Children are naturally curious and make great learners, but mere classroom education isn’t going to be enough for children to truly enjoy the process of learning. Learning is an aspect of our daily lives, and it’s something that never ceases, no matter how old we get. There’s always something we can learn.
Parents can motivate their children to learn in several ways and make the process exciting for kids. Here are some simple yet effective ways to do this.
Maintain open communication
Keeping the channels of communication open between you and your child is a very good way of encouraging learning. Children tend to ask a lot of questions. They’re curious about so many things happening in the world around them, and the ability to communicate that openly can motivate them to learn more. When they get to ask questions without the fear of being judged or ridiculed, they’re more likely to continue questioning things and enjoy the process of learning.
Track learning, not performance
When your child gets back from a test at school, instead of focusing on how much they scored on the test, focus on what they learned in school that day. This will reinforce to them that the ultimate goal is to actually learn, not necessarily top the class with excellent results. It’ll also put across the fact that you care about your child’s development, not their grades.
Make their world exciting with reading
Reading in itself is beneficial for kids because it builds their language skills and exposes them to a whole new world. Kids who begin reading early on in life are more likely to excel even in other areas such as mathematics and science. Reading also provides a great opportunity for parents and kids to bond. Children who are fond of reading often perform better academically and develop a habit that will benefit them throughout their lives. Reading can also expose them to new ideas, concepts, and worlds that facilitate their learning, without them actually having to travel anywhere.
Encourage learning from daily activities
Learning isn’t just restricted to the classroom or school. Every day, we’re presented with opportunities that enable us to learn, and the same is applicable for kids. Encourage your child to explore the world around them, ask questions, and make connections between their lessons and the larger world. Just a stroll in the park can be a great opportunity to examine the different species of plants that exist.
Give them the freedom to express themselves and make decisions
A lot of the time, children don’t enjoy learning because the only type of learning they’re familiar with happens in the controlled environment of a school. While you, as a parent, definitely need to guide your child’s learning, you should give your child the freedom to make decisions about their learning process. This could mean something as simple as choosing the book they want to read for the day or picking a subject they want to focus on. When they’re made responsible for their learning and feel in control, they’re more likely to enjoy the process.
Keep things organized
Having an organized workspace is crucial to fostering the right environment for learning. Disorganized work environments have a lot of clutter, and they’re likely to distract your child from the focus on learning. Keeping things organized will make it easy for them to find all their learning materials and focus on actual learning.
Encourage different styles of learning
Children have different styles of learning. Some may have one dominant learning style, while others respond to a mix of learning styles. Visual learners respond more to visually appealing stimuli, while auditory learners need to listen to learn better. Kinaesthetic learners are physical learners who learn better through body movements. Whatever your child’s learning style is, it’s important that you explore it so that you can find ways to make learning more fun for them.
Work on your child’s strengths
Adopting a positive attitude and focusing on your child’s strengths instead of weaknesses can pave the way for the Pygmalion effect to take place. This is when high expectations lead to better performance in an area. This doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t help your child out in areas they’re struggling with, but it is imperative that you also remind them of their strengths.
Pay attention to what your child is interested in
Let learning be guided by your child’s interests. That way, they’re more likely to enjoy the process. If reading is an important task for the day, don’t just pull out any book for them to read. Take their interests into consideration. If they enjoy animals, let them read a book about animals. This way, they’re meeting the reading goals while doing something that they’re interested in.
Celebrate the small wins
You don’t have to go overboard, but you should celebrate the small achievements of your child, whether it’s by giving them a treat or a star on their work. Positive reinforcement will make the learning process fun for them and motivate them to continue achieving more.
Make learning fun through games and other activities
Use games that can help aid the learning process for children. If you’ve got more than one kid, you could also make use of team building activities to facilitate learning. Multiple art and craft supplies, board games, physical games and more can help you reinforce important lessons for your child.
Enthusiastically communicate the new things you learned
Children often model their behaviour based on their parents’ behaviour, so be a good role model for your child. If you want your child to be excited about learning, you should also communicate your new learning enthusiastically to your child. This will make them perceive learning to be something fun and exciting. With these tips, your child can start enjoying the process of learning and be motivated to learn more.
