(Translated from original Marathi article ‘Mulanna Kase Shikval?’ published in Shikshan Patrika, Year 1, Issue 11, April 1934)

Séguin was a French educationist who worked with children with intellectual disabilities. While teaching them, had to proceed without skipping even a single step. The three steps he developed have proven very effective when used with children of normal intelligence as well. These steps are just as useful to teachers as they are to parents. In fact, anyone who interacts with children should be aware of them.

We have all experienced that children ask many questions: “What is this?” “What is it called?” We give them answers, and they listen; they are satisfied for the moment. After a short while, they forget and come back to ask the same question again. If this happens once or twice, we grow impatient and say, “Didn’t I tell you already? How many times must I repeat myself?” While it’s true that getting angry is not good, it’s also natural to get annoyed if a child keeps asking the same thing repeatedly—especially when we’re busy. Therefore, it is better to set aside some time just for the child, saying, “Ask me all your questions now,” so we can respond calmly. The child also listens quietly. If mothers allocate 10–15 minutes in the afternoon, or fathers do the same in the morning or evening, it will reduce their frustration and be beneficial for the child as well. When questions are answered during times of work or hurry, most of the learning is lost.

Children ask repeatedly because they want to learn something well. That’s why, when we answer their questions, it is better to reinforce the answer. There are three steps to do this. If these are followed in order, the child remembers things more easily, and many learning difficulties disappear. The confusion in their mind clears, they feel happy, and their desire to learn new things increases.

An example will help clarify this. A child is playing. You are busy with work. Suddenly, the child sees a new object and becomes curious about it. The child comes to you and asks, “What is this?” You are preoccupied. You give a hurried reply: “That is a clock.” If the child asks again, you naturally become annoyed. Instead, if you say, “I’ll tell you in the afternoon,” the child will definitely come back to ask later. At that time, have the child sit with you, bring the clock close, and say the name: “Clock.” Repeat this two or three times—“This is a clock.” Then ask, “Where is the clock?” or “Show me the clock.” Repeat this a few times so the child associates the word with the object. After a minute, ask again, “What is this?” The child will answer, “Clock.” If the child responds correctly to the third question, end the lesson for that day. The next day, start again—either from the second question (“Show me the clock”) or from the third (“What is this?”). If the child doesn’t remember, do not get upset—simply begin from the first step again. Most children learn this way and will repeat it naturally as time goes by. If even after two or three days the child does not remember, skip the lesson. Don’t insist that the child must learn it. After a few months, when the child asks about it again, teach from the beginning, as if it’s a brand-new lesson.

Also remember not to stretch this lesson beyond five to seven minutes. Ask two or three times, then stop. If the child does not give the correct answer, end the lesson and start again the next day. Never say, “Why don’t you understand this? I just told you!” Begin again calmly from the first step.

We often say to children, without teaching them anything, “Don’t you even know that?” Say, a child is playing nearby while the mother is cooking. Suddenly, the mother says, “Give me the ladle,” or “Pass me the tongs,” or “Bring the strainer.” The child does not know what these items are. The child brings something else. The mother then says, “You don’t even know what a ladle is? How silly you are!” Before saying such things, a mother should remember that children are not born knowing anything. They have to learn and understand thousands of new things in this colorful and complex world. Moreover, these items are not arranged like in a library or museum—systematically and in order. Instead, several objects are lying around in disarray. It is our responsibility to minimize their difficulties and make learning easier for them. What’s the point of insulting a child by saying, “You don’t know what a ladle is?” If the mother realizes that the child doesn’t know what it is, she should calmly say “ladle, ladle,” or “grater, grater” two or three times, and then ask, “Where is the grater?” or “Show me the ladle.” After doing this once or twice, she can later ask, “What is this?” and the child will be able to answer, “That is a ladle.”

Often, we skip the middle step in teaching. After saying, “This is a grater,” we immediately ask, “What is this?” and expect the child to say “grater.” But we must remember that the intermediate step—repeating the word and having the child identify the object—is very important.

This kind of learning is not limited to school. As the above example shows, a two-and-a-half-year-old child needs to be introduced to thousands of new objects, people, and concepts at home. If we proceed step by step, the child finds learning easier and can remember many things in a short time. When two or three family members become familiar, and then a few guests visit, someone says, “Yami, your uncle and aunt are here,” and we assume that just by hearing this, Yami now knows who they are. We make similar assumptions in every case—that once something is said, the child has learned it. But this should not be done. After saying “This is a sparrow” or “This is a crow,” we should ask “Where is the sparrow?” or “Where is the crow?” two or three times, and then ask, “What is this?” This makes it easier for children to learn new words.

In the case of especially sharp children, such detail may not be necessary. If it appears that the child understands after being told once, there’s no need to ask further questions. In such cases, the questions may even become tedious. These steps are mainly useful for teaching things that are harder to remember.

In this way, two-year-old children can be taught the names of household objects, names of people, commonly seen flowers, trees, animals, colors, and shapes.

It is often easier to teach using two objects that are quite different from each other. For example, instead of showing just one red object and saying “This is red,” take both a red and a yellow object. Say “This is red,” “This is red,” two or three times, then “This is yellow,” “This is yellow.” After that, place them apart and ask the child to bring “red,” then “yellow.” Repeat this a few times and finally ask, “What color is this?” It is more effective to teach word pairs in this way.

Before teaching the names of colors or shapes, it is important that children first gain an experience of those colors and shapes—ideally while playing with appropriate materials. The role of the teacher is to give names to these experiences. For this, children ideally need a Montessori school. Just teaching color names using flowers, sarees, or pictures does not mean we are following the Montessori method properly. Still, it is better than nothing, and whatever little is achieved should be valued.

Even without going into such depth, children have many everyday questions and need to learn the names of many objects. In such cases, using these three steps while teaching makes it easier for children to learn and remember. In pre-schools, the use of these steps is essential.