The Book
The Book 'Too Much, Too Soon?', edited by Dr Richard House and published in the Early Years Education series of Hawthorn Press, is a collaboration by twenty-three early years experts who have come together to express their concern about the current erosion of childhood.
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Too Much, Too Soon?- Early Learning and The Erosion of Childhood
Too Much, Too Soon argues that we are failing our young children. Many eminent educators, psychologists, policy-makers, scientists and academic researchers endorse the book’s analysis and constructive proposals. These will spark a lively national debate about early years education and childrens’ needs. This book is an essential resource for early years educators, lecturers, carers, psychologists, parents and policy-makers working with children. British children are among the unhappiest in Europe, with relatively poor levels of educational attainment. So when the English Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) became law, Open EYE argued that the EYFS could even make matters worse. The literacy targets were politically driven, imposed too young, and ignored research and children’s development paths. EYFS was like building a house by starting with the roof and working downwards before laying proper foundations. It was too much too young, with too little play, and it eroded childhood.
Too Much, Too Soon? tackles the burning question of how to nurture young children’s well-being and learning. Children’s lives are speeded up by commercialisation, ‘adultification’, and the government’s so-called ‘nappy curriculum’ which pushes mandatory, overly cognitive learning at too young an age. These 23 hard-hitting chapters by educators, researchers and policy-makers advocate wise, practical ways for slowing childhood, better policy-making and the ‘right learning at the right time’.
Introduction Richard House; Foreword Annette Brooke MP; Preface, Steve Biddulph
Part 1: Policy-making and the Erosion of Childhood: The Case of the Early Years Foundation Stage, incl. Penelope Leach on children’s real early learning foundations.
Part 2: The Foundations of Child Development and Early Learning: Perspectives, Principles and Practices: respected international authorities on play, neuroscience, child development, learning readiness, psychology and early education, incl. ‘Physical foundations for learning’ by Sally Goddard Blythe and ‘Can we play?’ David Elkind; plus Sylvie Hétu, Lillian Katz, Lynne Oldfield, Tricia David, Wendy Ellyatt, Hillevi Lenz Taguchi, Kim Simpson.
Part 3; Advocacy, Research and Policy-making for Children’sEarly Years Learning: Sue Palmer, Sebastian Suggate, Aric Sigman, Richard House
Part 4: Ways Ahead; Grethe Hooper Hansen, Barry Sheerman MP; Richard House and Wendy Scott
This book is a timely resource for educators, nursery teachers, carers, early education lecturers, researchers, policy-makers, parents, child clinical and educational psychologists. It is relevant to all interested in child development, early years education, childcare, policy, research, play and literacy.
Book Endorsements
Children’s early experiences have life-long effects on their values, attitudes and personal life-chances. Too Much, Too Soon? argues that Britain is letting down an entire generation. Politicians, parents and educators can’t afford to ignore this message.
Sue Palmer, literacy specialist, author of Toxic Childhood
This timely book offers a wide-ranging collective wisdom on how to optimize the individual potential of the next generation.
Baroness Susan Greenfield
The government is focused on getting young children ready for school instead of on getting them ready for life. Early and rigid academic goals are often achieved at the expense of social and emotional growth. Learning is for life not for school.
Penelope Leach
A clarion call for evidence-based educational reform.
Professor Kathy Hirsh-Pasek
Some of the most outstanding and capable advocates of children’s well-being in the UK today.
Steve Biddulph, Preface
An overwhelming case for meeting the needs of children in the early years.
Oliver James, psychologist and author
Many health and education experts now link the ‘too much, too soon’ mind-set to increased stress in children and decreased levels of creativity, curiosity, problem-solving, and social capacity. It is high time for a paradigm shift, and this book can serve as a lever to bring that about.
Joan Almon, Alliance for Childhood
Offers well-reasoned recommendations for policy, indispensable reading for all concerned with children in their early years.
Kevin J. Brehony, Froebel Professor of Early Childhood Studies, Roehampton University
Too Much, Too Soon argues that we are failing our young children. Many eminent educators, psychologists, policy-makers, scientists and academic researchers endorse the book’s analysis and constructive proposals. These will spark a lively national debate about early years education and childrens’ needs. This book is an essential resource for early years educators, lecturers, carers, psychologists, parents and policy-makers working with children. British children are among the unhappiest in Europe, with relatively poor levels of educational attainment. So when the English Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) became law, Open EYE argued that the EYFS could even make matters worse. The literacy targets were politically driven, imposed too young, and ignored research and children’s development paths. EYFS was like building a house by starting with the roof and working downwards before laying proper foundations. It was too much too young, with too little play, and it eroded childhood.
Too Much, Too Soon? tackles the burning question of how to nurture young children’s well-being and learning. Children’s lives are speeded up by commercialisation, ‘adultification’, and the government’s so-called ‘nappy curriculum’ which pushes mandatory, overly cognitive learning at too young an age. These 23 hard-hitting chapters by educators, researchers and policy-makers advocate wise, practical ways for slowing childhood, better policy-making and the ‘right learning at the right time’.
Introduction Richard House; Foreword Annette Brooke MP; Preface, Steve Biddulph
Part 1: Policy-making and the Erosion of Childhood: The Case of the Early Years Foundation Stage, incl. Penelope Leach on children’s real early learning foundations.
Part 2: The Foundations of Child Development and Early Learning: Perspectives, Principles and Practices: respected international authorities on play, neuroscience, child development, learning readiness, psychology and early education, incl. ‘Physical foundations for learning’ by Sally Goddard Blythe and ‘Can we play?’ David Elkind; plus Sylvie Hétu, Lillian Katz, Lynne Oldfield, Tricia David, Wendy Ellyatt, Hillevi Lenz Taguchi, Kim Simpson.
Part 3; Advocacy, Research and Policy-making for Children’sEarly Years Learning: Sue Palmer, Sebastian Suggate, Aric Sigman, Richard House
Part 4: Ways Ahead; Grethe Hooper Hansen, Barry Sheerman MP; Richard House and Wendy Scott
This book is a timely resource for educators, nursery teachers, carers, early education lecturers, researchers, policy-makers, parents, child clinical and educational psychologists. It is relevant to all interested in child development, early years education, childcare, policy, research, play and literacy.
Book Endorsements
Children’s early experiences have life-long effects on their values, attitudes and personal life-chances. Too Much, Too Soon? argues that Britain is letting down an entire generation. Politicians, parents and educators can’t afford to ignore this message.
Sue Palmer, literacy specialist, author of Toxic Childhood
This timely book offers a wide-ranging collective wisdom on how to optimize the individual potential of the next generation.
Baroness Susan Greenfield
The government is focused on getting young children ready for school instead of on getting them ready for life. Early and rigid academic goals are often achieved at the expense of social and emotional growth. Learning is for life not for school.
Penelope Leach
A clarion call for evidence-based educational reform.
Professor Kathy Hirsh-Pasek
Some of the most outstanding and capable advocates of children’s well-being in the UK today.
Steve Biddulph, Preface
An overwhelming case for meeting the needs of children in the early years.
Oliver James, psychologist and author
Many health and education experts now link the ‘too much, too soon’ mind-set to increased stress in children and decreased levels of creativity, curiosity, problem-solving, and social capacity. It is high time for a paradigm shift, and this book can serve as a lever to bring that about.
Joan Almon, Alliance for Childhood
Offers well-reasoned recommendations for policy, indispensable reading for all concerned with children in their early years.
Kevin J. Brehony, Froebel Professor of Early Childhood Studies, Roehampton University
