• Print out small cards. Doman cards for the little ones. A complete description of the Doman technique in simple words. basic principles of training “according to Doman”

    29.11.2023

    I often come across the question on forums: “Where can I get material for the Doman method? Do it yourself? It’s so long and a lot!!!”

    Therefore, I decided to dispel the doubts of those who want to study, but are afraid that they will not be able to cope with the preparation of the large amount of material necessary for successful training using the Doman method.

    So, if you want work with the child from birth
    Then you still have to put a little effort into preparing the material. Since the child’s visual apparatus is not yet fully developed at birth, you will have to make large cards with contrasting patterns.

    Examples of such cards can be found on the website:
    http://www.brillkids.com/free-download/infant-stimulation-cards.php
    In fact, you can simply print them! That's all the preparation!
    Of course, you can already start teaching your child to read from birth, but the cards for this must also be special, and you will have to make them yourself.

    Here is a quote about teaching a newborn to read from a book. Andrey Manichenko “How to teach a child to read: methods of teaching fluent reading from birth” :
    “Card size: 15 x 50 cm.
    Letter height: 12 cm.
    The letters must be red, distinct and bright.
    Remember: You are providing the primary and most important visual stimulation.
    You will need 21 cards of this format for teaching newborns from birth to 3 months.

    If you started learning from birth, then start with one word. It is best to use the child's name. While cradling him in your arms, hold the card in front of him at a distance of half a meter and say his name out loud. But first, take the card and watch the expression on his face, turning it so that it is more convenient for him. When he sees the written word, say it out loud and clearly. The child will try to focus his gaze on the card for 1-2 seconds.
    After this, put the card aside.
    First, you need to choose 7 words that you often use and that are useful for your baby to know (his name, “mom”, “dad”, names of body parts).
    There should be good lighting in the room when showing the card.
    On day 1, show 1 word at least 10 times.
    On the 2nd day, take the 2nd word and also show it at least 10 times.
    And so on throughout the 1st week (7 days).
    2nd week. On Day 1, go back to the first word and show it at least 10 times. On the 2nd day - 2nd word at least 10 times, etc.
    Repeat this for three weeks.
    Soon, as soon as you pull out the word, the child will immediately show signs of excitement, fidgeting and moving his legs.
    4th week. Choose new 7 words and go through the same three-week cycle with them.
    This system needs to be practiced until the child reaches 8-10 weeks (2-2.5 months). With such activities, your baby can outpace his peers in development by 2-4 weeks.”

    Let's move on... If Your baby is between 3 and 6 months old
    Then you can move on to smaller size cards, and if you don’t want to make them yourself, you can purchase set of cards from the company “Umnitsa” “Reading from the cradle” .

    From my experience I will say: the manual is very convenient, so if it seems to you that it is expensive, then I should dispel your doubts. You will not regret making this investment in your child's development. The cards are printed on high-quality cardboard, making them easy to display quickly, and besides, you don’t have to painfully compose words every evening. There are already 8 hundred words! Of course, you won’t have enough of them for the entire training period, but you will be able to use this set for a long time. Manya and I started studying at 3 months old, now we are almost 11, and we still use these cards!

    For those, who makes cards on their own? , let me clarify: the letters must be at least 3.5 cm in height (if you print, then the font is Arial 200) and red, the card size is 10.5 * 29 cm (half a sheet of A4 format). Until 6 months I would not reduce the size of the letters.

    It would be good to start studying mathematics at this time. “Clever Girls” manual “Mathematics from the cradle” also great for this purpose! You don’t have to swear every evening to draw or glue from 1 to 100 dots onto large cardboard cards! All this has already been done for you! In addition, a detailed methodology with exercises is included. So my advice to you is, don’t save! Buy with confidence! Better save your time and peace of mind!

    Although there is a more budget option for those who has a color printer : you can print cards from the presentation on cardboard (fortunately there are already many such presentations on the Internet!), for example, from this one: http://worldsbesteducation.org/math.aspx
    But only print on cardboard, because... You will use these cards for about a year, and sometimes the child will not even mind chewing them.

    Finally, if Your baby is already 6 months old, then you can start using presentations on your computer.

    Now your capabilities will expand significantly: you will be able to do not only reading and mathematics, you will be able to show your child cards with bits of information from any field of knowledge!

    Everything will depend only on the interest of the child himself, it is he who should become the leader in the process of classes, he will determine what he likes more and what he likes less, and you just need to carefully look at his reaction.

    The only advice: during the learning process, never change both the color of the letters and the font size at the same time! The child must get used to the changes, so do one thing, and after a couple of weeks do something else.

    Now the most important thing! Where will we get presentations?

    There is also a very useful English-language site http://www.brillbaby.com/ There is just a ton of materials and recommendations on the forum http://forum.brillkids.com

    From Russian-language forums I would recommend
    http://forum.umnitsa.ru/
    And
    http://forum.razumniki.ru/

    There you will find not only cards and presentations, but also a lot of useful information about ways to display cards, difficulties that arise in the learning process and ways to overcome them, about other early development methods, about the physical development of a child according to Doman, about infant swimming, etc. .

    I especially like the forum http://forum.umnitsa.ru/. There is a friendly atmosphere there, and your questions will always be answered, supported, and helped! I’ve never seen posts there throwing mud at each other or methods. In general, it is very comfortable, cozy and educational! Highly recommend!

    If you see a child who at the age of three already reads and counts, knows all the capitals of the world, and whose vocabulary exceeds yours, do not be surprised, this is not a child prodigy. This is most likely a baby with whom his parents worked from birth using the Glenn Doman method.

