All too often as parents we feel pressured to teach our children things at home. While there are some things that definitely must be taught, for example to look both ways before crossing the street, many things are better learned by children.
What do I mean by that? Think back to when you were a child. Do you have memories of certain things you learned and how you learned them? Maybe you learned to draw simply because you were given paper and crayons and the opportunity to draw. Most likely, you were not 'taught' by your parents how to draw; rather you discovered it for yourself.
When we learn things on our own terms we tend to learn them more easily, more joyously, and we tend to retain them better. Have you ever sat down and observed how your child learned? To some it may seem like a question with a simple answer, but we all have different learning styles.
Some of us like to learn through words. We listen to audio tapes, we like to hear people tell us how things work; we are auditory learners. Others of us like pictures. We like to see things presented in photographs or laid out in graphs and charts; we are graphic learners. Another way to learn is through touch, we like to see how things feel, we appreciate learning through working on models; we are kinesthetic learners. Which of these three primary learning styles is your child?
Also children can be internally motivated or externally motivated. Young children are usually very externally motivated and need an adult constantly watching over them, helping them, and giving them praise. Ideally as they get older, children should move toward being internally motivated. This is when they learn for the sake of learning. Find ways to encourage your child to become more internally motivated. Start by having them tackle activities that are challenging, but not too challenging.
I still remember when I received a globe as a grade school student. It was such a great gift, as it became the beginning of my love for travel, adventure, and learning about other cultures. The globe came with a card for each country. I would sit for hours spinning the globe and randomly picking a country, and then going to find out all I could about it. I share this experience because it is a great example of being internally motivated. No one made me sit down and memorize the countries; it was something that I wanted to do because someone had given me a globe.
Classroom teachers understand the difference between teaching and learning. While we call them teachers, they strive to provide the opportunities for our children to learn. The classroom is structured to have lessons appeal to the different learning styles. Generally, children who are internally motivated are going to be more successful in a classroom setting.
Ideally what we want to provide our children is a love of learning that will extend over his or her entire life time. It might be better for us to think of ourselves as learning guides, rather than teachers. But most importantly, children emulate what we do. If we never show an interest in learning and rather sit in front of the TV, what can we expect from our children? To get started - have everyone in the family get together and read a book, or draw pictures, or work on models - whatever best fits into everyone's learning styles. Quality family time plus learning together equals priceless memories.
What do I mean by that? Think back to when you were a child. Do you have memories of certain things you learned and how you learned them? Maybe you learned to draw simply because you were given paper and crayons and the opportunity to draw. Most likely, you were not 'taught' by your parents how to draw; rather you discovered it for yourself.
When we learn things on our own terms we tend to learn them more easily, more joyously, and we tend to retain them better. Have you ever sat down and observed how your child learned? To some it may seem like a question with a simple answer, but we all have different learning styles.
Some of us like to learn through words. We listen to audio tapes, we like to hear people tell us how things work; we are auditory learners. Others of us like pictures. We like to see things presented in photographs or laid out in graphs and charts; we are graphic learners. Another way to learn is through touch, we like to see how things feel, we appreciate learning through working on models; we are kinesthetic learners. Which of these three primary learning styles is your child?
Also children can be internally motivated or externally motivated. Young children are usually very externally motivated and need an adult constantly watching over them, helping them, and giving them praise. Ideally as they get older, children should move toward being internally motivated. This is when they learn for the sake of learning. Find ways to encourage your child to become more internally motivated. Start by having them tackle activities that are challenging, but not too challenging.
I still remember when I received a globe as a grade school student. It was such a great gift, as it became the beginning of my love for travel, adventure, and learning about other cultures. The globe came with a card for each country. I would sit for hours spinning the globe and randomly picking a country, and then going to find out all I could about it. I share this experience because it is a great example of being internally motivated. No one made me sit down and memorize the countries; it was something that I wanted to do because someone had given me a globe.
Classroom teachers understand the difference between teaching and learning. While we call them teachers, they strive to provide the opportunities for our children to learn. The classroom is structured to have lessons appeal to the different learning styles. Generally, children who are internally motivated are going to be more successful in a classroom setting.
Ideally what we want to provide our children is a love of learning that will extend over his or her entire life time. It might be better for us to think of ourselves as learning guides, rather than teachers. But most importantly, children emulate what we do. If we never show an interest in learning and rather sit in front of the TV, what can we expect from our children? To get started - have everyone in the family get together and read a book, or draw pictures, or work on models - whatever best fits into everyone's learning styles. Quality family time plus learning together equals priceless memories.
By Karen Wintress
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