Ask HN: How would you approach spaced-repetition for children?
I’m a licensed physics teacher and a parent of a toddler. I acknowledge we humans are a diverse group (some tools are not useful for everyone) and that there are commonalities (some tools are universally effective). I use spaced-repetition systems (SRS) to embed all sorts of things in long-term memory. Perhaps what I spend time learning ranges from trivia to important, depending on perspective. The book “Make it Stick: the science of successful learning”[0] gives advice to teachers for using SRS in teaching but doesn’t specify an age range, or what SRS might look like to be engaging for a three-year-old.
Some examples: I’d like to help my child recognize names and faces of friends and family; contact information; local wildlife (relationships within the ecosystem primarily, but also names for convenience); numbers, letters (languages in general); and astronomical features. Most of these things are review of topics engaged with in other ways (playing, talking, observing).
Based on your experience and/or research you’re aware of, what do you recommend in general for incorporating SRS in the “handful” (ages 1-5) years? If non-zero, would you put all cards in one deck for interleaving, or keep topics separate?
Thanks in advance for your time and consideration.
[0] Brown, Roediger, and McDaniel (2014)