    Of all the modern methods of early development and raising children, this is the most effective and accessible. To learn, you will need a little patience, time and cards (white sheets of paper with pictures on them). By the way, I have Doman cards for you, you just need to download them.

    Who is Glenn Doman?

    Of course, before telling the essence of the technique, you need to get acquainted with its author. How much can you trust this person, is his opinion authoritative in professional circles?

    Glenn Doman is an American doctor, specializing as a neurophysiologist and physiotherapist. Born in 1919. I spent my entire adult life studying how children's brains develop.

    In 1955 he founded the Institute for Achieving Human Potential. Author of several books that remain bestsellers to this day. Among them are “What to do if your child has brain damage?”, as well as “How to teach a child to read? Affectionate revolution."

    First positive experience - teaching children with brain damage

    Along with studying the human brain, Glenn treated sick children with brain damage, mental disorders, cerebral palsy and developmental delays. If previous specialists who worked with children were unable to achieve results, then Glen Doman succeeded.

    His method of treating children was that if you stimulate one of the senses (for example, the visual), you can achieve greater activity in the entire brain.

    In order for the children to be able to fix their gaze, they were shown simple pictures. At first these were red dots on a white sheet, then pictures of objects. The classes gradually became more difficult, as did the time at which the pictures were shown.

    Very soon, mentally retarded children could read, count, and showed erudition that was many times greater than the capabilities of healthy, normally developing children.

    Subsequently, the program was improved and became more complex. It has become possible to teach foreign languages ​​using Doman cards, knowledge of the encyclopedia, etc.

    This is all described in great detail in the best-selling book “What to do if your child has brain damage?” You can download it from me by following the link.

    It describes detailed instructions for children with developmental delays. Of course, there is a lot of “water”, but the main essence of the book is unchanged and clear: work with your children a little at a time, in small steps, and the result will not be long in coming.

    Teaching healthy children is the essence of the methodology

    Glen Doman's early development method is based on showing cards to kids and voicing what is depicted on them. The manuals can be presented with the following pictures. Below you can download them:

    • pictures of objects and phenomena with captions;
    • words written in big red letters;
    • circles, the number of which matches the number written at the bottom.

    The cards are made of white cardboard. Their size depends on the image. As training progresses, the font can be reduced and the red color replaced with black. In this way, a child can gradually be taught to read even at an age when he still cannot speak well.

    Cards with images of circles are used to teach counting. Their number exactly matches the number indicated below.

    As a result of daily training, a child can determine at first glance how many objects are in front of him. According to Doman, the baby perceives not a number, but a quantity.

    To many parents, this technique seems unnatural and does not give sustainable results. However, practice shows that this method of development really works.


    When is the best time to start?

    When is it appropriate to start lessons? According to Doman, his early development method is most effective in the first seven years of a baby’s life. It is at this age that the baby is most open to the world and easily perceives new information.

    Show your baby the cards every day for 10-15 seconds. Each picture takes 1 second. There should be several dozen such lessons during the day. It's best to start with the simplest images:

    • plants;
    • colors;
    • animals;
    • transport;
    • toys.

    When the baby loses interest in a certain image, the card needs to be replaced with a new one, otherwise the baby will not want to study at all.

    This technique helps improve speech, thinking, logic, and memory. Kids perceive lessons as an exciting game that does not bother them. They look forward to the next lesson, and subsequently they themselves begin to show interest in objects and phenomena.

    According to Glen Doman, every newborn is a blank sheet of paper. Until the age of three, children, like a sponge, absorb information from the world around them.


    Principles of training

    Here are the basic principles that should guide you when teaching your children this technique.

    1. The sooner you start training, the better;
    2. Learning should be a joy for both you and your child;
    3. Trust and respect are the key to success;
    4. Stop the activity before the baby wants it;
    5. Enter and use new cards frequently;
    6. You shouldn’t test your child’s knowledge, treat it like a game;
    7. Regularity and consistency in everything;
    8. If the child is tired and uninterested, stop the activity.

    How to teach children to read according to Doman?

    The same cards are used for these purposes. You can start learning to read at six months. Glenn Doman argues that a child can learn to read before he can speak.

    1. The cards must be 10*50 cm in size. The letters must be written in bright red, the size of the letters is 7.5 cm high, 1.5 cm wide. (You can download cards with basic words here)
    2. We need to start with the most famous words. There should be 15 words to begin with. Which words should you choose? Of course, mom, dad, and those that you use more often in conversation, for example, pacifier, water, cat, etc.
    3. The card should be located at a distance of at least 35 cm from the child’s eyes.

    The video clearly shows how to pronounce the words correctly:

    First day

    • On the first day using the Doman method, you show only 5 cards. For example: mom, dad, cat, house, water.
    • You show the first card with the word “MOM” while clearly and distinctly pronouncing the word mom.
    • Hold the card for 1-2 seconds, then change to the next one.
    • When you have shown all the cards from the set, praise your child.
    • This should be repeated three times with an interval of 30 minutes.
    • When showing cards, you should not say unnecessary words or comment on what is happening.
    • Do not ask your child to repeat after you what he heard.

    Second day

    On the second day there will be twice as many classes. You repeat all five cards from the first day, and add 5 new ones. Let's say you worked with your child three times in the morning. Then you repeated the same activities in the evening.

    Don't forget that this is a game, not a tutorial.

    The third day

    You add 5 more cards and you have 15 of them. Show one by one, first a set of cards from the first day (3 times at intervals of 30 minutes), then a set of cards from the second day (also three approaches) and new five cards (also 3 times). It seems like a long time, but in fact, in total, all these activities can be fit into 5 minutes.

