Peace for Preschoolers is Spelled T-I-M-E

Today I realized that perhaps the hardest thing for parents to give our children is also the simplest: time. Not just time building relationships or time for fun activities, but simply time to quietly ponder life.

Today Eliana had a perfect late morning and early afternoon as she listened to “The Chronicles of Narnia” on Audible and ran her fingers over a toy piano keyboard.

I didn’t keep track of time in hours, but in book volumes.

It was sometime after “The Magician’s Nephew” and “The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe”– not far into “The Horse and His Boy”– when she called me over.

“Mama listen,” she said, “this sounds like the Barney Song.” Sure enough, she had worked out a bit of a melody.

I know many people believe that this focus and natural desire for learning is purely genetic. But I can’t help believing that there’s something more to the story. That maybe many children never get a chance to experience the peace that comes with mostly empty hours.

I wonder if more hours and concentrated effort teaching young children produces diminishing returns. Meanwhile perhaps knowledge compounds in a rich educational environment.

At any rate, a little structured learning time and plenty of time to day dream, play, and ponder life is working for Eliana.  Over the past two years we’ve worked up from an average 15 minutes to one hour a day (though not everyday) of learning something from a book. The results have been incredible.

Now my challenge is to ensure that I continue to give her these hours to absorb all things she finds interesting. That’s no easy proposition in a world where simply leaving a child alone with her thoughts is a counter-cultural proposition.

But as I see the peace and delight in her eyes I’m certain this peaceful time is not only good for the mind– it’s also good for the soul. And that’s worth fighting for.