Cast your mind back to when you first learned to ride a bicycle. Remember the sense of accomplishment you had? How many false starts did it take before you nailed it? This kind of development is vital for children growing up, and if you’re a parent then it’s up to you to stress its importance.
The secret is to make learning fun. Which it can be!
With our tips and tricks, your little one will be smashing targets in no time. Without further ado, here’s how you can get your child to learn new things. Take note - there are some really useful things to learn here.
Remember that it’s not all about subjects
While you should definitely foster some enthusiasm about the core subjects, it’s important that you think about ‘soft skills’ too. Defined as ‘personal attributes that enable someone to interact effectively and harmoniously with other people’, this is an area that will prove invaluable for your child’s maturity.
Ideas like perseverance and empathy, kindness and forgiveness – these are must-haves for your child and are essential to building their character. Here’s a scenario where you can adopt these learnings: your child wants to play on the slide, but there’s currently another child at the top and yours is feeling impatient. Teach them the virtues of patience and understanding – it sounds obvious but you’ll leave them with a bigger impression than you’d think!
Encourage your child to express their opinion and interact with the world
Allow your child to make choices, talk about their feelings and encourage them to express their opinion. Give them the autonomy to ‘learn the hard way’ (in a safe environment, obviously!). By giving your child the flexibility to express themselves, you’re taking huge steps in moulding them into a responsible person.
Give your child the freedom to choose the toys they would like to play with, rather than hand picking them yourself. Why not spend some time browsing the Toys For A Pound website with them, to find a toy that suits them best and allows them to express their personality.
Ask them what they’re learning at school, and not what their test results were
Of course, test results are important but you can go about it a different way without pressuring your child. This works even better if you ask your child to put their lessons into their own words, because it will help them to interpret what they’ve been taught, and what they learnt. Your child will retain information much better this way!
No matter how small their achievements may be - celebrate them!
Offer positive reinforcement and you’ll inspire your child to continue learning. No matter how minor or major, let your child know when they have performed well and they’ll learn to enjoy positive reinforcement. Also, introduce a reward system - a figure, doll or toy vehicle for each achievement, maybe?
Make it clear that you’re learning too
Learning is a lifelong thing, so if you make it clear to your child that you’re right there with them it will be extra special. You can share it! Show enthusiasm about the things that you have learnt, and your child will show you right back.
Encourage your child to read
When it’s so easy to put something on the TV or iPad, it’s really important that your child develops their reading skills. Surround their world with stories and tales, maybe even encourage them to write their own. You could have a budding novelist on your hands! Also, make reading a family activity - it’s great for bonding.
Keep a positive attitude about school
Your child isn’t the first to express negative feelings about school, so don’t worry if they do. To revert this thinking, make an effort to spin their thinking into positive sentiments.
And, more importantly, keep any negative attitudes towards their school to yourself - children are incredibly receptive, and yours might just absorb your negativity about their school and apply it themselves. It’s a place for fun, learning and friendship remember!
Make homework a family activity (just don’t do it for them!)
In the early stages of your child’s development (before their lessons get too hard) get involved with their homework. They’ll be far more motivated if you’re there with them, and will want to show you just how good they are.
Learning to love learning
With the above tips, your child’s development will be a straight path to success. Make it fun, and they’ll never stop learning! If you found this useful, keep an eye on our blog for more useful tips and tricks.