    Results after 3 days

    Glenn Doman says that if you practice his method for three days, you will already have the first successes:

    • Visual perception begins to develop;
    • The child's brain can already distinguish one sign from another;
    • Can read the words.

    When you feel like you've mastered the first 15 words, move on to the next group. For example, vegetables -25 cards. At the same time, you no longer repeat old words, but replace them with new ones. Every day you add 5 new words and remove 5 old words. Add verbs and adjectives over time. Be sure to learn the colors.

    The video shows well how to use verbs:

    Collocations

    The next step before reading sentences is to learn several words at once. To do this, you begin to combine already known words. For example, the same colors with fruits: “Red Apple”, etc.

    If you feel that you have mastered all this, try reducing the font size, as well as replacing the red color of the letters with black. But don't do it at the same time, everything should be sequential.

    How to teach counting using the Doman method?

    To teach a child to count, you need to make 100 cards measuring 27*27 cm. Each card should have dots drawn from 1 to 100. So on the first card there is 1 dot, on the second there are two, etc. The diameter of each point is slightly less than 2 cm.

    In the first days you only use two sets. The first is cards from 1 to five, the second is from 6 to 10. As in the case of reading, your task is to show the cards and name them. In this way, the child learns what quantity means. That is, if you say the word three to an adult, then he will imagine the number three. But a child thinks differently, and if you tell him three, he will imagine three dots (for example).

    In the second stage, you show simple examples: for example, one plus one equals two. You show all this on cards.


    Studying according to the Doman method, children begin to read and count by the age of 2 years. By the age of three, the baby already has remarkable erudition, abstract thinking, and photographic memory.

    Download pictures

    There is one more unclear point. Since Doman’s technique is aimed primarily at infants, it is difficult to see how mental stress will affect their psyche.

    Will numerous activities lead to nervous disorders? Apparently, due to the lack of answers to many questions, the Doman method has not yet become widespread.


    What do psychologists say?

    Although the Doman technique, developed for children with disabilities, continues to cause controversy, its effectiveness cannot be denied. Thanks to her, many children were able to fully develop.

    However, we should not forget that the neurosurgeon worked with mentally retarded children. Children with normal development require a more varied approach.

    The most effective results are produced by classes that combine the methods of Montessori, Doman, Nikitin and other innovative teachers, but at the same time a rational grain is taken from each system.

    Parents can easily decide for themselves what is more important for their baby. You can try practicing with Doman cards with your baby.

    With older children you can play according to the Montessori system, etc. If you doubt that you can independently give your child the necessary upbringing, send him to a specialized kindergarten.

    High-speed methods of child development are, of course, good. However, while improving the extensive abilities of children, parents should think about whether the child’s psyche will suffer.

    There are a huge number of developmental methods for children; Glen Doman's theory is the most famous of them. You can find out about the essence of the technique, its advantages and disadvantages, and also download Doman’s cards (conveniently divided into categories) on this page.

    The essence of Glen Doman's technique

    From birth, the human brain is tuned to understand the world around us by all possible means. Using this feature, you can carry out successful previous training (note that we are talking about training, not development!). It is recommended to start exercises from 3-6 months of age. Doman's method allows you to lay the foundations for the development of a high level of intelligence, form a strong thirst for knowledge, teach incredibly early reading in your native and foreign languages, and mathematics. This is what the author of the method says.

    Training cards were specially developed for the technique. They contain an image of an object and an inscription-word denoting it. Presented in the form of sets united by a common theme. For example: “Flowers”, “Fruits”, etc. You can download such Doman cards by going through the sections of this page.

    During their development, numerous nuances of perception and attention of young children were taken into account, which directly affects the efficiency of work. In this section, cards made strictly in accordance with Doman principles are available for free download. Each of them shows only one object on a pure white background, they are large in size, without frames or colored borders, all the important details are clearly visible in the picture. All items have their own name. It is written under their image in large, bright red font.

    Just download Doman cards, print them and give them to your child? No, parents will need serious organization and, over time, a huge imagination on how to catch, arrange and eventually show these cards to the child. The problem with the interest of an ordinary, healthy child in the process is the complexity of the technique. In addition, there are certain rules. It is necessary to start the exercise when both the baby and the adult are in a good mood. It’s definitely worth saying: “Now I’ll show you...(birds, trees, etc.” After this, start showing. It is recommended to demonstrate each card for 1-2 seconds. At the same time, the adult pronounces loudly and clearly, in a calm voice, the word written under with a picture. The number of cards can be from 10 to 120, depending on the child’s interest. Important points:

    1. You cannot look into the card when demonstrating it, so as not to interfere with the child’s viewing of the image.
    2. Classes are initially held once a day, then their number is increased.
    3. One card should not be shown more than 3 times per day.
    4. There is no need to require the child to repeat names unless he wants to do it himself.
    5. It's better to stop playing before your baby loses interest.
    6. Gradually, you need to add new sets, and remove well-studied ones.
    7. Displays must be systematic; only in this case can results be achieved.

    How to make Doman Cards yourself?

    We invite you to download Doman cards and print them for your child. It is better to do this on matte (to avoid glare) paper with a density of 250-300 g/m2 or glue it to cardboard. It is advisable to laminate ready-made cards, then they will last longer and can be used in other educational games.

    This didactic material can also be successfully used in Makato Shichida’s methodology, aimed at developing photographic memory, creativity, and intuition. To do this, you only need to cut off the names of the items along the dotted line.

    In the modern world, many parents think that the sooner they start developmental activities with their child, the better. Thinking about how to do this better, they search for a suitable technique. One of the most famous is the Glen Doman technique. Let's take a closer look at what the features of this technique are and how it works.

