Phillip Chipping, CEO and Founder of Knowonder! magazine |
Phillip says:
As parents, there is nothing in the world quite as precious
and special to us as our children and grandchildren. There is a love and magic
there that doesn’t exist anywhere else in our lives. So it is understandable
that we want them to succeed in life! We want them to get good grades in school,
to make good friends, to get good jobs and graduate college. We want them to be
self-sustaining, contributing members of society. And above all, we want them to
have a strong self-esteem, to have confidence, to feel loved, and to be
happy.
So, no pressure, right?!
Of course there is no guaranteed, magic solution to ensuring
that each child will live up to our hopes for them. Each child is
different.
Yet, statistics and new research show that there are
definitely two things, above any others, that have a much higher likelihood of
delivering on these hopes; proactively talking to your child, and regularly reading to your child.
As simple as they sound at first blush, these two things, if
done proactively and regularly, have the potential and power to literally
hardwire your child’s brain for literacy, learning and success!
But therein lies the kicker. These are habits that need to be
formed early on in a child’s life – even starting at birth – and that need to be
done over and over and over, day after day after day. It is in the compounding
of these actions that we find the greatest impacts.
“This particular
strand of research is teaching us that a significant portion of a person’s
intellectual capacity is determined in his or her first 36 months.”
(Disrupting Class, by Clayton Christensen)
It’s interesting to me that research is now showing that
children’s intellectual and physical/eating habits are largely set by the time
they are three years. Think about it.
This is the time of their lives when we, the parents, have almost absolute control of everything that
goes into their minds and mouths.
And so, although a child’s success will largely be determined
by their own choices in life as they grow older, we cannot ignore the impact of
our influence on their lives during their youngest years. We cannot afford to
sit back and pursue our own personal interests and hobbies at the expense of our
children. Just as it would be negligence for us to simply feed a child only the
scraps that fall on the floor, so, too, is it negligent for us to give them our
attention only when it’s convenient for us.
In a world that is hell-bent on providing the easiest,
most-convenient solutions for every situation, we cannot afford to turn to the
TV, the video games, or other forms of entertainment whenever our child is bored
or “in our way.”
I invite you to learn more about the impact of reading to
your child every day, and proactively talking to your infants every day, as well
as the most effective ways these two things can be done. As simple as they
sound, there are definitely “best practices” that every parent and grandparent
should know.
Phillip
Chipping (CEO & Founder) is a born entrepreneur and a natural
storyteller and the creative force behind knowonder!
As a father of four young children, he understands the need to provide
imaginative stimulation and creative outlets to developing minds. Phillip
learned his deep love of reading from an early age, which in turn nurtured his
own imagination and creativity. This fostered in him a desire to find
innovative solutions for everyday problems.
Born
and raised in Salt Lake City, Utah, Phillip had the inspiration for knowonder! while
living with his family in England as the Managing Director of ZAGG Ltd., the UK
arm of ZAGG Inc.; a company Phillip founded. He saw his children’s love of
reading blossom when they had a new story each day and decided to bring that
concept home when they returned. Phillip now lives with his wife and children
in Cache Valley, Utah.
Thanks for sharing! Will check out Knowonder now...
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