Young kids are sponges. Developmentally, that is exactly where they are at. There is even a form of education, called classical education, that tries to reach kids right where they are at developmentally. The elementary years are spent in learning the building blocks for the next stages that involve more critical thinking. However, because kids are naturally absorbing the world around them, they try and replicate that. I’m not necessarily promoting classical education right now. I really haven’t done enough research about it to truly know my opinion. However, I can tell you that kids are sponges during the baby to elementary age years, and you can really try and tap into that ability. When I had my own tutoring business, I was asked to home school a preschool child and a kindergarten student. You should have seen the crazy words these kids were learning. The vocabulary I was giving them was insane, and they could grasp it. Kids catch on to so much right now. People have a tendency to talk down to kids and use simple language. I would encourage you to use normal language, explaining terms as needed. However, if you terminology in context, they will begin to grasp what it means without added explaination. If you think about it, everything is new to them. They are learning all sorts of new vocabulary daily. If they can learn dinosaur, they can learn philanthropy. You can throw out all kinds of words, explaining as necessary, and you will be surprised as they begin to use them. It is also a great time to teach foreign language. I would encourage the study of foreign language at a young age. It just ties into where they are at developmentally. You also have to be aware of your own vocabulary because you will find that they pick up on it so quickly. You don’t want to say anything you don’t want them repeating. Don’t underestimate what your child is capable of learning.
