After three it's too late: the Masaru Ibuki system

Masaru Ibuka argued that the development of brain cells by three years is completed by 70-80%, so you need to "forge the iron while it's hot" andto develop the child while his brain is still being formed. That is why the maximum efforts to educate a child must be applied, until he is three years old. Because of this theory, his book in Russian translation was called "After three it's too late" (in the original and English translation it is called "It's too late in kindergarten").

Forty years ago the book of Masaru Ibuki "After Three Is Already Late" put traditional ideas about the early development of children upside down. It has gained frenzied popularity all over the world (inincluding in Russia), it was even called "the book of the century". In the preface to the English edition, Glen Doman called it one of the most important books ever written, and stated that all parents living in the world should read it.

Masaru Ibuka believes that all people are born approximately the same (if they only do not have physical disabilities), and everything else depends solely on education. A small child is a tabula rasa, pureA sheet on which you can draw anything. The child does not yet have the concepts of "bad" and "good," he sees the world around him as he really is, without artificial division into black and white. This opens up huge opportunities for parents, but at the same time imposes a huge responsibility on them: the child's unique ability to see the world around him is very easy to break.

Masaru Ibuka also believes that a small child has inexhaustible abilities to process information - children are able to learn how to play even whatadults often learn with great difficulty. But he does not believe that the goal of the early development of the child is to make him a genius (which is how many parents perceive early development). The main goal of early development is not to stuff the child with knowledge, but to reveal its potential, to make it smart, kind, healthy and happy.

According to Masaru Ibuk, great importance for the early development of the child is the environment. The main thing in the development of the child is "to catchmoment "for the introduction of a new experience. And who will be able to do this better than the parents who are next to the child from day to day? Therefore, the book "After Three Is Already Late" is not intended for teachers and educators, but for parents.

Masaru Ibuka does not give ready-made recipes for training infants-they simply do not exist. Parents better understand what their child needs. But he gives a few general tips for parents, for example:

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  Often take the baby in his arms;
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  Do not be afraid to take your child with you to bed;
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  never ignore the crying of a child;
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  Do not lisp with the child;
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  it is better to pamper a child than to ignore;
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  not to ignore children's fears - what an adult looks like a small thing can be a serious problem for the child;
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  Do not quarrel in the presence of the child - even a newborn feels when his parents are in conflict;
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  Not to be nervous at the child - parental nervousness is contagious;
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  the leading role in education and upbringing belongs to the mother, but at the same time the father should communicate with the child as often as possible;
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  The more children in the family, the better the relationship between them;
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  the presence of grandfather and grandmother - an excellent stimulus for the development of the child;
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  it is necessary to encourage communication between children;
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  Quarrels with other children develop the child's communication skills;
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  you can not ridicule your child in the presence of others;
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  it is better to praise a child than to scold.
  

Many tips seem obvious to us, but for the Japanese they were truly revolutionary - their traditions of upbringing differed too much from the system proposed by Masaru Ibuka.

Of course, there is in the theory Masaru Ibuki and controversial issues. So, he almost completely denied the influenceheredity on the child's ability, believing that his development is influenced solely by the environment, and what we consider hereditary is in fact the impact of parents already in the process of education. But many researchers with him in this moment will not agree. In general, his system is more focused on the Japanese mentality, so that it may not suit all European children.

What conclusion can be drawn? We will repeat what we say in all articles on the early development of children: not necessarily blindly follow all the points, you can choose only what will benefit your child.