It’s a question that many parents ask, whether their children go to public or private schools, or are homeschooled. How can I raise my kids to love learning? Teaching your kids to love learning might seem like an overwhelming task. There are tons of distractions, and many kids would rather play with electronics than open a book or play outside.
The good news is there are many things parents can do to nurture enthusiasm for learning in their children. Here are some simple things you can do to raise kids who love learning.
Nurture Your Child’s Interests
Nurturing your child’s interests are a great way to raise kids who love learning. Say your child loves horses and talks about them nonstop. While you might not have the same passion for horses, you can certainly encourage this interest. Some ways are buying books about horses, visiting a horse farm, or signing him or her up for a few riding lessons. Or if your child loves soccer, take him or her to games, join a team, or watch soccer games as a family.
You can also encourage their interests by asking questions about what they’ve learned. Kids are usually eager to talk about their interests, which helps them to build confidence and express their enthusiasm. It’s also important to give your children the freedom to explore their interests, even if they are different from yours.
For example, if you love sports but your kid is a bookworm, don’t pressure them to join a team if they don’t want to. Instead, focus more on making sure that he or she has plenty of reading materials and a quiet space to enjoy them.
Make Reading Part of Your Child’s Day
Most parents read to their young children or tell them bedtime stories. These are extremely important practices, encouraging language development, imagination and a strong parent-child bond. Many young children enjoy stories, but this enthusiasm sometimes fades as children get older and become teenagers.
How can you encourage your children to remain interested in books and learning? Some Harvard studies suggest that having a steady supply of books on hand can help motivate kids to read. A wide variety of reading materials can also be helpful, like books, newspapers, and magazines.
With this in mind, keep a stash of reading materials on hand. Put them in easy to access places, like a basket in the living room or in the backseat of the car. It’s also a good practice to have a story time every day and to encourage your child’s interest in a story by talking about it with him or her.
Try Out Apps that Make Learning Fun
There are tons of Smartphone apps available, including plenty of apps that make learning fun. You can find apps for every imaginable subject. There are also apps that teach a lesson by using an imaginative and engaging storyline. Migalolo is a stunning e-book app that takes kids on an educational tour of the ocean, and Miniwalla takes them around an animal sanctuary in Java while they get to learn about Java and its animals.
Another app worth exploring is How it Works?, which features games and animations to teach kids about how our Earth works. It also has kid-friendly lessons on volcanoes, plants, the water’s cycle, Earth’s structure and much more!
Kids Vocabulary, Grammar and Language Learning Games is a great way to make learning vocabulary fun. There are fun animations of underwater animals that your kids interact with while learning skills like language comprehension, vocabulary, and grammar. The app also features a progress tracker, stats, and automatically adjusts the difficulty levels.
Want to help your child learn basic math skills? Time, Money & Fractions on Track is an app that can help with that. It is geared to kids ages six and seven and costs $4.99 to download. The app features kid-friendly lessons on how to tell time, count money and work with fractions. There are plenty of colorful graphics, fun sounds, and animations to keep things interesting. It even has some games for quick breaks in between exercises.
Parents from all walks of life want what’s best for their children, and a love of learning ranks high on the list. Encouraging your children’s natural interests, making time for reading, and trying out apps are some ways you can make learning a positive experience. Whether you are working full-time or are a stay-at-home parent, these are some simple things you can incorporate into your daily life to encourage your kids’ interests, skills, and natural curiosity.