Early Age

The conviction that the best way to prepare children for a harsh, rapidly changing world is to introduce formal instruction at an early age is wrong. There is simply no evidence to support it, and considerable evidence against it. - David Elkind

Sharing Experiences

Sharing experiences --- whether about our childhood or about likes and dislikes, happy and unhappy times --- is another way of integrating play, love, and work. For when we share experiences, we represent our experience (play), share it with our family (love), and develop communication skills (work). It has another benefit as well. Earlier I suggested that making sacrifices for our children gives them a sense that they are important in our lives and that we care about them deeply. This gives them roots, a sense of being well grounded that enables them to withstand some of life's strongest winds. When we share experiences with our children, we come to appreciate them as individuals and give them the freedom to be the best that they can be. We give them wings to sail with the wind. - David Elkind, The Power of Play

Dawdling

Infants and young children dawdle because they are looking at the world with fresh eyes and ears. - David Elkind

Constructing and Reconstructing

During the early years of life, the child does not learn by 'watching,' 'absorbing,' or 'looking harder.' The young child does learn by constructing and reconstructing the world through his play-generated learning experiences. - David Elkind