Best years of their lives: But experts warn that today's young children have hectic schedules(dailymail.co.uk) |
Babies are being turned into ‘mini adults’ with busy schedules of singing, yoga, gym, swimming and salsa classes, childcare experts claim. They say children are forced to grow up too soon due to the commercialisation of childhood and targets set by the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) – or ‘nappy curriculum’ – in schools. Their concerns are raised in a new book, Too Much, Too Soon?, due to be submitted to the Department for Education’s consultation on the EYFS, which ends on Friday. One of the book’s authors, infant massage instructor Sylvie Hétu, says: ‘Babies now have “schedules” that are as important as those of adults. It is quite common that babies have a class every day. ‘Baby music, baby yoga, baby gym, baby singing, baby salsa, baby language, baby Einstein, and baby swim classes are all very common nowadays.’ Many baby classes – such as salsa and yoga – require mothers to perform the activity, but provide an opportunity for ‘bonding’. However, Miss Hétu says infants should be protected from ‘over-stimulation’ and need the ‘calm presence of their parents’ and ‘day-to-day house sounds’. She also calls for a revival in lullabies, saying a generation of parents do not ‘intuitively sing’ to their babies. The book, edited by Dr Richard House of the Open EYE campaign group, concludes: ‘The evidence is overwhelming that “too much, too soon” is deeply damaging both to individual children and to our culture. ‘Educators, parents and policy-makers have a grave responsibility to arrest and reverse the “adultification” of children and childhood in whatever ways they can.’ (Read by Nelly Min. Nelly Min is a journalist at the China Daily Website.) (Agencies)
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英國(guó)育兒專(zhuān)家稱(chēng),寶寶們由于日程安排太滿(mǎn),正被變成“小大人”。他們整日都要忙于學(xué)習(xí)唱歌、瑜伽、體操、游泳、和薩爾薩舞等技能。 專(zhuān)家表示,由于兒童經(jīng)濟(jì)的商業(yè)化,以及學(xué)校早期教育綱要(EYFS),或稱(chēng)為“早教課程”設(shè)定的目標(biāo),兒童正被揠苗助長(zhǎng)。 新書(shū)《過(guò)多,過(guò)早?》提到了他們的憂(yōu)慮,這本新書(shū)將被提交給英國(guó)教育部的早期教育綱要研討會(huì),會(huì)議將于周五結(jié)束。 該書(shū)作者之一、幼兒按摩師希爾維·海圖說(shuō):“寶寶們的日程安排如今和大人們的一樣重要?,F(xiàn)在寶寶每天上一堂課都很正常?!?/p> “幼兒音樂(lè)、幼兒瑜伽、幼兒體操、幼兒歌曲、幼兒薩爾薩舞、幼兒語(yǔ)言、幼兒智商、幼兒游泳等課程現(xiàn)在很常見(jiàn)?!?/p> 很多幼兒課程,比如薩爾薩舞和瑜伽,要求媽媽也參加,這也為“親子”創(chuàng)造了機(jī)會(huì)。 但海圖小姐表示,幼兒不該被“過(guò)分激勵(lì)”,他們需要“家長(zhǎng)安靜的陪伴”,以及“日常家庭生活”。 她還呼吁父母給寶寶唱搖籃曲,并表示現(xiàn)在的父母不會(huì)“下意識(shí)地”唱給寶寶聽(tīng)。 該著作由“睜眼看世界”組織的理查德?豪斯博士編輯,結(jié)論稱(chēng):“有充分的證據(jù)表明,‘過(guò)多、過(guò)早’的理念對(duì)幼兒和我們的文化都構(gòu)成了嚴(yán)重影響。” “不管采用什么手段,教育家、父母、和政策制定者都有責(zé)任制止并糾正幼兒和童年的‘成人化’?!?/p> 相關(guān)閱讀 (中國(guó)日?qǐng)?bào)網(wǎng)英語(yǔ)點(diǎn)津 Julie 編輯:馮明惠) |
Vocabulary: salsa: 薩爾薩舞,一種拉丁風(fēng)格的舞蹈 lullaby: a soothing song with which to lull a child to sleep(催眠曲,搖籃曲) |