Is Your Child Not Interested In Learning? Do These 10 Things Backed By Research
Motivate them with these tips and tricks
A child who is interested in learning has a head start in the classroom – she relishes new learning challenges, she thrives with educational stimulation, and she enjoys making progress through the curriculum. Research has identified the following 10 factors that can make your preschooler confident and eager to learn in school.
One of the best incentives for your child to become interested in learning is to praise educational successes. They love to hear your pride in their school-based achievements – they can never get enough of this sort of recognition. Put their certificates up on the wall, brag about them to their grandparents and make a big fuss of them.
Your child is most fervent about learning when they have a relaxed attitude. Tension and anxiety in a learning situation clouds your child’s thoughts, making it more difficult for them to absorb new concepts. So make sure that although they are keen to learn, they are also relaxed about the challenges in front of them.
They are most likely to be confident and enthusiastic about learning when the curriculum is matched appropriately to their level of understanding. Assignments should be difficult enough to stimulate their curiosity, but not so tough that they feel that the subjects are totally beyond their skills.
Your interest in their learning also increases their zeal for it. Asking them about their subjects at school, about their lessons in class that day, and about their homework, demonstrates that you care about their learning. In turn, this concern with their work stimulates their enthusiasm for school.
Like it or not, the reality is that the relationship between pupil and teacher affects a child’s attitude towards learning. That’s why it helps if they like and get along well with their teacher. Encourage your child to have a positive attitude towards member of staff and highlight ways they can help them.
Learning is much easier for a pupil when their concentration is good. Suggest to them that they should remove distractions when tackling educational assignments; for instance, they should switch off the TV or radio when doing homework and they shouldn’t talk unnecessarily to classmates when studying in school.
An eager learner has the ability to ask questions when they don't understand. This isn’t always easy to do in a busy classroom, but your child’s passion for learning intensifies when they are confident enough to seek information from the teacher. Help them find ways of asking questions politely and sensibly.
Listening is such an important part of life in the classroom. A child who doesn’t listen well misses key parts of information and is therefore uncertain about how to approach the new learning task. As a result, their eagerness for learning fades. Practise listening games with your child at home.
They will be a more confident, eager learner when they have a broad range of curricular interests. Make sure that they tackle a wide range of subjects, not only literacy and numeracy but also environmental studies and art and crafts. The more achievements they have in different topics, the keener they are to continue learning.
All work and no play is an ineffective strategy for stimulating your child’s enthusiasm for learning. Of course, they should work hard, but there should also be a liberal sprinkling of leisure activities each day. Help your child structure their time so that their noses aren't buried in a school book from morning till night.
This article was first published in Young Parents.