New research shows that teaching kids more and more, at ever-younger ages, may backfire.

"Why Preschool Shouldn't Be Like School"
Alison Gopnik, Slate, Wednesday, March 16, 2011

"Indeed, these studies show that 4-year-olds understand how teaching works and can learn from teachers. But there is an intrinsic trade-off between that kind of learning and the more wide-ranging learning that is so natural for young children. Knowing this, it's more important than ever to give children's remarkable, spontaneous learning abilities free rein. That means a rich, stable, and safe world, with affectionate and supportive grown-ups, and lots of opportunities for exploration and play."