning to Read and Write during Childhood Influences the Functional Organization of the Adult Brain" Brain, 121(6), 1053-1063.
Doman, G. & Doman, J. (2005). How to Teach Your Baby Math: the Gentle Revolution. USA: Square One Publishers.
Doman, G. (2002). How to Teach Your Baby to Read. USA: Natl Book Network.
Faure, M. & Richardson, A. (2005). Baby Sense: Understanding Your Baby's Secret World. Citadel Press.