Elena and Boris Nikitin became known in our country as teachers, parents and authors who invented the original method of raising children. In addition, they are adherents of the idea that the creative abilities of toddlers are formed from early childhood. Nikitins are happy parents of seven children and grandparents of twenty-four grandchildren.
The essence of the technique
The Nikitins' method is based on the belief that every child already has colossal abilities for any activity from childhood, and the main thing is to have time to realize them. Otherwise, the ability will fade. According to the authors, the abilities and skills are better developed in babies who have been training almost from birth.
Boris Nikitin is the founder of the idea that it is the duty of each parent to create the right developmental environment and "advanced" conditions for children. That is, the space in which they are constantly located (house or apartment) should be filled with manuals and games that promote the development of creativity and intelligence, as well as equipment for physical exercises.
In addition, you need to devote a lot of time to activities with your child. The Nikitin method establishesthat special care should be taken to ensure that the teaching aids for the baby are a little more difficult today than his capabilities.
Key Ideas
In order to better understand this technique, we should consider some of its main ideas.
- No need to do any special exercises, workouts or lessons. Each of the children does exactly as much as he wants. At the same time, gymnastic classes should be combined with other activities.
- Each parent, whether mom or dad, should not be indifferent to the skills and abilities of the baby. Adults should participate in competitions, children's games and in their lives.
- Feeding a newborn baby is necessary on demand, even if he wants to eat at night. You don't need to create any mode specifically. The same applies to children over the age of one year. Elena and Boris adhered to the rule not to force-feed the babies.
- The Nikitins method also confirms the need for regular hardening procedures, as well as air baths. Children should not be in an absolutely sterile environment.
- To teach the basics of hygiene to babies is necessary from their very birth. For this child, you need to stand over the basin, including at night.
- You should give the baby special gymnastic exercises so that he is well developed physically. As Nikitin's methodology emphasizes, it is advisable for children to install a sports complex in an apartment or house so that they can train in their free time.time.
- Children should be given complete freedom to be able to fully experience the world around them. This method will help the baby to take an active position in life.
- Each parent should introduce the child to the world of dangerous objects (for example, matches, scissors). The baby is allowed (under the supervision of one of the adults) to touch the hot pot or lightly prick his finger with a needle. According to Boris Nikitin, this way of education will teach children to be careful, and in the future they will carefully handle dangerous objects.
- If a large threat is encountered (such as a car, a wide open window, or a train), exaggerated fear and apprehension should be portrayed. The kid should take this parental behavior as a model.
- Nikitin's method for children says that you can't categorically forbid something to a child. It is better to say that this new book cannot be torn, but this old read newspaper can be.
- The first time you give your baby a fork, spoon or pencil in your hand, you should immediately fix the correct position of the object. Otherwise, the child will have to be retrained.
Unicube game
Nikitins used "Unicube" as the games supporting the described technique. He was liked by many followers of the named technique. This game includes 27 dice. Each of their faces is painted yellow, red and blue. With the help of them, the child learns what three-dimensional space is. And thanks to this game, in the future he will be able to better master such complex sciences as drawing and mathematics.
60 types of tasks are included as additional materials for Unicubus, each of which has a certain level of difficulty.
The simplest is designed for children aged 2 to 3 years. As the Nikitins say, the early development methodology is designed for somewhat overestimated requirements for the child, giving him the opportunity to grow and develop. Many parents support them in this, but some experts believe that it is not worth giving Unicube to small ones, since it makes no sense to develop spatial thinking at the age of 2 or 3 years. Experts advise younger students to play Unicube.
B. Nikitin's method is based on the fact that parents should not force the baby to study if he does not want to do it - you should not force the child. This means that you need to start dealing with tasks from the game, which should take place in free form. The constructed model can be depicted on paper with the baby.
How to play Unicube
For starters, adults should get to know the rules of the game themselves. The authors of "Unicube" advise parents to try to collect the faces of the same shades on their own. Should be a cube. The kid, of course, may need the help of mom or dad, but in the future he will be happy to play by himself.
If the child does not succeed in any model, then an adult should not help. It would be better if the kid puts off the game for a while, and then starts it with renewed vigor until he figure it out himself. According to the Nikitin method, the cubesany child will love.
Nikitins in their book "Intellectual Games" give recommendations to start practicing with "Unicube" from the moment when the baby is 3 years old. Children can determine their own level of ability by choosing activities.
But, as mentioned earlier, some experts and teachers insist that this game is more suitable for preschoolers. "Unicube", in their opinion, will be an excellent tool for parents who are preparing children for admission to the first grade. Thanks to such activities, the baby will become more attentive and assiduous.
Fold the square game
The next game, which is included in the Nikitins' educational system, is recommended for the development of logical thinking. According to the authors, it is suitable for kids in the age range from 3 to 7 years. "Fold a square" looks like a set of various geometric shapes from which you need to collect squares. Each of their parts is painted in the same color.
The game has three difficulty levels. In the first, the square is made up of two parts, in the second - of three. With each new level, the number of parts increases.
The Nikitins' developmental methodology suggests that it is recommended that very young children be given no more than three parts to collect. As for the older kids, they can deal with a square of five parts. And children who are preparing for school can take on tasks that are more difficult - from seven details.
How successfully the task will be completed depends primarily on the kid's interest in the game and the level of his preparation. According to parents, it is best to start playing Fold the Square with ordinary tasks. This approach will awaken the child's interest in classes. In addition, each correctly completed task must be reinforced with praise. Nikitins are convinced that such a method will consolidate a positive attitude towards the game.
