Encourage a Love of Learning

Parents are children's first and best teachers, and can set the stage for a lifetime enjoyment of learning, including a love for school and the many learning experiences they will encounter each year.

• Read to (or with) your children every day, at least through the intermediate grades. Help them talk about what they hear and what they see in pictures. Encourage them to retell a story in their own words. Some children will enjoy drawing their own illustrations about what happened in a story (or what they think will happen next). Reading and drawings will provide opportunities to teach children about basic concepts used in school-about time (what happens before and after), size, shape, etc. Reading also provides many opportunities to help your child build vocabulary by learning new labels for things, new concepts, etc. In addition to bookstore purchases, the public and school library and yard sales are good sources of books.
• Encourage enjoyment and understanding of numbers and number skills. There are many games and activities that require good counting skills and simple addition and subtraction. Chores around the house provide good opportunities to practice number skills while also having fun and learning to assume responsibility. For example, ask your child to help set the table by counting out the right number of forks or spoons or glasses.
• Remember your children are children and can not think like adults. As they learn new concepts, be patient, provide repetition and practice, and praise success.
• Young children learn best by doing-play acting, using toys, visiting and observing, etc. Give them plenty of opportunities for make-believe play and using their imaginations through art, story-telling, art, etc.
• Take advantage of every-day activities to create learning opportunities. On shopping trips, drives in the car, in restaurants, etc., be alert to learning situations-teaching vocabulary, asking questions, answering questions, etc.
• Set aside some special time for learning activities at home or in the community, but be sure to consider your child's special talents and interests. Zoos, museums, parks, and special events like parades and festivals are all excellent learning environments. Sometimes there are organized programs for young children, but informal opportunities can be just as satisfying.
• Be sure to reinforce whatever your children learns at school. Encourage them to talk about what they are learning, and then find opportunities to support them---pointing out something in a story, on television, in the neighborhood that helps children recognize how what they learn at school applies to their own lives. (For example, if your child mentions that her class is learning about different shapes, look for different shapes in common objects at home: "Hey, this pan is square, you are learning about squares and rectangles at school. What is this one?")
• Be alert to any displays of frustration that might signal some early difficulties at school, and discuss concerns with your child's teacher. Small problems can be addressed and usually remedied if caught early. Sometimes it is just a matter of determining appropriate expectations-young children can be easily frustrated if given a difficult task that they can not master immediately.

back - next

Parenting Start