Turn on any children’s television programme or live entertainment and you are in danger of being bombarded by cacophonous sound; flashing lights, raucous colour and wild movement. We denigrate ‘hot-housing’, yet it seems that at every turn, we over-stimulate young children – filling their world with noise and bustle, shouting and action.
Stimulating babies and children is widely seen as vital to raising standards, accelerating development and promoting learning. Descriptions of good or excellent teaching frequently emphasise pace and, all too often, this is taken to mean that children should be hurried through the day – ten minutes for this, five minutes for that. No time for the proverbial standing and staring, pondering or wondering – above all, reflecting.
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