As parents, you are your child’s first teacher. While you may already be actively involved in their education, there are still things you should be doing at home to help them evolve academically. You’ll need to be the motivator and support system that helps your child to not only retain the information they’re learning now but creates new experiences that will help them succeed in the future – both personally and academically.
Learning Can be Fun
Teaching your child new experiences does not have to be about sitting them down and going over math problems or having them write in their journal. It can actually be “disguised” in fun and creative ways that make them forget that they’re learning in the first place. Below are some great ideas or activities you might try to help boost your child’s “brainpower”:
1. Music Lessons
Music is an efficient way to help enhance your child’s learning potential. Not only would it be cool and fun for your child to learn a musical instrument such as the guitar, piano, or drums, it can also be beneficial for their education because music improves their cognitive skills. If you’re not well versed on how to play a particular musical instrument, you can easily do an online search and find piano, drum, or guitar lessons for beginners.
During such lessons, your child will improve hand-eye coordination, learn the importance of setting goals and achieving them, learn how to work well with others, improve their memory, and much more. Not to mention the glow on their faces once they’ve mastered their craft and can actually play a tune.
2. Reading
Reading is a great way for your children to develop language and vocabulary skills. You should try reading to your children at least 20 minutes per day. Since reading can seem rather boring, it is important to make it engaging by choosing books the children would be interested in and acting out the character’s voices. You can also have your children reading without necessarily having a book. For instance, let them read traffic signs while taking a drive, the ingredients list on a recipe, or even signs on stores as you’re shopping.
3. Cooking
Teaching your children to cook can be a lot of fun while also being educational. There is a lot that goes into cooking, from reading to math and science. Children learn how to prep meals and practice good hygiene by washing their hands beforehand. They learn how to read instructions, which often includes fractions and measuring. This can also be an opportunity to make healthy foods fun for kids by choosing easy, healthy recipes. It doesn’t hurt that this is an important life skill they’ll use time and time again.
4. Imaginative Play
Set time aside in your child’s schedule for them to use their imaginations. Tea parties, dress up, and even big adventures like warding off dragons and saving the princess can prove beneficial to their academic success. Children who use their imaginations ultimately learn how to think creatively. They also learn social skills, build vocabulary, and much more. Allow them to have friends over, or partake in imaginative play with them and see how much their little minds grow.
5. Communication
Did you know that the conversations you have with your child on a regular basis go a long way in helping them to develop vocabulary and social skills? You don’t have to sit and talk to them about politics for this to work. You can talk with them about how their day went, about a movie they just saw, what their interests are, and much more. The idea is to get their young minds going by asking questions.
As you can see from the above examples, there are plenty of ways in which parents can help their children grow academically. It doesn’t always have to mean pulling out a pencil and paper and drilling them on exercises learned in school. Sometimes it’s about engaging in things they take interest in and finding ways to make them fun and educational. Start adding these ideas to your child’s daily routine and you will certainly notice a difference in their ability to learn and evolve.
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