Setting examples helps children learn

One of the greatest gifts that we can give our children is a lifelong love of learning. Accomplishing this objective requires a lot of dedication and effort from both parents and educators. Since this is already a high priority for teachers and their training provides them with tools to accomplish this task, I will dedicate today’s column to helping parents learn about their part in this important challenge.

At home and school, children are given the opportunity to discover their ability to learn, solve problems, make decisions, be creative and discover choices. Hopefully in the process, children develop the desire to learn for the shear joy of learning. The motivation to learn begins to come from their desire to meet internal rather than external needs and demands. This desire to learn for the sake of learning overrides the child’s desire to simply receive good grades, gain teacher approval or avoid punitive measures from teachers or parents. Inspiring the child’s desire to love reading is extremely important. Often, parents who read regularly in the presence of their children serve as role models and help the child see alternatives to watching television or pursuing other activities where reading is not involved. Parents who read to young children and then let the children read back to their parents can assist in setting the stage for this love of learning through reading.

Additional resources include:

• Encourage, curiosity and an investigative atmosphere in the home. Decrease high stress expectations and pressures to perform. Encourage the child to try new things and refrain from negative consequences if the child’s efforts are less than hoped for. Instead, encourage the child to see all efforts as opportunities to learn and experience new things rather than face a pass or fail mentality.

• Respect the child’s learning styles and preferences. Some children learn better through verbal interactions while others prefer visual experiences. Bring the love of learning together with related virtues such as self-discipline, the ability to delay gratification and striving for personal responsibility.

• Help the child develop basic learning and study skills such as good note taking, outlining material to be learned, organizing, prioritizing, and synthesizing the components of a learning situation.

• Assist the child in increasing their vocabulary and desire to learn new words by making games out of everyday activities where learning new words can take place. Additionally, encourage the child in vocabulary development by looking up words together when the meaning of a word isn’t clear.

• If television is a significant part of the family lifestyle, decrease this activity. When television is watched, promote interest in educational programming. Parents who watch a lot of television can expect their children to follow suit.

• Encourage your children to learn how to use reference material, encyclopedias, thesaurus and computer assisted resources to explore new areas of interest.
If the love of life long learning is not a family goal, make it one now, you will never regret it.

Harold H. LeCrone, Jr., Ph.D. Copyright 2000