It isn’t always easy to keep a child’s attention, especially when it comes to education. Whether you’re teaching them to read, working with numbers, or helping them with their homework, you will want them to get the best out of the experience. Here are some simple but highly effective ways of engaging your kid and helping them learn the ways of the world.
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1: Provide a Fun Reading Corner
A fun way to get your child into reading is to build an exciting, brightly-colored reading corner for them. Fill the space with plenty of cushions and blankets, a beanbag and a bookcase, and encourage them to read books there. You could even put some netting around with fairy lights so that they feel like they’re in their own little fairy den!
2: Focus on Their Interests
Of course, teaching children subjects they don’t like is all part of learning, but you should also focus on the areas that they thrive in. If they have a particular affinity for nature or find science really cool, encourage it! The best talents in the world are those that were allowed to thrive early on, so make sure they have the space to focus on the subjects they love the most.
3: Search for Answers Together
Often parents find that they say ‘I don’t know’ when their kids ask them a question that they don’t know the answer to. If you have the time, then it’s far better to search for the answer with them. Get to the bookshelf, the library, or you could just have a look online, and you will both learn something new together. It’s about encouraging curiosity rather than shutting it down!
4: Arts and Crafts
Learning isn’t all about reading and numbers. Get a bunch of arts and crafts materials to store in your home to encourage your kid’s creativity. Use hobby lobby coupons to stock up on all things crafty, and you might even find something for yourself, too!
5: Online Games
OK – so a lot of the time, parents want to turn their children away from screens, but they’re not always bad! Online games can provide your kid with a great learning experience and, as a a plus, they’ll feel like they’re only playing. Many online games include working with words, numbers and much more, so you’ll be expanding their knowledge while keeping them entertained.
6: Positive Reinforcement
By knowing there’s a reward, your child will be more motivated to do a good job. If they have a load of homework to get done for the week, tell them that you will take them out for ice-cream once it’s completed. If they decide to do some reading on their own, tell them well-done and ask them about their book. Let them know that learning will be rewarded!
7: Educational Board Games
Sneakily turn a family night into a learning night by investing in some educational board games to play with them when you have some free time. They’ll enjoy the competitive side of it while learning without even thinking they are! Another thing you can consider is fun worksheets for kindergarten.
8: Have a Schedule
Getting your child into a routine will help them engage when it comes time for learning. If you want to teach your little one to read, then choose a half-hour out of every day to dedicate to reading. Let them know it’s time for learning and stick to a particular environment for it so they associate it with learning rather than play-time.
9: Form a Study-Group
If your child has a few friends from play-group or school, allow them to form a little study group! Invite them round for snacks and learning one afternoon every week or month. You could even let them choose their topic so they feel they have a little extra control over their learning. By doing this, you allow your child to work in a team and come up with the answers together, which will help it stick in their minds. They’ll have loads of fun, too!
10: Let Them Explore
It’s understandable to want to be regimented when it comes to your child’s learning, but this isn’t always possible. Children are curious and you should encourage that by allowing them to explore when they learn. If you planned to teach them about different religions, but they get caught up looking at the different countries around the globe, let them! It’s better to let them explore the world of their own accord as they will be more focused on something that has caught their interest and they might just find something they have a deep interest in.
Childhood is all about learning, and you should encourage it as much as possible. By providing your child with a great space for education, you allow them to flourish by exploring the world with their minds.