    From the life of Glen Doman

    In 1919, Glen Doman was born in one of the oldest cities in the USA - Philadelphia. After graduating from the University of Pennsylvania in 1940, he began his career as a physical therapist in a hospital. This is where he begins his work on research into how children's brains develop. However, the outbreak of war interrupts it. In 1941, Doman volunteered to join the army, completing training at an infantry officer course. His service ends with the rank of infantry company commander with the Distinguished Service Cross.

    Returning to medicine after the war, Glen Doman, together with his fellow workers, begins to assist in the recovery of children with various brain injuries and serious damage to the nervous system. In 1955, he founded the non-profit Institute for the Development of Human Potential. The theoretical and practical basis of the Institute was the Doman technique.

    For more than 20 years, constantly being at work, conducting numerous studies, experiments, drawing conclusions, coming to any conclusions, Doman and his like-minded colleagues were looking for ways and opportunities to cure such children (with complete or partial paralysis , severe developmental delay, incapable of perceiving the world and communicating). They considered it important to treat the root cause - the brain, and not the consequences of the lesions, i.e. body.

    In 1960, Doman published an article in the Journal of the American Medical Association about the methodological work and ongoing treatment of children with brain damage and the results of their rehabilitation. It was then that many people learned about him. His work brought about a “soft scientific revolution.”

    From this period, together with his associates, Doman actively continued his work, developing and improving new programs and methods for improving the health of children. He received many awards for his success in his activities.

    In the book “Harmonious Development of the Child” you can find a more complete description of his method.

    When can I start classes?

    As a result of his observations, Doman came to the conclusion that Children will not learn as much in their entire lives as they can learn in the first 6 years of life. Almost from birth, a child is ready to explore the world; he is interested in everything that is in his environment. At this age, you will not have to further motivate your child. Classes should be conducted in the form of an entertaining game.

    In his opinion, You can start teaching children from 3 months, because it is at this age that the baby shows a reaction to objects. The educational process begins with showing cards for a short period of time (literally a few seconds per card). It is necessary that the cards present real objects: fruits and vegetables, animals, furniture, transport, geometric shapes, etc.

    Doman's technique

    For many years, Doman conducted various studies, focusing on working with children with developmental delays. However, looking at how their brothers and sisters, who were absolutely healthy, joined the classes with interest and achieved great success, he created a methodology that was developed taking into account both their interests and needs.

    The main provisions on which the methodology is based:

    • The human brain grows and develops only when it is constantly at work.
    • To achieve great success in the development of a child’s intelligence, his brain must be actively working from birth to 3 years.
    • Physical development plays an important role in the maturation of the brain and motor intelligence.
    • Until a child reaches 5 years of age, his brain itself is tuned to acquiring new knowledge; there is no need to further motivate the child to do so.

    Principles of training according to Doman

    • It is necessary to start the learning process as early as possible, because the younger the child, the easier it will be for him to learn.
    • Don't forget to praise your baby and sincerely rejoice at his success.
    • A child is also a person to whom respect and trust must be shown.
    • Learning should be fun.
    • Training must take place in an appropriate environment.
    • The lesson should end before the child gets tired or bored.
    • New learning information needs to be provided very frequently.
    • Regularity, consistency and organization of classes are very important.
    • There is no need to check how the baby has learned the information.
    • Careful preparation for classes is required, everything needs to be done in advance.
    • Stop the activity immediately if your baby or you suddenly become bored.

    Physical development

    It is physical development that Glen Doman pays great attention to in his system. He is sure that it is directly related to the development of the child’s intelligence. That is why you need to pay attention to good physical development from birth.

    The child’s needs for swimming, walking, crawling, and grasping are given to him by nature. From the moment the baby is born, it is necessary to approve their development and provide the child with complete freedom of movement. By helping the baby to be active from birth, parents help him develop intellectually much faster than his peers.

    For the baby to be physically active, it is necessary to create appropriate conditions.

    A special crawling track can help with this. It is necessary that the baby is located between its sides, practically touching them with forearms and hips. The track is located at a slight slope. It is best that its surfaces are smooth; no blankets or mattresses are required. Dressing a baby crawling there should be done to a minimum.

    During the day, the baby should spend at least 3-4 hours in it. On such a track, the child will be able to crawl a fairly long distance, and by 4 months, provided that it is properly organized, he will already begin to crawl actively. Thanks to this, the child’s active intellectual development, his brain and ability to perceive new things will occur.

    With the help of the track, innate reflexes are stimulated, the intrauterine space is imitated, when the baby remembers its first reflex, with the help of which it was born.

    Teach your child to overcome obstacles using a variety of rollers and ladders. Twist and twist it as often as possible, this will help develop your sense of balance. Help and encourage the child in his attempts to walk, run, swim.

    For newborns, Glen Doman created his own balance program - dynamic gymnastics, which you can successfully use at home.

    The essence of the Doman technique

    Along with active physical development, at the same time you can begin intellectual pursuits. For this purpose, cards with large real pictures and a signature on them are used. With their help, the baby learns new information more easily and receives the necessary load for brain development.

    You can buy ready-made sets of cards, find them on the Internet and print them on a color printer, or make them yourself. All cards must have a white background, each with only one picture. The signature is written below in large red letters. Offer your child new information that interests him as often as possible. If you don’t do this, then the child will very quickly become uninterested in these activities.

    At the beginning of classes you will need 5 cards of the same thematic line. Each card is shown to the baby for 5-10 seconds, the name under it is read loudly and clearly. After about three lessons, you can start replacing cards one by one from the set. You can show your child one set only once per lesson. You need to exercise at least 3 times a day. In total, you will get at least 15 card impressions per day.

