Essays: children and early schooling

TOPIC 111: Some people think that children should begin their formal education at a very early age and should spend most of their time on school studies. Others believe that young children should spend most of their time playing. Compare these two views. Which view do you agree with? Why?

Essay 1

There is much discussion above when should children begin to study? Some people think that children should start learning as early as possible. Other people, however, argue that young children could begin to study late. As far as I am concerned, young children should spend most of their time playing and not begin studying too early.

Why do some people think that children should begin to study early? For one thing, children are very good at learning because they have good memory and accept new things quickly. If they waste their time when they are young, they probably need to spend much more time in learning the same thing when they are older. As we all know, learning a foreign language is a pain to adults, but is very easy to a child under ten.

Although I agree there may be one or two advantages for children to begin to study early, I insist that the advantages of learning late far overweigh them. In the first place, people who spend most of their time playing could be more creative. Learning more means that children can know more, but also more restrictions will be pushed on them. If children play more, they may find many things interesting in their playing and raise many questions, such as "why can this happen", "Can I invent such a thing to help me?" As a result, they always have more wonderful thoughts than those who begin studying very early, which helps them to study and work creatively when they grow up.

In the second place, children could be more anxious to learn when they grow up if they spend most of their time playing. It is known that children like to play. Even if parents force them sitting in front of the table, they cannot concentrate on the studying stuff. Instead, they are thinking how to finish the study early and go to play. They will be bored in studying when they grow up, since they think they study for their parents. But Children who spend most of their time playing do not have the bad memory of studying. When they grow up, they will be willing to study even if parents do not monitor them, because they feel they are studying for themselves.

In conclusion, I believe that young children should play more not only because that they will be more creative, but also because they will be more anxious to learn when they grow up. Therefore, I strongly hold that all parents should not push their young children into studying too early.

(Essay ID: 538. This is a 5 point essay)

Essay 2

Should children play more or study more? The question is what will be better for the child. There are benefits to both activities, but the answer depends on the details of the situation.

There are many things that could affect the outcome of the argument. What kind of a school is it? It could be a school where children sit at their desks all day long memorizing dates and facts. Or it could be a school where the teacher helps the children learn what they want to learn. I think the second kind is a lot better for a child than the first kind.

Similarly, what kind of play are we talking about? The child could be alone all day long watching television, which could make him or her bored and lonely. Or the child could be involved in group activities with neighborhood children of the same age, which could help him or her learn how to get along with others.

I think both study and play are valuable, so I mould prefer to send my child to a school where there is a combination. I think a variety of activities makes learning easier for anyone at any age.

(Essay ID: 203 )