If you are reading this, you are probably a lifelong learner, understand the advantages of that mindset, and hope to instill the same love of learning in your child. People who continue to learn outside school settings are generally happier and more successful than the norm. Learning is nothing more than acquiring new or enhancing existing knowledge. Children learn at phenomenal rates for the first three years. After that, the basics of walking, talking, and rudimentary socialization are in place, and things slow down a little, which makes it a perfect time to partner with your child to develop the habit of lifelong learning.
Read, Listen, Watch, Interact
If you grew up loving books, your child may also develop that love. But books are no longer the only way to learn, and often they are not even the best. Auditory learners acquire new skills more effectively when someone talks to them or when they listen to a book. Visual learners may find YouTube their best ally for learning new things. And many people of all learning styles benefit from active, hands-on learning alongside reading, listening, and viewing.
I Never Thought of That
Appreciate and praise your child’s out-of-the-box thinking. Creativity is natural in young children, and only with criticism does that instinct get buried. Support and reinforce unique problem-solving and artistic creativity every chance you get. Great thinkers, artists and entrepreneurs did not break new ground by thinking like the pack.
I Want To
When you hear those three magic words, “I want to,” listen closely to what follows and encourage your child’s drive to learn. A child whose interests are treated as unimportant stops believing they can learn about whatever they want. A child who is interested in piano one day, insects the next, cooking the following week, and solar power after that is not flighty, but inquisitive. Except at school, life is not parceled out in units that build on each other. Encourage new interests, accept that some will be fleeting, and try not to be dismissive if your child’s newest interest is not one of yours.
Show, Don’t Tell
Let your child know about things you are learning. Children who see a parent struggle to learn a new language are more likely to learn on their own. And they will indirectly learn that imperfection is part of the process, but that the important thing is to try new things.
I Don’t Know, But I Can Find Out
Encourage your child to ask questions about everything, but do not be embarrassed if you do not know the answer. If you do not know something, engage your child to learn with you as you seek an answer. You will learn something new as your child develops skills to answer their own questions.
How Did You Do That?
” Watch one, do one, teach one” is a tried-and-true way to master something new. For example, you might watch someone make a pie, then make one yourself, and finally teach the process to a friend. Let your child teach you a new skill. Becoming a teacher, especially teaching an adult, will build a child’s confidence in the task at hand, and that confidence will carry over into learning new things in the future.
By setting an example of lifelong learning and encouraging and supporting new interests, you will equip your child to learn throughout their lifetime.