    Whatever you teach your child, do not expect instant results. You will see the results when the child is ready to show them to you. Rest assured: the baby hears and remembers everything; when you work with him, you are not wasting your time.

    How to teach reading using the Doman system

    Looking at the words that are written, the child does not realize their meaning. If, along with showing the word, he voices it, then mechanical memorization will work, the baby’s brain will understand the information received, linking it together. It is in this way that the baby begins to understand the laws of reading, just as it happened with the development of oral speech.

    Glen Doman is confident that you can start learning to read in this way as early as a six-month-old baby.

    To work, you will need cards with sets of words. Their size should be 10*50 cm, the text should be bright red, the font should be 1.5 cm thick, and each letter should be 7.5 cm high. Do not introduce your child to complex words at the very beginning of learning. Try to choose words that the child knows well (mom, dad, grandfather, you can use the names of your preferred dishes, clothes, pets).

    Try to adhere to the following training scheme:

    • A set of words is a group of 5 words united by one topic.
    • You need to exercise three times daily.
    • The first day. Show your child one set of words. Speak your words in a clear, even voice. You should spend no more than 15 seconds on each word. It turns out 3 lessons with one set of words.
    • Second day. To the already shown set of words, add one more. We will get 6 lessons a day (3 with a previously learned set of words, 3 with a new one) and two sets of words.
    • Day three. Three sets of words and nine activities.
    • Day four. Four sets of words and 12 activities.
    • Day five. Five sets of words and 15 activities throughout the day.
    • Day six. You add another set of words, but at the same time remove one word from each of the five previous sets.

    Adhering to this scheme, you will constantly replace sets of words, adding new ones each time. First demonstrate words, then phrases, and then you can try demonstrating whole sentences.

    How to teach counting

    When adults hear the word “two,” they imagine a number, but children think in facts. They will imagine two dots, two candies, two apples, but they won’t even guess to correlate the word “two” with the image of the number. It was this trait specific to children that Doman relied on when creating the methodology. By allowing your child to interact with concrete facts rather than abstract concepts, you will give him an excellent chance to learn how to count without counting, determine how many things are shown, and learn about basic mathematical operations.

    To teach counting, you will need 100 cards measuring 27*27 cm. The cards have scattered red dots from 1 to 100. Their diameter should not exceed 2 cm. In the classroom, the child will initially master the concept of “quantity”, then the concept of “equation”. After this, you can begin learning to solve problems. Only then, according to Doman, can the child be introduced to the graphic representation of numbers, the concept of “number”. Lastly, start solving numerical equations.

    The principle of teaching mathematics is similar to teaching reading. Only at the beginning of classes you need to pay enough attention to a set of cards from 1 to 5, and from 5 to 10.

    You should also introduce basic actions using dots. For example, when learning to subtract 2 from 3, when saying the action (three minus two equals one), show the corresponding cards with three dots, a minus sign, two dots, an equal sign, and one dot.

    Even in half a minute you can teach a lot

    Glen Doman compares the human brain to a perfect computer that draws conclusions based on facts. He believes that it is absolutely useless to explain something to a child for a long time and then expect smart thoughts and correct decisions from him about the actions he is committing. The child must be provided with accurate, accessible, clear information. To illustrate this, he gives the following example.

    Looking at the dog, the child asks you about it. What can you do:

    • brush him off with the words: “Leave me alone, I have no time”;
    • tell the baby: “This is a woof-woof”;
    • answer briefly: “This is a dog”;
    • say: “This is a St. Bernard dog”;
    • show pictures of dogs;
    • show pictures with different breeds of dogs and say: “Look, there are animals called dogs everywhere, but they can be different. There is a poodle, a German shepherd, a Doberman, a chow-chow, a dachshund,” etc.

    From the last answer, the child will be able to make a small discovery for himself, realizing that all dogs have common features - the number of paws, the presence of a tail, hair, but at the same time they can differ in color, size, length of hair, tail, shape of ears and etc. Thus, in just half a minute the child will be able to accomplish enormous intellectual work and speed up brain activity.

    Gaining encyclopedic knowledge

    If you follow Doman, then you need to understand that the purpose of human life is to obtain comprehensive knowledge about the world around us. Explanations and clarifications will not bring any benefit to children; their brains are only able to perceive facts.

    In order for learning with cards to give a child truly encyclopedic knowledge, it is necessary that:

    • all the details on the cards were clearly visible;
    • each card showed only one item;
    • all depicted objects had a name;
    • the child was previously unfamiliar with this item;
    • the cards were quite large (28*28 cm);
    • the cards were clean.

    You need to practice with cards for an average of 30 seconds.

    Negative points

    It would seem that everything in Doman’s method is presented clearly, accessible, clearly and logically. However, as with any other technique, it has its negative aspects.

    • It is not enough for a child to just know the facts; he must be able to apply them in life and use them. Otherwise, all the information he receives will be just junk in his head.
    • A large load on a baby's brain can lead to negative consequences. in the form of mental disorders, mood swings, lack of appetite, communication problems, increased anxiety, vulnerability, sensitivity.
    • It is necessary that training is appropriate to the child's age. If a baby sees a dog, he will associate its image with the word “dog,” and according to Doman, he will associate this word with the card. For example, having seen a giraffe or an elephant in reality, a baby may simply not recognize them.
    • Passivity of the child, lack of creative and constructive moments in learning. The child does not learn to find information on his own, curiosity is dulled.
    • The baby has practically no time to communicate with friends or play. No attention is paid to aesthetic, emotional, moral development. Parents spend a lot of time preparing for classes: making cards, sorting them, selecting the right ones, etc.
    • Not all senses are involved. There is no tactile development, the sense of smell and taste buds are not used.
    • Rote memorization of words in learning to read. If a child encounters unfamiliar words in the text, he will not be able to read it and understand the meaning of what he read.
    • According to the methodology, it is necessary to accompany the readable text by showing pictures. In the future, it will be difficult for a child to learn to read texts without illustrations; he will have difficulty understanding what he reads. All this can lead to a child’s lack of desire to do things that are not interesting to him or that he is not good at.
    • Lack of active gaming activity, in which it is easiest for a child to learn new information.

