25 Years Later, It's the Better Advice

With all the handwringing about bullying and all the chatter about school readiness, this article, written in 1986 by the husband-wife team of Dr. Raymond and Dorothy Moore, contains many pearls of wisdom about improving the well-being and education of young children.

Their suggestions (which, in this day and age, are considered subversive):

1) More of home and less of formal school;

2) More free exploration with the guidance of warm, responsive parents and fewer limits of classrooms and books;

3) More concern for readiness for learning and ability to think and less training to be simple repeaters;

4) More attention to educating parents and less to institutionalizing young children;

5) More and higher priorities to child-rearing and fewer to material wants; and

6) More old fashion chores — children working with parents — and less attention to rivalry sports and amusements.

More old fashion play would also make my list. I'd also add the adjective "patient" to #2. Oh, and read, read, read to your little kids.

Pictured: Raymond, who passed away in 2007, and Dorothy, who passed away in 2002.