Miller's Mind training for children Book 1 (of 3) / A practical training for successful living; Educational games that train the senses

by William Emer Miller

Exercises for Two Senses

Combine any of the previous exercises for Eye and Ear, Ear and Feeling, Eye and Feeling, etc., but do not attempt two exercises of the same sense or use two of the same order.

At first the attention will alternate between the two exercises, but by persistence the child can learn to carry on two exercises at the same time.

Watch an operator in the central phone stations, she listens to the party calling, watches the board over which other conversations are passing, and pulls and shifts the plugs, all at the same time. Operators of many machines in factories learn to carry on two and more separate operations at one time.

Combine the Insets for the sense of feeling on page 18 with the Number Game or the Letter Game on page 45, or with the exercises for visual counting on page 59. Let the Insets be held close to the body so as not to be easily seen, or have them worked under the table, or covered by a cloth.

Use a similar combination of any of the sense exercises or games. Try many variations of the idea given on page 75 under Divided Attention, using different verses and problems to suit the age of the child.

Have the child write a familiar verse while listening to the reading of a story and see how much he can tell after the verse is finished. See that the writing continues during the reading, that is, that he does not stop writing to listen, then write again.

Take the letter cards of the Letter Game, page 45, and arrange a series of six, having these covered. Give the child a paper and pencil, uncover the series of letters and simultaneously read an equal series of digits. After the reading cover the letters and have him write as many as possible, first the letters and immediately following the digits. Next time write the digits first and the letters second. The result of this test will reveal the comparative quality of the child's eye and ear memory, as memory must of course enter into this exercise. If the sounds of the digits are lost before the pictures of the letters, the eye memory is strongest. This is usually the case, but some children will retain the sounds easily and lose the picture of the letters.

The sense which proves most useful should be depended upon for accuracy, but there should be a continuous effort to develop and strengthen the weaker one.