Does it seem to you that activities at Romp n’Roll can get a little chaotic at times? What’s with all the free choice and independent play? Why aren’t the children being required to sit still and pay attention to the adults? After all, that is what is happening at a lot of other early education programs. And isn’t that what will prepare them for success in school later on?

有时候你是不是觉得在悦宝园里的活动有点儿小混乱？为什么要让宝宝们这么完全自主的不受干扰的玩耍？宝宝们为什么没有被要求坐坐好，然后专心听老师讲？总之，其他早教课程也是类似的风格。这会对他们将来的学习有什么帮助么？

Actually, nothing could be farther from the truth. An effective educational program is one that respects the fundamental realities of development. And the fact is that infants, toddlers, and even preschoolers simply are not built to sit still and pay attention for prolonged periods of time. While there is steady improvement in attention span during the early years, it is still a long way from where it is going to be when they are six, seven, or eight years old and beyond.

其实，这是再正确不过的做法了。一个有效的教育体系一定是要尊重孩子发育的本质。事实是，婴儿、幼儿、甚至是学前宝宝都坐不住，当然也不能保持持久的注意力。宝宝们会一点点的增强他们的专注力的，但这是个漫长的过程，这过程要贯穿到他们长到6岁、7岁或者8岁甚至以后……

Consequently, when young children are required to sit still and pay attention for prolonged periods, two things tend to happen. First, their motivation to learn is obliterated as education becomes a dreadful chore rather than an enjoyable endeavor. Second, when they can’t comply, they are instilled with the idea that there is something wrong with them when in reality the problem is the totally unfair, unrealistic, and inappropriate expectations being placed on them.

所以，当小宝宝被要求久坐或持续关注时通常会发生两件事。第一件事就是，当受教育变成一种痛苦的差事儿，而不是愉快的探索时，孩子们学习的主动性将被消磨殆尽。还有就是当他们被干预后，会产生一种错误的想法，那就是所有问题都是他们的错，即使是以后，当他们在生活中遇到不公正的问题、或者是不实际的和不适宜的期许时，他们都会自卑和自责。

As any grade school teacher will tell you, the best predictors of a child’s academic success are his self-confidence and his eagerness to learn. And by respecting the steadily progressing but still limited attention span of young children, Romp n’ Rollensures that the children maintain positive attitudes about themselves and about education – attitudes that will serve them very well as elementary school students in the future.

从小学老师到博士导师都会告诉你，只有自信和渴望学习的热情才是让孩子学有所成的最好保障。尊重孩子们的容易分神，因为这是他们发育中的一个过程，悦宝园让孩子们保有自信和对学习的热情，这种态度会对他们未来的小学生活获益匪浅。

每个孩子都多少经历过些非自愿的学习吧？

悦小编小时候就是4岁学琴。

那时候，我每周都要跟着父亲去上钢琴课，一次课是一个小时。

当时父亲对我说，他只想给我一个爱好，不要求我弹成什么样。

已经算得某种开明了是不是？

但对4岁的我来说，钢琴课依旧很难熬。

那时候我太小了，坐在琴凳上，脚够不到地，不得不每次搬个小凳子当脚踏。需要踩钢琴脚踏做消音、延音的时候，我总无法完成——脚够不着啊

更糟糕的是，我和我的老师互看不爽——我并不适合弹琴，因为小拇指的长度到不了无名指的最后一个关节。这点第一天上课老师就对我说了。再加上4、5岁的孩子练琴坐不住。这样的我不可能成为师父的得意门生。

我的练琴生涯在9岁时结束。

如果按照博士的博文，我至少应该8岁以后再尝试这样学琴是不是？

如果我是8岁开始上每次1小时的琴课，没准儿会比从4岁弹，弹得更久。

但我是肯定不会把我今天发的博文给父亲看的，

也不会跟他说这些“如果”。

因为让闺女“四岁学琴”这事儿，至今每每谈起，都是那老头儿平生的得意之处。

只不过，我是不会再让我的两个儿子去学琴了。