ANN/THE STAR – Aavyn Eliseus Ng entered the Malaysia Book of Records (MBR) earning the title ‘Most International Flags Identified By A Toddler In 1 Minute’.
The toddler, at just two years and nine months, accomplished the task on August 3 at the MBR’s headquarters in Brickfields, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
He successfully named the flags within the time frame when the MBR team shuffled a pack of flag flashcards and showed it to him.
Erica Ng Joe Yin, 33, said her son was first exposed to the Malaysian flag, followed by India’s national flag.
“After noticing that Aavyn could recognise the Indian flag, I tried to introduce him to a few more flags. Surprisingly, he could remember them very quickly. At home, while Aavyn’s great-grandfather was watching international badminton tournaments on TV, there were times he’d name the flags on the TV screen.
“Everyone was astonished and praised him tremendously. I think that motivated him and helped to build his interest in flags,” said Ng in a phone interview from Sungai Long, Kajang, Selangor recently.
The businesswoman spent four months training her son.
“I bought a pack of flag flashcards, and each day, I’d read through the cards with him and his twin sister, Aaryn Eliseus Ng.
“Along the way, I’d introduce more flags to him. Two weeks before the record attempt, I stopped introducing new flags to him and focused on the speed. During that period, I quizzed him three times each day, approximately 10 minutes each time.
“While Aavyn loves to say flag names out loud, Aaryn loves to point at countries on the world map,” said Ng.
As some flags have long names, Ng said that her son found it challenging to memorise them.
Therefore, she incorporated some playful and interactive methods to enhance her son’s memory power.
“For example, the flag of Brunei has two hands facing sideways. I used my hands to cover my face, playfully saying ‘peek-a-boo’ before mentioning Brunei.”
