Children are natural learners – they love to gather knowledge and learn new things. But they gather knowledge and use it in a different way to adults.
And sometimes, they’d much instead learn how a spider makes a web than they would about mathematics.
So how do you keep your child motivated to search and learn?
Lead by example
The fastest way for a child to ask why they need to do something – is when they don’t see other people around them doing it.
Reading is a great example; the more your children see you read or are read to, the more likely it is that they will also want to read.
When you read to your child or start reading by themselves, they will quickly begin to strengthen and grow their vocabulary.
The key to raising great readers is to make it fun and not get frustrated when they can’t get a word.
We all had to start somewhere!
Photo by Tim Mossholder on Unsplash
Tutors
Although parents and the schools can handle most of what your child needs – what happens if that have a particular interest? What if they excel in an area or two of school? And, what about if they find themselves falling behind.
Depending on your child’s age, you might consider Online Maths and Physics Tutoring or private lessons in other subjects.
Tutors have a magic way of tapping into what drives the child to learn and combine it with excellent teaching methods.
Autonomy
Having a say over what and how they learn can make a big difference. Consider that we are in school for hours each day – having very little control over what we learn and when.
Let them guide the lessons at home, and who knows what you will all end up learning.
While the school covers a specific set of subjects, there is so much out there left to learn. See what else your child is passionate about and spend some time exploring it.
Gamification
Is there a game that covers the topic that your child is interested in? Gamification of education can be a fascinating learning technique.
Games offer level-ups, rewards and engage your child in a new way. Gathering knowledge and answering questions on specific topics can significantly improve your child’s learning ability and speed.
Educational establishments promote some games, and while they might have a cost attached, they are usually worth it.
Joy over performance
While you might be desperate to find out what your child graded on their test, focus on the excitement and joy of the learning process. Pay more attention to what your child is learning rather than what they score.
There is a lot of pressure in schools for children to perform their highest, but the motivation comes from the love of learning and gathering knowledge.
Keep celebrating the small stuff and the achievements of your child, spelling a new word? That is a big deal! Have they managed to score high on a test? Way to go! Let your child know that you see how they are doing.
And don’t the fun stuff outside of maths, languages and science! Read more: The Importance of The Arts in Education