My son once sat in a classroom fueled by worksheets. He didn’t love it. And when I volunteered in his class, I could tell many others struggled to sit still and stay focused. A couple years later, we relocated, and my daughter had a very different classroom experience, in the same grade. The kids moved around a lot! They danced and did yoga. They sang and played dress up. She loved it. And you know what? Both kids later met their third-grade standards for math and language arts. But I have to tell you, one child has grown up loving school more.
How do you get your kid to love learning? If the spark isn’t there for your little one, he may need a different learning environment according to psychologist, educator, and author Madeline Levine. You want a good fit for your child to set him up for success. And many kids do best if they’re encouraged to have these 4 things.
1. Inquisitiveness
Before my son entered the worksheet-fueled classroom, he attended another school that made him curious. His teacher encouraged kids to dig into topics like the solar system and endangered animals. It made my child want to do more work on these topics outside of class. “How can we help the red wolf? I don’t want it to go extinct,” he said one afternoon. We did some research, and he created a poster to show his class.
If kids are inquisitive, they show interest in what’s going on around them. And you know what? That’s how a kid—or anyone—learns. Ask your child questions to get him thinking. Engage with the natural world so he can discover more about life outside his home. Be curious to get him thinking. How does a squirrel know where to dig? Why do ants hang out in groups?
2. Enthusiasm
“Yes, you’re on the right track,” the teacher said when my daughter stopped, her finger resting on a tough word. “Sound it out. You’re doing just fine.” My daughter nodded. She hadn’t pronounced every word correctly in the sentence, but that was OK. She continued, and I felt grateful to the teacher for her encouragement as I observed this lesson.
It’s hard to be enthusiastic about something if you’re constantly being corrected. Whether you’re teaching your child a new skill at home or she’s sitting in class, it’s helpful for little kids to have wiggle room for their responses. In her book Ready or Not: Preparing Our Kids to Thrive in an Uncertain and Rapidly Changing World, Dr. Levine says that most young children learn best with “teachers who valued all kinds of responses, not just ‘right’ or ‘wrong’ ones.” Tell your child, “You’re making great effort” or “That’s something I hadn’t thought about” to encourage her.
3. Engagement
At first, I thought my daughter’s class sounded a little unstructured. I thought I knew what 6- and 7-year-olds needed based on my son’s old school. But as time passed, I understood that more important than having facts and numbers memorized, my child needed to fall in love with learning. And getting engaged with the material at this young age often required more fun, hands-on activities.
Being engaged with learning rather than memorizing numbers, says Levine, is “the greatest predictor of academic success.” In fact, she says, “Every business leader I spoke to about future valuable skills underscored this exact point.” So, how do you get your kid to love learning? If it’s not working out in your child’s classroom, you may want to talk with the teacher about other ways to engage your child. Your child is probably not the only one having trouble sitting still or dozing off during a lesson. Bringing it up with the teacher might get her thinking about what she could do differently for the entire class.
4. Playfulness
Maybe you use Matchbox cars to help your daughter find the right sight words scattered across the carpet. Or you use a flashlight under a blanket as she reads aloud to you. Keep the spark alive by encouraging playfulness at every age. When she learns about the parts of a flower, what do you think will keep her interested: a textbook diagram? Or going outside to examine the petals, stamen, and stem? Having a playful attitude just might make the learning more fun and meaningful.
How do you get your kid to love learning? Keep him engaged. A kid who’s told “that’s wrong” has little incentive to keep trying. Instead, say, “Let’s investigate!” or “Let’s find out.” A playful spirit in and out of the classroom will ensure that your child’s love of learning stays alive both when he’s little and as he grows.
Get outside more with one of our many scavenger hunts, including The Neighborhood Scavenger Hunt. You could incorporate learning simply by talking to your child as you search.
How do you get your kid to love learning?
