Excellent question, Noha.
I guess it does indeed seem like the focus is on reading and math.
Well, to a CERTAIN extent, I think it IS true that there is more focus on reading and math than other subjects, and that’s for good reason. The reason, I believe, is that reading (especially) and math are the fundamental building blocks for so many other things in life. Reading is a TOOL for further learning. It’s like learning how to learn. That’s why there is such a big focus by governments on literacy. And reading is also the basis for writing, and now we’re getting into COMMUNICATION skills, at least one form of it. And we all know the importance of communication!
As for Math, I think the same concept applies, but to a lesser extent. Math is the foundation for most sciences, so you could say that it’s the basis for science. I’m not sure on this, but I also believe that neurologists would also tell you that improving your math abilities also improves your brain in very fundamental ways too. Perhaps someone knowledgeable about this can comment further.
Having said all that, of course reading and math are not the only important things children need to learn. For example, I personally believe music and art are also highly important, not just because it allows the expression of artistic creativity but also because of certain effects it has on brain development. Likewise, learning physical stuff is also very important, not just from a physical point of view (obviously), but also from a MENTAL point of view because of how it also affects brain development (which is why crawling, according to Glenn Doman, is so important and affects other abilities such as language). And last but not least, and some would say most importantly, there’s the “EQ” (as opposed to IQ) development.
One other reason those things aren’t emphasized as much, I think, is because some are harder to teach, at least in books and certainly for companies like us doing software products. We will have a ‘Little Musician’ coming up, but we’re still having difficulty coming up with a compelling and attractive concept for ‘Little Artist’ using today’s technology, and ‘Little Athlete’ as a software product is, um… I think you get my point. lol Hmm… maybe one day we’ll do it on the Wii ! (excuse me while I call up our patent lawyer…)
KL