Why toys retard child development

During this period — amounting to no more than nine earth-years — he becomes aware of what constitutes creation and the meaning of human existence. And everything that he needs to accomplish this already exists. Only the parents should not distort the genuine, natural order of creation by cutting the child off from the most perfect works in the Universe.

A practical learning example…

“So, these parents arrive with this three-year-old child at their dacha³ plot and bring along his favourite toys. Artificial toys which displace the true priorities of the Universe. Oh, if only they would not do that! Just think, the child could be occupied and inspired with something far more interesting than senseless and even harmful interaction with manufactured objects.

Ask the child for help…

“First of all, you should ask him to help you, only ask him in all seriousness, without any pandering, especially since he will actually be able to offer you assistance. If you do any planting, for example, ask him to hold the seeds in preparation for sowing, or rake out the seedbeds, or have him put a seed into the hole you have prepared. And in the process talk to him about what you are doing, something like this:

“‘We will be putting the little seed into the ground and covering it with earth. When the Sun in the sky shines and warms the earth, the little seed will get warm and start to grow. It will want to see the Sun, and a little shoot will poke its head out of the earth, just like this one.’ At this point you can show him some little blade of grass. ‘If the shoot likes the sunshine, it will grow bigger and bigger and maybe turn into a tree, or something smaller, like a flower. And I want it to bring us tasty fruit, and you will eat it if you like it. The little shoot will prepare its fruit for you.’

Lessons in living and dying…

“Whenever you arrive with your child at the garden-plot, or when he awakes in the morning, have him look first and see whether any new shoots have come up. If you should notice one, show your delight. When you are putting young plants rather than seeds into the ground, it is just as important to explain to your child what you are doing. If you are planting tomato seedlings, for example, let him hand you the stalks one by one. If he should inadvertently break a stalk, take the broken stalk into your hands and say: ‘I do not think this one will live or bear fruit, since it is broken, but let us try planting it anyway.’ And plant at least one of the broken ones right along with the others.

“A few days later, when you visit the garden bed again with your child and the stalks have firmed up, point out the broken, withering stalk to your little one and remind him that it was broken during the planting, but do not use any preaching tone of voice in doing so. You need to talk with him as an equal. You should bear in mind the thought that he is superior to you in some respects — in the purity of his thought, for example. He is an angel! If you succeed in understanding that, you can then proceed intuitively, and your child will indeed become a person who will happify your days.

Don't "fill in the spaces"…

“Whenever you sleep under the stars, take your child with you, lay him down beside you, let him look at the stars, but under no circumstances tell him the names of the planets or how you perceive their origin and function, since this is something you do not really know yourself, and the dogmas stored in your brain will only lead the child astray from the truth. His sub-conscious knows the truth, and it will penetrate his consciousness all by itself. All you might do is to tell him that you like looking at the shining stars, and ask your child which star he likes best of all.

Allow his brain cells to awaken…

“In general, it is very important to know how to ask your child questions. The next year you should offer your child his own seedbed, fix it up and give him the freedom to do whatever he likes with it. Do not ever compel him by force to do anything with it, and do not ever correct what he has done. The only thing you can do is ask him what he likes. You can offer help, but only after asking his permission to work along with him. When you are planting cereal grains, have him throw some grains on the seedbed for you”

“It is not just a matter of having a knowledge and feeling about what grows and how. The main thing is that the child is starting to think, analyse, and cells are awakening in his brain which will operate throughout his life. They will make him brighter and more talented compared to those whose corresponding cells are still dormant.

Genius will develop naturally…

“As far as ‘civilised’ life goes — what you call progress — he may well turn out to be superior in any field of endeavour — all the more so since the purity of his thought will make him an exceptionally happy person. The contact he has established with his plants will allow him to constantly take in — and exchange — more and more information. The incoming messages will be received by his sub-conscious and transmitted to his consciousness in the form of many new thoughts and discoveries. Outwardly he will look like everyone else, but inwardly…

This is the kind of Man you call a genius…”