Principles of the "Fold the Square" game
Each of the components is mixed by an adult, after which the baby sorts everything according to the desired colors. To do this, he selects a bunch of details of the same shade and gradually folds small squares. This should be done slowly, and each part should turn into a large square as a result. The game should be made progressively more difficult. The first three squares are made up of three parts, and the next are made up of four, etc.
With the help of such a game, according to the parents who bought it, the baby can easily develop quick wits, spatial thinking and a sense of color. A child learns logic by thinking about what set of geometric shapes can be made into squares. You should gradually complicate the tasks using the “icebreaker method”. That is, you need to stop doing a difficult task for a while, so that it will be easier to cope with it in the future. This approach allows children to solve tasks on their own, without the participation of mom and dad.
Fold the pattern game
The next game, according to the Nikitins, can be played by children from 2 years old. Although, according to parents, it is also interesting for older preschoolers to createpattern by sample.
The game is presented in the form of 16 cubes of exactly the same size, each of the faces of which is painted in a single color - blue, white, yellow and red - colors. The rest have a diagonal division. In addition, they have contrasting shades (yellow-blue and red-white).
In addition to the box with the game, a clear instruction is included, which presents the patterns of the Nikitin technique of varying complexity.
With the help of such educational entertainment, you can develop spatial and figurative thinking, artistic and design abilities, as well as imagination and attention. The named game was to the liking of the parents of the kids, moreover, they found that they could create such cubes on their own. For this purpose, any cubes made of cardboard, wood or plastic are suitable. Their faces can be painted or pasted over with colored paper.
Basic rules of the game "Fold the Pattern"
Each of the tasks in the named educational entertainment has its own level of difficulty, so the baby can choose the one that suits him best.
Each pattern can be invented independently or folded according to the existing pattern. While observing the elders who create designs, the kid will begin to imitate them with pleasure, and then make his own drawings. Young children can first make a life-scale pattern on paper, and then create their own images from geometric shapes.
Nikitins advise mastering the so-called icebreaker method, which has already been mentionedpreviously. This means that each of the classes should begin with a short pause, while going back a few steps in learning. After the baby is already able to repeat the task with which he is familiar, mom or dad offers him a new one.
By the way, having adopted Nikitin's "icebreaker method", the methodology and technology of the work of a social pedagogue will be of good help. After all, any difficulty in the life of a child can be solved in the same way. If the problem cannot be overcome immediately, it is better to leave its solution and deal with it later, with renewed vigor.
How to get a child interested in playing?
The question of how to get a child interested in playing worries many parents. To do this, you should not deviate from some principles:
- Learning should bring joy to both the baby and his parents. This is the basis of the Nikitins' teaching methodology. After all, every achievement of a child is also an achievement of his mom and dad. Victory has an inspiring effect on children, and this is the key to his success in the future.
- The baby should be interested in the game, but in no case should be forced. Each task must be completed independently by the child. Parents should be more patient and not prompt the right decision. The kid must think and look for mistakes on his own. Gradually rising, he will begin to cope with tasks of increasing complexity. This technique of the Nikitins helps the child develop creativity.
- Before assigning tasks to children, adults should try to complete them themselves. In addition, parents shouldwrite down the time for which they can find the answer to a particular task. Not only the child, but also mom and dad must learn to do it very quickly.
- Start with the tasks that the baby can do, or with the simplest parts. A prerequisite is the success obtained at the very beginning of the game training.
- There are cases, according to reviews, when the baby cannot cope with the task. This means that adults overestimated the level of development of their child. You should take a short break for a few days, and then start with easier tasks. The best solution would be if the baby can choose the required level on their own. In no case should you rush him, otherwise the child will lose interest in learning.
- The order of the game according to the method of Nikitin is determined simply. It is best to start with the game "Fold the Pattern". Parents can join in such creativity with their children.
- Each of the baby's hobbies goes in waves. This means that if he begins to lose interest in learning, you should not be reminded of the game for several months. After this time, the child can be reminded of it, and he will again happily begin to complete the tasks.
- After the baby learns to fold models and patterns according to ready-made instructions, you can move on to new ones. To do this, experienced parents are advised to get a notebook and draw there (you can entrust this important task to the child) figures to complete.
- You can have small competitions. Children in this case solve tasks on an equal basis with adult participants. At the same time, it is not necessaryfear that the authority of the parents will suffer. The Nikitins' developmental methodology suggests that kids will enjoy competing with mom or dad.
Controversial issues
The described technique is still a lot of controversy. As its opponents emphasize, Elena and Boris Nikitin focused on the development of the intellect, labor skills and physical abilities of children, but did not pay attention to the moral, humanitarian and aesthetic side of education. With these activities, they say, there is an intense effect on the left side of the brain, while the right side is practically not affected.
That is, if the baby has an inclination towards the humanities, studying according to the system of Elena and Boris Nikitin, parents may miss the age that is sensitive to the development of such abilities.
Another important issue concerns physical hardening. Despite the fact that the technique of the Nikitin family highly recommends this, when carrying out such procedures, one should not overdo it. You need to take care of your child's he alth. There are children who respond well to temperatures of +18°C, but there is also a category that does not tolerate such conditions. In this case, conditions should be relaxed.
But in general, if you choose from the Nikitin method only what suits the child, as her followers emphasize, you can develop his abilities without much effort.
