Back to school is right around the corner and as parents we're all doing our happy dances and daydreaming about all the quiet, alone time we're going to have....meanwhile, the kids are all trying to figure out ways to fake sick for the next few months to avoid going back.
*cough, cough..mom I have a fever in my big toe, I can't go to school today.*
Truth is, children are naturally curious and love to learn, thats why they tend to bug us asking 10000000 questions a day. However, as they grow older, if that curiosity and love of learning isn't fed, it starts to fade and eventually burns out. As our children's first teachers and role models, it's important that we foster our children's love of learning both at home and in academic settings early on so that when they get older, it sticks with them.
Here are 4 ways I encourage a continuous love of learning in my daughter!
1: I FIGURED OUT HER LEARNING STYLE.
This is probably the biggest thing.
Every child learns differently, there is no one size fits all to learning so figuring out how your child learns best will help you figure out how to teach them. Theres a variety of different learning styles from verbal, physical, and logical, to social, solitary, and visual. Study your child, figure out in what setting they learn best and go from there. Jordyn is a creative, so she's a very physical learner. She learns best with hands on activities and crafts so I make sure to provide lots of those opportunities.
2: I CREATE A HOME THAT ENCOURAGES LEARNING.
Learning begins at home so I make sure to create an environment that encourages Jordyn to constantly learn. I make sure we do activities or create crafts that are aligned with her interest, I stock her bookshelf with things I know she will read, I keep her artwork and things she's created on display, we even try to watch shows aligned with her interest. I make her interest my interest and try to keep our home as encouraging as possible.
3: I MAKE LEARNING FUN.
We know by now that children tend to learn more when they're having fun. When children are enjoying themselves they're more engaged in the learning process so I try to always make things fun and interesting for Jordyn. Playing games, doing crafts, going on field trips, and exploring new places related to her interest are a few ways I make learning fun for her. I try to teach her that learning, even in the most fun ways, is motivating and rewarding.
4: I ENCOURAGE CURIOSITY
We all know that those "whys and hows?" can be annoying but I would rather my daughter ask too many questions than too few. I'd rather her stay curious than not be interested at all. We, as parents, play such a huge part of fostering and encouraging our children's curiosity so it's important that I do my best to always encourage it. As hard as it may sometimes be, instead of giving vague answers to her questions I answer them as best I can. Added bonus, if I don't know the answer to something we look it up together and we both learn something!
5: I PAY ATTENTION TO WHEN SHE NEEDS A BREAK
I try to pay attention to times when Jordyn gets overwhelmed and frustrated and I encourage her to take breaks during homework if she needs. I don't jam pack her schedule with activities. I give her time to just be....to binge on tv...to play with no lesson behind it...to relax and just be.
The most important thing is that we, as parents, never let our love of learning fizzle out. We are never too old to learn something new and if our children see us excited about learning, they will be too! Get out there and learn something new today!
Xo, Jeanice.