Many parents want their children to be lifelong learners, but they struggle to build a solid foundation of curiosity and a desire for learning. Here are three things you can start doing today to help your child love to learn.
Provide Fun Learning Activities
Providing fun learning experiences for children, encourages them to interact and grow. Keep a variety of fun games, books, and activities available for them to choose from.
Keep a variety of educational toys, games, and puzzles in an easily accessible area of your home. These kinds of activities are always fun when enjoyed in conjunction with an adult, friend, or sibling.
Visit exciting places and experience museums, events, and more. This really helps learning to come alive for children. Check local calendars and social media to find free or inexpensive experiences.
For some kids, it’s all about choice and having their voice heard. Offer two or three options for your child to choose from or ask their opinion on what they would like to do.
Read, Read, Read
Research shows that reading for just 15 minutes a day keeps students learning and growing.
Reading also helps to develop children’s vocabulary. Their vocabulary grows even more as you talk about and discuss everyday activities as you go about your day.
Read aloud, read together, listen to audio books—these are all excellent ways to be engaged with reading!
Keep books in prominent areas of your home. Make sure your children can easily access books to entice them to pick them up throughout the day and read.
Let children see the adults reading too. This sends a very good message to children that reading is important and something that everyone does no matter their age.
Take a break from the screens
It’s ok to limit the non-educational screen time that your kids have. Limiting access to screens is an opportunity for children to play, imagine, and grow.
Remember those educational toys and games we talked about earlier? Here’s where they come into play. Dig into those hands-on experiences and have some fun.
Pull out the crayons, paper, and markers (paint if you’re feeling brave) and be creative.
Get outside—take a walk, visit a park, have a picnic, take a bike ride—there are lots of opportunities for development through these activities.
What else would you add to this list?
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