Making Learning Exciting for Kids to Help Them Grow Comfortably
There’s a difference to being a good student and a good learner. Individual personality traits play a great role in addition to the child’s willingness to learn. Their attitude in regards to schooling and education also matters. The truth is, any child can potentially become a good learner with the requisite aptitude and motivation. Be it math for kids or science and reasoning, interest is the second word for learning.
A big mistake that parents and teachers make in developing good learners is the fact that they limit learning within the confines of a classroom. Classrooms are undoubtedly the chief source of learning, but for your child to grow socially, emotionally and intellectually, learning should extend beyond it.
Try to inculcate a healthy reading habit in your child. Building an apt reading atmosphere is vital to this. When a child develops a love for reading, they inadvertently develop a love for learning. It also enables in building a richer vocabulary. Their mind is skilled in processing information. Kids with a healthy reading habit also have an enhanced ability to learn other subjects like math and science. Develop your child’s reading skills by centring the reading process into their world. Read to them stories and events; make time for family reading sessions, even indulge in re-enactment sessions for scenes from the book you are reading. It will not only get them drawn towards reading but also trigger their imagination and heighten their level of confidence.
Learning requires an environment where the child feels relaxed. Make sure they don’t feel overly controlled or they might withdraw. Although you need to play an active role in guiding them through the learning process, let your child be in control. That’s why Kumon a world-renowned after-school program for math and English proficiency emphasises so much on letting the child progress at their own pace. Not just that, it’s important for guardians and instructors to understand the child’s appropriate level and speed of learning. For this very reason at Kumon, they carry out a diagnostic test on the basis of which the Kumon instructors figure out the child’s ‘just-right’ level of learning. The small step worksheets are designed for self-learning and self-study which helps develop the child’s reasoning and critical thinking skills thus slowly enhancing their academic ability.
When you engage the child in their areas of interest learning becomes fun and the child gets more involved. You want them to be better learners. Encourage them to explore subjects and topics they find fascinating. For instance, if your child’s into wildlife find engaging books and stories about wild animals and challenge them to identify his five favourites and make them give reasons why.
Every child likes to learn in a preferred manner. Some are visual learners, some learn through sounds, some via experiences, some through memory and others through a mix and match of varied factors. There isn’t a right or wrong way to learn, however by helping them discover their preferred style, you can improve the quality of their learning. Turning each day into a day of learning may sound like too much but it isn’t. Encourage them to explore their surroundings, ask questions and build connections. Help them think critically about the things they have witnessed or experienced. When you set out to make every day a day of learning, your child will develop the motivation to extend learning beyond the classroom.
