Fostering a Love of Learning

Fostering a love of learning to last throughout life is what many parents hope for their children. Because kids learn in different ways, it is important to provide a variety of educational opportunities as part of homeschooling that encourage acquiring skills across many areas. Here are suggestions and ideas to foster your child’s love of learning.

Play

Letting children learn through play can develop lifelong learning skills. Kids will realize that play can be a tool to learn from throughout life such as when playing board games, word games, puzzles, memory games, playing outside, and playing with others. Through play and games, kids can learn to memorize Bible verses, learn about subjects such as history and geography, and learn to spell. 

Additionally, children may be inspired to design and create their own game which can lead to further opportunities such as developing the ability to plan and research. 

Reading

There is no doubt that reading will open doors to new things to learn and think about at any age and stage in life. A love of learning through reading can lead to acquiring knowledge from materials such as instruction manuals, newspapers, magazines, and books. 

Another option might be to read biographies of others thus providing examples and stories to be inspired by. Reading can provide a time for family members to take turns reading aloud or siblings may enjoy reading aloud to each other. 

Encourage your child to choose books and other reading materials which both interests and challenges them. This way, they will be engaged in the topic as well as improve their reading and comprehension skills as well as develop and expand their vocabulary.

Thinking and Communication

This may be the most important skill for parents to teach their children and have their children develop. In a world where very often there are competing worldviews and many places telling people what to think, it is vital for each child to be confident in their ability to reason and think for themselves about any issue they may encounter. 

Including books and resources on critical thinking, logic, and debate or having your children participate in a debate or speech club are tools to help develop reasoning, and organizing thoughts in a logical sequence. Regularly discussing issues together as a family can give perspective and wisdom on important subjects and topics. Equipping children to communicate is an extension of thinking. 

Practice with, and prepare, your child to clearly express themselves and their ideas, whether verbally or through writing. This goes hand-in-hand with increasing confidence and the ability to think. 

Visual and Audio Learning

Incorporating visual and audio activities into your homeschool can be another way to foster a love of learning in children. Visual education experiences could include field trips to museums, the science centre, and a historical village, going to a play or the theatre, or watching a video or movie as part of your curriculum. 

Audio education may come in the form of listening to audiobooks, reading stories and books aloud as a family, and listening to stories told by family members such as grandparents. Providing a variety of ways for children to learn will increase retention of information and fun memories of homeschool learning.

Hands-on Learning

Providing options for hands-on education can help develop a child’s love of learning. Children may appreciate or like hands-on learning such as music or art lessons, acquiring woodworking or woodshop skills, sewing, knitting or crocheting, or taking care of animals or pets by pet sitting or visiting a farm. Or your child may express an interest in starting a business which could be an excellent way to put into practice concepts learned in math and English. Learning by doing can be a great way to remember new knowledge and abilities. 

Asking Questions

Encourage your children to ask questions when they don’t know or aren’t sure if something is a good thing. Asking questions can lead to learning how and where to go to research to find answers or learn more about a topic or subject. Another benefit of asking questions is that it could be a great way to have a family discussion about a topic of importance.

Fostering a love of learning in your children is an important part of not only homeschooling but also encouraging them to discover more about and appreciate the world that God has created. There are so many ways to make learning interesting, engaging, and fun for children as they grow in knowledge, skills, and abilities.

This article has been written by homeschooling staff writers of The Canadian Schoolhouse (TCS). Enjoy more of our content from TCS contributors and staff writers by visiting our Front Door page that has content on our monthly theme and links to all our content sections.