It’s a child’s job to learn, and it’s the parents’ and teachers’ jobs to teach them as much as possible. But as your child gets older, they need to take more and more responsibility for their learning.
Ideally, it’s best to start this habit sooner rather than later. If your children are used to having their learning spoonfed to them, it’s understandable that they might struggle when you seemingly leave them in the lurch.
So, here are a few ways to encourage your kids to take more responsibility over their own education.
Learning and Fun
Education and play don’t have to be mutually exclusive. Young children primarily learn through play, and it’s especially important to help them develop social skills and other more complex skills like emotional intelligence.
But even older children and adults often learn better when they’re having fun at the same time. Look for different ways to encourage children to have fun while they learn.
Enriching experiences like school trips and family trips to museums, art galleries, theatres, and other places where your children can be introduced to history, science, and culture all add to a more well-rounded education.
Even video games and some other games or hobbies can help your child learn. If your child loves reading, then they can soak in more information through books. Hobbies like art and music also help your children develop. However, there is a caveat to be aware of.
If your child is talented and has a hobby they enjoy, try to find the balance between encouraging them and pushing them too hard. It’s better that they enjoy a skill and not excel rather than burn out and grow to hate it. Sometimes a hobby is just a hobby, and that’s okay.
Independent Learning
Another balance to make between independence and abandonment. Independent learning doesn’t mean that you never bother to teach your child anything and just hope they pick things up. While toddlers learn to walk and talk, a child won’t learn to read or do maths through osmosis.
You do need to teach them basic skills and, in time, more complicated skills and lessons.
The trick is to know when to step back. From an early age, set your child challenges and lessons to tackle themselves. This is true whether you home-school your children or you’re trying to help them shore up a skill that they’re struggling with at school.
For example, mathhelp.com features math games, puzzles, and worksheets that your child can work on independently. You can then see how they work on their own. Sometimes you can add some extra help, but it’s best that they build their skills through practice.
Older children will often have to do homework and revise for exams. But if you don’t teach your child how to schedule their time and work alone, they won’t be able to manage. These are skills they will use well into adulthood as they enter the workforce.