Avoid unnecessary child education costs and invest time in things that are really worthwhile

Summary: Many families seeking to obtain the best education for their children spend small fortunes on private schools, other expensive programs and activities, and purchasing "educational" goods. But there is no simple link between expenditure and the best learning and development outcomes. Indeed, in many areas, these expenditures act as a substitute for things that would really benefit children's development - such as more time spent with their parents and relatives building positive character traits, unstructured exploratory and self-directed time, participation in daily life (e.g. meal preparation, household DIY jobs), interaction with their local community, and learning to make the most of their local environment (parks, nature, the urban environment, junk, etc).

As I now have a child (a girl born Dec 2015), I have a significant interest in creating an environment and opportunities for her that is most conducive to her development - including psychology, emotions, character, physical skills, academics and philosophy (thinking about purpose, ethics, etc).

Instead of limiting myself to simply choosing between conventional choices (which school? what paid program?) I plan on expending the time to research much broader options and then try and provide the best ones. Sometimes a significant cost may genuinely be worthwhile, but this will be based on considerable evidence and consideration of all options.

In this post, I will collate mostly links and brief notes as I do this research and reach conclusions.

Details:

This post is a work in progress and is currently about 20% done.

Examples of what not to do:

- Buying age-inappropriate products/services that are counterproductive to healthy development. E.g. Your Baby Can Read.
See: > Little learners in the rug-rat race

- Sending young children to private tutoring programs like Kip McGrath's $530 "Little Learners and Getting Ready for School". Instead of outsourcing the responsibility for basic literacy and numeracy, parents should be reading with their kids and integrating numeracy learning into their daily routines with their children.
See: > Little learners in the rug-rat race

- Buying digital devices, apps and programs for children who are either too young or are best off spending their time learning offline and outdoors.

Examples of what to do:

Creating the environments (particularly at home or where kids spend the most time) that best develop desirable character traits like perseverance, self-control, conscientiousness, curiosity and optimism. See: How children succeed

Focus on intrinsic motivation not extrinsic. Eventually creating an independent, lifelong learner

In institutional/group environments choose or create a culture where the learners want to be there and desire to learn

Actively create the environment for personalized learning including level, style, progression and integration with home-based activities

Developing life skills and exposure to the broadest array of interests, not a focus on just core subjects or official curriculum

Avoid unnecessary testing, note-taking and reporting (including institutional time spent on such activities which detracts from time spent on guiding learning)

Considerable unstructured time and limiting unnecessary schedules

Both free play and play-based learning (which can be child-led or adult-led)

Primarily play-based learning for children younger than 5

Exposure to a variety of learning styles - experiential, instructional, books, games, etc

Regular breaks from learning to be active or do something different. But also the opportunity to continue for long periods if happy and engaged

Self-paced and self-directed learning opportunities

Outdoor play and activities ideally in natural environments you don't have to pay to access

Allowing children to be bored and have to invent their own fun

Open-ended, flexible play and learning facilities, spaces and materials (e.g. limited single-purpose toys)

Judicious decisions regarding the use of technology. Not too young or too much, but at suitable ages the best technology (often used with adults or other kids in blended learning) has many advantages (e.g. finding the best, most visual and engaging explanation of concepts, Khan Academy knowledge maps, etc)

Providing access to environments with junk and natural materials they can re-use and re-purpose for play and learning. Not banning all "artificial" or man-made materials when playing outdoors. Selective incorporation of useful materials like string/rope, tools, fasteners, etc is often best.

Find out what the best conventional learning institutions do and borrow from them. For example, just because you don't send your child to childcare doesn't mean you can't borrow the best of what they offer. You can find out what the best ones do (via research, doing a tour) and provide such opportunities yourself.

Choosing childcare/kinder or alternatives

Read the E4Kids (Effective Early Educational Experiences) study and make decisions accordingly, especially with regard to the level of "instructional support" (concepts, scaffolding, modelling language, responsive feedback) available.

See:

> MGSE - E4Kids

> Prescriptions for developing a child's mind