    Conclusion

    Glen Doman's method can greatly help parents in the development of their children and even raise geniuses and child prodigies. However it is necessary to take into account the age capabilities of your baby, approach classes competently, monitor the child’s health, and take into account his individual capabilities. You cannot force a child to study. It is best to conduct complex classes in a playful way and do not forget to praise and reward for every achievement, no matter how small.

    N. Zhukova

    The Doman technique is the most famous among early development systems for infants. The opinions of teachers and parents about this technique are divided. Some see tremendous success from classes with healthy and special children, others consider the use of cards from an American neurophysiologist to be a source of neurological and mental problems in kindergarteners. What are the features of the Doman method, is it worth practicing this system, and how to make cards with your own hands, we will tell you in our article.

    From this article you will learn

    Download cards

    You can buy a ready-made set of Doman cards in children's stores and online markets. A “smart suitcase” with benefits will cost parents 2–3 thousand rubles if you purchase a complete set for reading, counting and developing erudition. It is much cheaper to download the cards and print them on office paper at home.

    So, for classes with your baby from birth to school you will need the following set of handouts:

    Print out Doman cards for the youngest children in 21x30 cm format, for kindergarteners - 10x14 cm.

    On a note! It is advisable to laminate demonstration material for infants or place it in a folder with files. A newborn will definitely want to touch the pictures and taste them.

    A little about the author

    Glen Doman is a neurophysiologist, born in 1920 in Philadelphia, USA. He became known to the world for developing methods for early childhood development. But Doman began his journey by studying the children's brain at the University of Pennsylvania. There he received a degree in physical therapy and intended to continue his scientific activities, but the Second World War interfered. The young promising doctor volunteered for the US infantry, deciding to resume research in neurophysiology after the end of the war.

    Glen Doman began his return to medical practice by developing a course of rehabilitation for children with brain damage, central nervous system damage, cerebral palsy, and autistic behavior. And he noticed that there is a direct relationship between the level of physical and intellectual development. Sick children were offered the following tasks: flapping their arms, legs, and crawling. Following the activation of muscle work, progress in brain function occurred. Thus, the root cause of childhood defects was eliminated, and not its consequence.

    Next, a program was developed for children with developmental disabilities to stimulate visual, auditory, and tactile activity. The lessons were distributed throughout the day and were very intense and long. The rehabilitation course lasted many months. As a result, most sick children showed good results in mental and physical development.

    In 1955, together with fellow neurophysiologists, he founded the Institute for the Development of Human Potential. The basis for the research was the Doman method, the latest for its time. In 1960, an article was written about the results of the work of a group of neurophysiologists on the rehabilitation of children with paralysis, mental and intellectual development delays using the author’s methodology, as well as about the activities of the institute in general. The results amazed the public.

    A few years later, Doman decided to test his pedagogical and medical developments on healthy children. The kids followed the same rehabilitation program and showed the following results:

    • Read in early preschool age.
    • They counted to hundreds and thousands.
    • They were very erudite, had extensive knowledge of geography, biology, mathematics, and zoology.
    • Effectively increased the level of physical development.

    After the publication of a description of the author’s method in scientific journals and the release of Glen Doman’s books, not only teachers, doctors, but also parents became interested in the early development method. The following didactic technologies have become the most popular in Russia and the USA:

    1. How to teach a child to read.
    2. How to teach a preschooler to count.
    3. How to impart encyclopedic knowledge at an early age.

    Lessons on any of the listed blocks are based on demonstrating cards with pictures, dots, and words. The technique is simple. No special knowledge or skills in teaching are required from parents. It is enough to devote a lot of time and effort to your lessons, be interested in the result and not expect success too quickly.

    The essence of the technique

    The secret of Doman's didactics lies in combining the patterns of pedagogical and physiological laws of knowledge acquisition. A special child is limited in the capabilities of his brain. He needs help.

    Doman believed that training muscles and saturating the brain with new information should be carried out simultaneously. Therefore, he proposed combining active physical exercise with intellectual pursuits. Rehabilitation of children with developmental disabilities needs to begin from the cradle: the earlier, the better.

    The program of the American neurophysiologist includes the following blocks:

    1. Stimulation of physical development from birth

    It's crawling down a slippery slide. The child should be on the track from 1–2 months for 3–4 hours a day. The baby rubs against the sides with its stomach, thighs, and forearms. Covers significant distances. This is an ideal environment for early physical development. Such children will certainly crawl well before six months, and will begin to walk and talk early.

    2. Development of a sense of balance, balance

    Mothers are encouraged to twist and turn the baby, turn it upside down, give it the opportunity to crawl on the floor, and climb over the cushions. Before the age of 3, you need to teach your child to swim.

    On a note! Having mastered a lot of movements, a preschooler up to 6 years old goes through 7 stages of physical development. If you do not limit your children’s ability to climb, run, or crawl, then not only the body, but also the brain will develop harmoniously.

