How to Encourage Your Child to Love Learning

Ultimately, we want our kids to develop love for learning. A passion for learning is quite different from just studying to earn a grade or to please parents or teachers. Those who develop a love of learning at an early age continue the process throughout their lives and are generally more successful, interesting, and happier than those who don't.

Most parents read to their young kids, which help encourage imagination, language, and an early love of learning. But not all children remain curious and inquisitive into adolescence. Alarmingly, studies have found that from third grade on, a child's enjoyment of learning drops continuously -- a phenomenon some researchers blame on the increasing focus on grades and report cards as kids get older. Younger children, on the other hand, learn for the sheer joy of it.

You can do a lot now to help your child maintain this healthy attitude throughout school. To captivate a young mind, let your child do what comes naturally and make learning a child's play.

Follow these simple strategies below and learn how you can instill the value of learning, and nurture the kind of kid who will find learning an exciting challenge rather than a chore.

Foster A Thirst For Learning

If we can help our children experience at an early age that learning is fun, it will make a big difference in their attitude towards school throughout their formative years.

You may not realize it, but kids likely learn more in their first five years of life than in the next twelve years of school. Those early years are a great opportunity to instill in them the value of learning and the joy of discovery.

Kids will feel good about learning if they believe they can do it. If they can go into school with a sense of confidence, they will look forward to it with anticipation, instead of being intimidated or overwhelmed by the newness of it all.

Rather than waiting till your kids begin their formal education, you can prepare them by reading to them when they’re young. By age four or five, you can help them learn the basics. Teach them to recognize the alphabet, how to write letters, and how to write their name. 

Before long, they’ll start to recognize some words, and that will encourage them. They’ll begin to experience success in the learning environment, which will make it more attractive and comfortable. Children will be much more inclined to like learning if you build them up as they discover things.

Surround yourself with Books

Read books on your own. By doing this you will be setting a good example. Read to your kids, to get them hooked on books. Have lots of books in the house. Have bookcases and show how you value books, play games around books and Listen to audiobooks on CD or MP3.

Researchers from Harvard University have found out that consistent access to books can increase a child's motivation to read. What's more, studies reveal that the most proficient readers tend to be kids whose homes are stocked with many different types of reading materials, such as newspapers, magazines, books, and encyclopedias. 

To foster your child's affection for reading, keep books within easy reach -- by the kitchen table, next to her bed, in a basket by the couch, and in the car. Let your toddler flip through old issues of magazines, even if she ends up tearing the pages. Set aside a special time to read together each day. Talk about the story and ask your child what she thinks is going to happen next. Active participation boosts her understanding and makes reading fun.

Share Your Passion

Talk with your child about the things you read and hear, especially the things you find interesting. Ask your kids how they feel about various issues (current events, relationships, values). Allow them to have opinions without passing judgment. Ask your children to help you understand why they feel the way they do.

Talk to your child about interesting things you've learned, whether the subject is sports, science, art, or cooking. If you read an intriguing article or watched an educational program, tell your kids about it. Explain in simple terms what happened and why you found it so interesting. Your kids will sense your fascination even if they can't fully understand the topic. And you'll be sending the message that learning doesn't end with childhood.

Build On Your Child's Natural Interests

Expose your child to a wide variety of experiences including music, plays, sports, museums, travel, reading, dance, games, food, puzzles, ethnic activities, etc. One never knows how what exposure may influence future life choices.

If he goes through a dinosaur phase, visit a natural history museum, take out library books about prehistoric times, or buy a model T-Rex that you can assemble together. Or maybe he loves bugs, trains, or outer space. Don't be disappointed or worried if he isn't into the same thing as the kid down the street, tapping into his unique fascinations will keep the spark for learning alive.

A study of exceptionally high-achieving athletes and artists found that the common denominator among these gifted individuals was their having parents who early on recognized the child's interest and provided as much support and encouragement as they could. "That's our job as parents; children point the way, and we help them clear a path," says Raymond Wlodkowski, Ph.D

You can tap into your child's interests even when he's a baby. More learning will take place if you give your infant time to see, touch, or taste the objects that he's already interested in, rather than move him on quickly to another toy or activity.

Back Off And Nurture Independence

Children need plenty of free time to discover and explore. Don’t jam pack your schedule with errands and activities. Give your child time for free play, day dreaming and roaming around in the back yard. This helps them develop independence and also contribute to their brain development and how they feel about learning. 

Sometimes, activities seem too difficult for your kids only because you haven't encouraged them to do it by themselves. For example, things like peeling their own banana, picking out which shirt to wear, and feeding the family cat, are all things that a young toddler can do. Letting your child do things like this makes them feel more in control of their world, which in turn inspires them toward bigger and better exploits. When the world is in your hands, you want to do something with it, don't you?

After interviewing hundreds of parents, Dr. Ryan and his colleagues found that those who have the most motivated children didn't micromanage or pressure their kids. "They aren't the type to jump in and say, 'You're doing that wrong; let me do it for you,' " he says. "Instead, they let their children figure things out for themselves, while still showing their support." By overcoming challenges on her own -- whether a jigsaw puzzle or a math problem -- your child gains a sense of competence, something that all enthusiastic learners share.

Your child probably fires dozens of questions at you every day. But turning things around and posing some to him can fuel his excitement for learning. For instance, asking, "Why do you think the birds always come back to that same spot in the backyard?" can spark a conversation that introduces a variety of interesting concepts.

Build Your Child Up Using Affirmations

You will never get the best out of your kids by criticizing, complaining or condemning them. Research has repeatedly demonstrated that for every negative comment a child receives, it takes 4-6 times as much positive reinforcement to get their self-worth back to a state of equilibrium. If kids are going to make it in this world, they have to be confident, they have to be strong, they have to be believed in. And that starts at home.

Your kids have to know that Mom and Dad are their biggest fans. They need to know beyond a shadow of a doubt, “Even if I mess up, Dad will accept me,” or “Even though I made a mistake on my exam, I’m still going to make it.”

Parental affirmation builds kids up and gives them courage to keep going. Criticism destroys and takes away that desire to grow and to become all that they can be. No one in this world is able to puff up your child’s chest like you can; when you praise them, it goes so much farther than anyone else saying something good to them. But it goes the other way, too: no one on earth can demoralize your child more than you can with constant criticism. So stand behind your kids and give them the strength they need to face the world with confidence.

Instead of tying your son or daughter’s worth to the scores on their report card, emphasize the value of simply doing their best. That is what you can reasonably expect of them, and they need to know that you are proud of them when they try their hardest – regardless of the results.

Remember: there are more important things in life than straight A’s. It’s ironic that in the workplace, many people are affirmed for their social skills and their ability to talk to people and “network” – the very things they got in trouble for at school!

Listen, you are your child’s best teacher and no school will ever care more about your child's education than you as a mother or father. The most crucial thing we can do for our children is to teach them the joy of learning, at the earliest age possible. If you need help in teaching your children at home, you can always contact us for your best private home tutors in Ghana

I  hope  you’ve  enjoyed  this  article as much  as  I  loved  writing  it for  you. I hope you’ve also got a torn of value from it too.

I appreciate you for taking the time out of your busy schedule to read this material. If you liked what you read and these ideas make sense to you, then why not follow the footsteps of my other successful students.

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