I’ve heard it a million times from parents, if I’ve heard it once: “How do I get my child excited about learning?”
Have you heard these words from your child: “School is dumb.” “Why do I have to learn this?” “This is stupid.” “I don’t want to read this.” “I don’t like school.”
It can be frustrating for parents and kids when school becomes a burden.
Is there a way to avoid these struggles? Is there something you can do to make your kids excited about learning? Can school actually be enjoyable? The answer is yes! There are things you can do to help your kids feel better about learning. I’m going to share 5 important things you can start doing today to help encourage a love of learning in your child.
1. Encourage Curiosity
Encouraging curiosity in children is essential for fostering a love of learning from an early age. One effective way to achieve this is by creating an environment that stimulates their inquisitive nature. Providing access to a wide variety of books, interactive educational games, and science kits can captivate their interest and encourage them to explore the world around them. Offering opportunities for hands-on experiences, such as nature walks, museum visits, and interactive experiments, can ignite their curiosity and enthusiasm for discovering new things. Kids instinctively do not like to sit still. If we make them sit still to learn, it automatically feels boring, and they connect this urge to move and the inability to do so as a distaste for learning.
Additionally, you play a crucial role in nurturing your child’s curiosity. You can support this by actively engaging in conversations with them, listening to their questions, and providing thought-provoking answers and asking your own questions. Encouraging them to pursue their interests by exploring their questions through research and experiments can further fuel their curiosity. Be sure to show enthusiasm for their discoveries!
The bottom line: teach them what it looks like to explore, and see where they go!
2. Show Them How
Children are highly perceptive and tend to mirror the behaviors they observe in adults – especially their caregivers. Therefore, it is crucial to demonstrate enthusiasm and curiosity for learning, whether it’s through reading, exploring new topics, or engaging in educational activities. By conveying a positive attitude towards learning, adults can instill the notion that education is not just a necessity, but also an enjoyable and rewarding endeavor.
Showing them the fruits of your learning labor can impact a child’s perspective. This could involve sharing personal experiences of how learning has enriched your life, whether it’s through acquiring new skills, gaining a deeper understanding of the world, or solving interesting problems. By illustrating the real-world implications of education, children can grasp the relevance and excitement of learning, inspiring them to pursue knowledge with eagerness and determination.
Having a variety of role models who exhibit a strong passion for learning can greatly influence their own attitudes towards education. Whether it’s watching you pursue a new hobby, grandma teaching gardening skills, or a sibling picking up a new instrument, witnessing the impact of knowledge and continuous learning on successful individuals can motivate children to cultivate their own love for learning. By highlighting the achievements, journeys, and hard work of these role models, kids can envision the possibilities and opportunities that await them in their wildest dreams. This shows learning as a way of life.
3. Make it FUN
This goes back to what we learned in “encouraging curiosity.” Kids like to move. They love to explore. We tell them to sit down and explore what we want them to explore and how to explore it. That doesn’t feel exciting. That doesn’t feel encouraging. That feels boring. That feels like punishment. Learning can’t always be “fun,” but the more we incorporate movement, colors, singing, etc., the more enjoyable it can be – even for older kids!
Incorporating the five senses into learning is one of the easiest ways to make it more enjoyable. That means wiggling, clapping, jumping, singing, rhyming, using colors, textures, and unexpected objects. Did you know simply listening to music while learning can help retain information (Mozart Effect)? Why not play some music while completing worksheets? Or practice times tables by drawing in sand instead of on paper? Blow bubbles and recite the presidents. Anything outside of the norm will probably be welcomed by your child as an enjoyable alternative to sitting at a desk or table.
4. Celebrate Achieved Goals
When children are acknowledged for reaching their milestones, it instills a sense of pride and accomplishment, reinforcing the idea that hard work and dedication yield positive outcomes. By celebrating these achievements, whether big or small, children are motivated to continue learning and striving for progress. This celebration not only boosts their self-esteem but also ingrains the understanding that learning is an exciting and rewarding journey.
Children who are struggling with schoolwork or even struggling with getting motivated to do schoolwork might possibly need this celebration the most! In addition to applying the previous tips, try celebrating the small wins in meaningful ways. You may celebrate attendance goals or completing all homework 5 days in a row! Maybe you’ll celebrate finishing a book they were assigned but didn’t like with a special treat. This will be highly personal and unique for each child.
When I was a child, I was promised $10 for every A on my report card. Because there were 10 grades per card, I often walked away with a hefty $100 to spend. If my parents had not stuck to their word, however, I would have quickly lost motivation. Be sure to only “write checks you can cash.” Never make promises you can’t keep in the event the child reaches the goal, and always make attainable goals even if also making more long-term difficult goals.
(In this study performed in the late 90’s, scientists found that praising a child’s effort showed increased motivation in the child. Praise is just as important as celebrating the reached goal!)
By emphasizing the joy and satisfaction that comes with reaching goals, children are more likely to develop a positive attitude towards learning and personal development. This positive association with achievement creates a sense of enthusiasm and passion for acquiring knowledge, ultimately nurturing a love for learning that extends far beyond the classroom.
5. Encourage Child-Led Learning
We touched on this point earlier when we spoke about letting children explore. Child-led learning, also known as interest-driven or self-directed learning, is an approach that centers around children’s interests and passions. Rather than following a predefined curriculum, this approach allows children to take the lead in their learning journey, pursuing knowledge and skills based on what captivates them the most. By nurturing an environment where children can explore their interests freely, educators and parents can empower them to become active, self-motivated learners.
One of the fundamental principles of child-led learning is that it cultivates a deep sense of curiosity and enthusiasm for acquiring knowledge. When children are given the autonomy to choose what they want to learn, they are more likely to engage wholeheartedly with the subject matter. This personal investment leads to a genuine love of learning that extends beyond the confines of traditional schooling. As a result, children develop a lifelong habit of seeking out information and skills that pique their curiosity, setting the stage for continuous growth and development.
This makes sense, doesn’t it? You know exactly which subjects you liked and disliked in school (if you liked any). Most likely, you did well at what you enjoyed learning. Maybe it was simply because of the way the teacher taught the class! Maybe it was because you wanted to know as much as possible about the topic.
You can implement this strategy as far as it will work for your circumstances. If you’re homeschooling, maybe you’ll be led to try unschooling. If your child is in public school and has a passion for a particular topic, perhaps you can find a program at your local library or online to foster that interest. Amazingly, once a child begins following their own interests, many times the things they are struggling with (i.e. reading, math, spelling, etc.) begin to improve because they must learn certain aspects of that subject to continue learning their interest.
The Takeaway
Kids usually want to learn. We tend to take away the love of learning by stripping away the fun and exploration that goes along with natural learning. If we can put some of that back into their day and show them that the learning is not their enemy, we can foster a new appreciation for learning that lasts a lifetime! While we may not be able to make our kids love learning, we might be able to show them how enjoyable it really can be to work towards something they do love via learning.
Let me know your thoughts. What are your biggest struggles with learning at home?
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