    3. Intellectual activities from birth

    Glen Doman believed that the human brain is a computer. It cannot be left idle. If the brain does not constantly receive new information, it stops functioning correctly. Therefore, the task of parents is to provide the child with intellectual food every day. You can do this in 30 seconds a day. For example, don’t name one cat breed, but show 10 cards with images of different cats. And the child himself will conclude that these animals have paws, a tail, they are shaggy, fluffy.

    4. Lessons on reading and counting

    These are basic skills. Doman said that it is much more complex than the perception of whole words. Therefore, he suggested that parents teach their children to read and write from birth using cards. As a result, children remember the image of the word and can find and read it in the text. Gradually, words are replaced by phrases, sentences and books. Infants are taught counting using pictures of dots from 1 to 100.

    If you connect all the blocks together, devote about 2 minutes a day to activities on the development of intelligence, and physical exercises the rest of the time, by the age of 3.5 years the child will reach the level of development of a six-year-old preschooler.

    On a note! It is impossible to check the quality of classes with newborns. Mothers do not understand whether the child has learned the word on the card or not. During this period, it is important to maintain presence of mind and enthusiasm. The results will appear much later, when the baby easily masters the school curriculum.

    Basic principles and rules of training

    Raising a special child and teaching him effectively is not easy. Parents will find the following tips for organizing classes useful:

    1. Don't wait for time to put everything in its place. When you detect the first signs of mental and intellectual development disorders in newborns, begin to solve the problem. The sooner you introduce developmental activities into your child’s daily schedule, the better the results will be.
    2. Exercise systematically, regularly. Don't stop using the Doman method at the first disappointment.
    3. Continue the lesson as long as the baby wants to study. The manifestation of negativism is a signal for a break.
    4. Trust your child. Respect his interests and desires. You should not act using the method of tyranny, forcing people to engage in force. Act with cunning, gently.
    5. Believe in success.
    6. Rejoice in taking initiative. Praise your baby, even for small achievements.
    7. Create a suitable learning environment for your special child.
    8. Prepare for lessons in advance. Don't start downloading or printing cards and worksheets in a hurry. Plan your class schedule several weeks in advance.
    9. Don't get hung up on the material you've already covered. Offer new information often. Talk briefly about what you have covered.

    On a note! Do not think that the Doman system was formed in a couple of sessions with special children. The team of neurophysiologists worked towards a positive result for several years, making mistakes, getting disappointed, and improving the developmental methodology. According to Doman himself, the path from experiment to confirmation of the hypothesis lasted about 20 years.

    How to exercise correctly

    In order for classes using Doman cards to be truly useful for a child, you need to follow the author’s recommendations for organizing classes. First, decide on the topic of the block. Focus on the age and physical condition of the baby. You need to study each block thoroughly, without jumping from one to another chaotically.

    How to work with cards

    The principle of working with cards for any Doman program you choose is identical. The child looks at images, words, remembers what he sees, and independently draws conclusions about new information.

    Let's take a closer look at the methodology for teaching reading. The set contains more than 1000 words. The cards are divided by topic. For example, verbs: eats, drinks, sits, smells, draws, and so on. Body parts: nose, eyes, mouth, torso. The words are written in red block letters. The size of the cards is 10x15, the font should be thick: 1.5 cm, the height of the letters is 7.5 cm.

    First, parents choose a topic familiar to the child for teaching reading: home, family, toys, animals. There are no images of objects on the cards, only words. You need to print the material in advance on a printer or do it yourself on sheets of cardboard using a felt-tip pen.

    When the set of cards according to the list is ready, start studying. Show your child 5 words one after another, fixing them at a close distance in front of your eyes for 1–2 seconds. Say what is written on the card in a loud, clear voice. But you cannot obscure the image from the student. Make cheat sheets for mom on the back of the sheet. Repeat the lesson 3 times a day. After each 10-second lesson, praise the child for perseverance, attention, and interest. This is how the first day of training will go.

    The next day, repeat yesterday’s material and add 5 more new cards. Spend 3 lessons with old words, 3 with new ones. Thus, the second day contains 6 lessons of 10 seconds. Consistently within a week, reach 25 cards and 15 impressions per day. Then gradually remove one card at a time from the studied set and add new material from the next topic.

    Important! Teaching reading according to Doman is based on the optimal principle: from simple to complex. First, the child gets acquainted with simple words, then with phrases, then with sentences.

    If you plan to give your preschooler encyclopedic knowledge, you will need the following sets of cards:

    1. Biology. The set includes: birds, wild animals, mammals, rodents and so on. You can study them in a row or link them to the “Geography” block, discussing with your child the habitat of animals.
    2. Art. These are paintings and biographies, portraits of great artists. Make a list of reproductions yourself, download in Word format and print. Black and white versions of paintings cannot be used; images must be in color.
    3. Geography. Show your child the continents, cities, and capitals of the world.
    4. Languages. The same word is shown in different languages.
    5. Human anatomy. Tell your child how many body parts a person has, what they look like and what they are called.
    6. Story. The block includes biography of great personalities, their names and portraits.

    The list of topics for classes can be continued endlessly. When your child has studied 1000 cards in different blocks, go deeper into one topic. For example, learn more about dolphins: where they live, how they reproduce, what they eat. To do this, prepare a separate block of images of 100 cards and show them 3 times a day.

    Example of a daily program

    Viewing 25 cards per day is distributed as follows:

    1. 3 times a day: in the morning, at lunch, in the evening - the child repeats 5 familiar cards.
    2. In between repetitions, mom shows new cards: 5 words from each set, 3 times each.
    3. As a result, the child looks at pictures of words 15 times a day for 5-10 seconds.

    The dosage and duration of classes are adjusted according to the child’s wishes. As the material is mastered, the color of the letters changes to black and the font becomes smaller.

