How do you feel about the need in parents to drill & skill their children at home with worksheets/books?

I don’t judge the people who do, but for young children especially, I really just don’t think it is necessary.  I can’t imagine there’s a worksheet out there so good that it could ever replace a real experience.  Your child can learn letters, numbers, shapes and colors in the environment all around him.  He can learn to read by looking at books and being read to.  He can learn numeracy by grouping and counting buttons and beads.  He can learn geometry through building with blocks and spatial perception through puzzles and games. Besides being unnecessary, it’s boring and I don’t believe in making learning boring for convenience or efficiency.

I want my children to grow up smart; but I also want them to be well rounded, well-read, engaged, active, thoughtful and interested in learning new things, and I just don’t think workbooks and drills will get them there. From the ever-expanding section of workbooks at Barnes & Noble, I realize many will disagree with me, and that’s O.K.

We’re interested in hearing your thoughts/views on this. As always, feel free to comment below.

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