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How Children Learn (Classics in Child Development) Paperback – September 4, 1995

by John Holt (Author)
4.5 out of 5 stars 50 customer reviews
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Product Details

  • Series: Classics in Child Development
  • Paperback: 320 pages
  • Publisher: Da Capo Press; Revised edition (September 4, 1995)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0201484048
  • ISBN-13: 978-0201484045
  • Product Dimensions: 6.4 x 0.7 x 9.4 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (50 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #17,392 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Top Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 starsyoung children do learn a lot without an adult forcing them
By ChristineMM TOP 1000 REVIEWER on September 16, 2002
Format: Paperback Verified Purchase
How Children Learn
By John Holt
5 stars
Holt didn't have children of his own, and his first opinions of children and learning came from being a schoolteacher in an elite private school, where he taught math to 5th graders. He was exposed to younger children and babies who were friends and relatives, and began forming different opinions about learning, which he shares in this book. Holt is fascinated by the notion that children accomplish so much before formal schooling begins and realizes that the way school is set up goes directly in opposition to what is natural and has worked for these children up to the point they are sent off to school.
The beginning of the book covers the age ranges from birth up through age 3 to 5, that is, before children go to school. Holt talks about a certain type of important learning that takes place up until the time a child enrolls in school at which point the experience of schooling changes their personality. The book starts off with how children succeed in learning many important things and huge feats such as speaking and with proper grammar and pronunciation and walking without formal schooling and that children accomplish much learning without an adult being the facilitator of it. In general the style of writing is that Holt describes a situation and then gives his opinions of the learning experience. Sometimes Holt does little experiments such as introducing a toy or a non-toy (such as a typewriter) to young children to see how they react to it and what they do with it. Holt observes with delight and amazement, these young children who are friends and relatives (they are not his students or participants in a research projects).Read more ›
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5.0 out of 5 starsAn eye-opening look at intellectual life in early childhood
By A Customer on April 24, 1998
Format: Paperback
I discovered "How Children Learn" when my own children were already on their way to their teens. I wish I'd had it when they were born, or soon after. John Holt opens our eyes to the absolutely astonishing efficiency with which pre-school children learn so many things. And he does it without any of the language of "educationese," the gobbledygook that so often clutters books about educational issues and makes them opaque and unpleasant tasks to read. Everything he says is immediate, concrete, and down to earth, drawn from specific observations of particular children, working effectively to learn whatever interests them. This is a book that I regularly now give as a gift to my friends when they become parents for the first time. I know of no other that will fill THEM with wonder over the ensuing five years or so, as their children learn to come to grips with the world.
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5.0 out of 5 starsI wish John Holt were still around.
By Robyn L. Coburn on September 2, 2000
Format: Paperback
The only thing that disappointed about this book was learning that the author is deceased, so I couldn't tell him how moved and inspired I was. I was the converted, already strongly leaning towards homeschooling when the time comes, but this book gave me insights that have changed how I interract with my 10 month old daughter, to my own great joy. How refreshing to read the words of a man unafraid to admit his errors and his regrets. His compassion also moved me, sometimes to tears. This book is be a validation for any one who needs one, of the choice to homeschool. It is an eye-opening inspiration for a parent seeking greater understanding of their toddler. This book, and the "companion volume", "How Children Fail", should be required reading for education legislators, and given out with diaper packets in maternity wards. If you have a first edition, get the latest one with Holt's further thoughts and self-critiquing updated commentary.
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5.0 out of 5 starsParents MUST read this
By Amazon Customer on April 9, 2004
Format: Paperback
There must be a thousand books out in the world for parents right now. How to do this or that with your baby/toddler/child, OR How to get your baby/toddler/child to do this or that. From pregnancy through college there is a guide for every problem, or perceived problem, that you may possibly have.
How Children Learn, though, is not a guide. It is simply a demonstration, through the journal of John Holt, that children are smart and know how to learn, from the moment they are born. He shows that by giving children the space and freedom they need to explore things that interest them, we allow them to develop thinking skills. We allow them to figure the world out, learn that things work in certain ways, and that the world is generally a predictable and benevolent place. Holt shows through his experiences that not only do we not need to force children to learn, or to teach them much, but that teaching (and especially coersion) are counterproductive to learning.
It would be impossible to explain in a short space the thinking behind How Children Learn. By sharing his experiences, Holt shows us about children, not educational philosophies or theories. Get this book and read it. It will change the way that you think about children and learning forever.
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5.0 out of 5 starsThis book could save you a wasted education
By Peter K. Ellis on September 8, 2000
Format: Paperback
If I had read this book in college I would have saved myself so much agony in learning about children.
After I read this book: I started to learn about children. Forget the terminology; forget the theories - take a look at children and learn how they learn.
While reading the reviews posted here, I realized that this is the perfect gift for expectant parents.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 starsFive Stars

great

Published 2 months ago by Rhonda D. Williams
5.0 out of 5 starsgame changer for the mom on the fence about homeschooling

Such a good book!!! I was on the fence about how I felt homeschooling my kids. So many good points in this book on how children learn. Yes, it's really as simple as he says.

Published 4 months ago by Jennifer
3.0 out of 5 starsNot quite what I expected.

The formatting and organization of the book seem a little haphazard. And, oddly, it reads a bit like a memoir.

Published 5 months ago by M. Tjandra
5.0 out of 5 starsa must read for parent with small children!

Even if you are not even remotely thinking of home schooling, you should pick it up!
It will change the way you regard children!

Published 10 months ago by Raghavan Auye Venugopal
4.0 out of 5 starsFour Stars

seems like interesting points between reams of notes on observations of children.

Published 11 months ago by Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 starsBest education book I ever read.

So far this is the best homeschool book I have read to date. If you could only read one book about educating children, this would be the one I would by far and above recommend. Read more

Published 12 months ago by PrairieGirl
5.0 out of 5 starsFive Stars

This is one of John Holt's best!!

Published 13 months ago by suzannabell
4.0 out of 5 starsFour Stars

Informative for sure but I didn't feel like I had any big aha moments as a parent.

Published 18 months ago by Erika Murphy
5.0 out of 5 starsUn libro excelente, estoy poniendo a prueba los consejos ...

Un libro excelente, estoy poniendo a prueba los consejos impartidos y realmente es maravillosa la respuesta de nuestros hijos. Read more

Published 21 months ago by Maria Molero Araujo
2.0 out of 5 starsUncertain

I think that this book is probably a decent book as far as the information goes, but it sssooooo boring. Every time I would try to read it I would fall asleep. Read more

Published 22 months ago by arkmitch

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