It’s something we don’t necessarily appreciate when we’re in school, but as we get older we start to regret that we didn’t pay more attention. As an educator, I’ve come to truly understand that not all children benefit from ways of learning that are forced upon them. Children are all different, including their brains, so why expect all children to sit perfectly still for 8 hours a day, on top of trying to make them learn for those 8 hours!
So, how can we instill a love of learning in our children? There are several ways to do this, including the following:
Make It Relevant to Them
If you want your child to learn something, you’ve got to convey it on their level, and understanding what their passions are is critical because you can gear things appropriately. If they are more inclined towards sports and want to know how to get better at playing football or running cross country, showing them more info about the muscular system and how it works can give your children far more understanding of, not just the methods that would get them stronger and faster, but the mechanics that underlie it. When we make something relevant to them, it doesn’t feel like they are learning but rather engaging with something, which is what our overarching goal should be.
Discuss, Do Not Lecture
This is a critical teaching skill utilized in colleges. When we initiate discussion on a subject matter and ask more questions than provide answers this will start to engage our children more. Our children are naturally curious at a young age, but if they do it incessantly over the years we are sending a little subconscious signal that they need to stop. Question asking is a critical skill and we need to facilitate discussion between parents and children.
Be Supportive (and Reasonable)
Expecting your child to learn a lot of dense information is unrealistic, but it is a good idea to implement the 5% rule. As long as your child is progressing 5% in the right direction, these are the baby steps that ensure they start to love learning as they get older. Because if you are pushing them to be a straight-A student, they will kick against this so it’s far better to help them learn from experiences in their own time. It can take a while for something to consolidate, but as long as it does eventually this is what matters.
Make It Fun
Making learning more fun for them will completely depend on their interest in the subject. If they need to learn something that they absolutely hate, they are going to put up a mental block which is why you will need to change the environment or do something to make it an easier subject to absorb. Take math, for example, which can be a very complex subject; if you can make things easier by incorporating music or creativity in some form, this could provide a break from the monotony.
Stop “Learning”
Hear me out. If you want to instill a love of learning you’ve got to take away the fact that it is learning in a traditional sense. When we are interested in something, we naturally engage with a subject and we don’t consider it as “learning,” because it’s something that we want to do. Therefore if you want to instill a love of learning in your kids, think twice about the things you force upon them.
Thank you for reading!
lyndsinreallife