4살부터 입시 준비? 뇌가 스트레스로 망가진다!(Starting Exam Prep at 4? Stress Can Damage a Child’s Brain!)

아이의 뇌는 만 7세까지 급속히 발달하며, 이 시기엔 놀이와 감정 조절이 핵심입니다.
하지만 학습 중심의 조기교육은 뇌에 스트레스를 주고, 감정 조절 능력을 떨어뜨려요.

아동 중심 교육을 강조한 ‘피아제와 비고츠키’는, 유아기의 학습은 탐색과 놀이 중심이 되어야 한다고 했습니다.

억지로 지식 주입을 하면 오히려 학습 흥미가 사라지고, 뇌 발달을 해칠 수 있어요.
아이들의 미래를 위해 필요한 건 더 빠른 공부가 아니라, 더 깊은 이해와 즐거운 배움입니다.

공부도 중요하지만, 우리 아이들이 즐겁고 건강하게 자라는 것이 가장 중요하지 않을까요?

감사합니다.

Title: Starting Exam Prep at 4? Stress Can Damage a Child’s Brain!

Did you know?
Early education is becoming a trend in Korea,
but excessive academic stress can actually damage a child’s brain structure.

According to research from the Department of Child Psychiatry at Severance Hospital, Yonsei University,
when children are forced to engage in logical reasoning too early, their hippocampus and amygdala can shrink.

Over the past four years, the number of children and teens under 18 receiving mental health diagnoses and treatment has more than doubled.
About 270,000 young people visit psychiatric clinics every year.
The most common diagnoses are depression, ADHD, and anxiety disorders.

In areas with intense early private education—such as “4-year-old exams” and “7-year-old exams”—the number of psychiatric visits has surged.

A child’s brain develops rapidly up to the age of seven,
and during this time, play and emotional regulation are essential.
But academic-focused early education adds stress to the brain and weakens emotional control.

Educational theorists like Piaget and Vygotsky emphasized that early childhood learning should be based on exploration and play.
Forcing knowledge too early can kill a child’s interest in learning and harm brain development.

What children really need isn’t faster learning,
but deeper understanding and joyful discovery.

Studying is important, but isn’t it more important that our kids grow up happy and healthy?

Thank you.