    On a note! In Russia, Doman’s method of global reading was adjusted by teacher Manichenko. The domestic author of the literacy teaching system agrees with the American neurophysiologist that reading whole words is more physiological for humans. After all, people do not think in alphabetical signs, but in images. The Doman-Manichenko didactics for Russian parents was transformed into the “Reading from the Cradle” program.

    Related videos

    The full version of the set of Doman cards for children from birth is presented in video format. A baby from 6–7 months can watch interesting cartoons in thematic blocks and at the same time learn to read, speak, and show body parts.

    On a note! According to psychologists and psychiatrists, it is harmful for children with brain damage, autism, and Down syndrome to study using video lessons. It is important for such kids to feel a response from a teacher or parent.

    Pros and cons of the technique

    It would seem that Glen Doman’s method gives excellent results, has been used in the USA for more than 60 years, which means it should definitely be assessed positively by teachers, doctors, and parents. But no, in the technique of the famous neurophysiologist there are not only advantages, but also disadvantages. How to perceive the point of view of experts is up to you.

    pros

    If we consider the Doman method as a start to the successful development of intelligence in a young child, then the following advantages stand out:

    1. You can start lessons on reading, acquiring diverse knowledge about the world, and counting from infancy, even from 2-3 months. As a result, a kindergartener will master school knowledge long before first grade.
    2. Mom and dad spend a lot of time with the baby and are constantly involved in its development.
    3. A child learns a huge amount of information every day. If you use cards for reading, counting and developing your horizons from an early age, then the preschooler will be ahead of his peers in terms of intelligence and associative thinking.
    4. Thanks to attention to physical exercises, kids learn to perform a lot of new movements. This affects their physical fitness and overall health.
    5. In the process of looking at cards with pictures and words, the child actively develops visual memory. Listening to mom pronounce the names of objects - auditory.
    6. Kids learn quickly. It takes a few seconds to show a couple of cards. The Doman method eliminates the boring sitting at the table with the teacher; visual aids can be demonstrated anywhere: on the street, at home, in bed, during meals.

    It is impossible to consider the system of the American neurophysiologist as a mechanical transfer of pictures from place to place, a demonstration without a goal. If you devote enough time to learning, the child will receive an impetus to the development of intelligence and will work on himself.

    For example, by looking at vegetables and fruits, kindergarteners get a visual idea of ​​fruits of different sizes, colors, and purposes. Reinforce the theory with practice: tell them that there are potatoes in the soup today, and a strawberry dessert for the afternoon snack. A diverse presentation of interrelated information will give a positive result.

    Minuses

    There are no less negative points than positive ones:

    1. During the learning process, the child is passive. He does not need to “extract” information, draw conclusions, analyze. His parents bring him everything on a silver platter. Passivity affects further learning at school, curiosity and cognitive activity are dulled.
    2. The course of classes does not take into account the individual needs of the child, his interests at the moment. All children follow the same program.
    3. The baby does not develop creativity. Doesn't play with toys, doesn't sculpt, doesn't sing, doesn't draw.
    4. The intensity of the course is too high for young children. Not all preschoolers, much less infants, can withstand such a load.
    5. The technique is based on mechanical visual and auditory memory. The rest of the senses are not involved.
    6. Parents, according to Doman, should concentrate on showing the cards. There is no time to play with the little why, read, or talk. The aesthetic and moral component is automatically thrown out of the process of raising a small personality.

    Neurologists are especially negative about the Doman training system. Doctors are against the early development of children, considering such activities to be the cause of enuresis, tics, depression, and obsessive movements. That is, the diligence of parents leads to deviations in mental health for the worse. This opinion is difficult to prove, but it is also impossible to refute.

    Popular books by the author

    Glen Doman is the author of several bestsellers for adult family members, school and kindergarten teachers. Each book claims that all children are born geniuses, and the lever for discovering the abilities of a little prodigy is in the hands of the parents. In his works, the American neurophysiologist gives simple and effective advice on the early development of children in educational centers and at home. We advise you to pay attention to the following publications.

    Glen Doman set himself a goal: to show parents that their children are capable of more. In games with newborns, according to the famous innovator, special attention should be paid to physical development. The ban on motor experiments leads to delays in the intellectual sphere. The book contains a lot of useful information on how to help a newborn develop harmoniously, without threatening the health of the baby and the nervous system of the mother, ahead of his peers physically and intellectually.

    This book by Doman was published in the author's homeland in 1964. It was first published in Russian in 2004. As a preface, the author wrote a short lecture for parents about damage to the child’s brain of various etiologies. He described how the child feels and what means parents should choose to help their newborn.

    On a note! The book “How to Teach Your Child to Read...” was purchased by about two million Americans. For many years, the editors have received enthusiastic letters from grateful parents whose children mastered literacy at the age of 1 to 4–5 years.

    How smart is your baby (or is your child a genius)

    “The first few years of life are a critical time for acquiring important survival skills. If you miss it, your child will not be prepared for the difficulties and vicissitudes of adulthood.” So says Glen Doman and the co-authors of his book “How Smart Is Your Baby?” This journalistic work is intended for curious, caring and active parents who are trying to figure out whether everything is fine with their baby and whether he is developing correctly.

    This brochure is intended for absolutely all families with children. It doesn't matter whether your baby is healthy or not, it is a must read for all parents. Glen Doman explains simply and clearly what brain damage is, how to avoid and correct it. No medical terminology, complex experiments, examination results. After reading the book, you will be able to look at your baby with different eyes, and work effectively and systematically to eliminate even the most complex developmental defects in the child.

    On a note! Glen Doman's books can be purchased in print or downloaded online in PDF format for free.

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