5 ways to Develop a Learning Attitude in Your Kid

There is no sight so endearing as smiling bright-eyed children and no music so sweet as their loud and ringing laughter. Babies seem so little and fragile, oblivious to everything around them but on the contrary they are absorbing everything like a sponge. Young kids have a bottomless reservoir of energy but an attention span of a goldfish which is precisely 5 seconds. According to factsforlifeglobal.org, recent research confirms that the first 5 years are particularly important for the development of the child’s brain architecture as experiences in this early stage provide the foundation for the brain’s organizational development and functioning. They have a direct impact on how children develop learning skills, social and emotional abilities. The research also states that children grow, learn and develop rapidly when they receive affection, attention, encouragement and mental stimulation with nutritious meals and good health care. Hence, it is of utmost importance that a child’s upbringing is in a positive and safe environment so that they can grow up to be mentally and emotionally stable. Parents should also consciously try to inculcate a positive attitude towards learning in their kids because it benefits the child in their studies and interpersonal skills as well.

Following are effective ways by which parents can develop a learning attitude in kids:

1. Cultivating a positive environment: Urban lifestyle has created a gap between children and parents. They hardly get to interact beyond academics and extracurricular activities. Kid centric home fills that gap by exposing children to world class age appropriate facilities which creates a positive environment around learning and enhance their skills and talents. To create a positive ambience, parents should encourage their children and recognize their accomplishments from an early age and celebrate it however big or small because the way you talk to them becomes their inner voice. This positive reinforcement will boost their confidence and self esteem and empower them to perform better. In case of failure, project it as a positive learning experience so that kids can learn from it and not take it as a personal attribute. Teach them to laugh at themselves as a good sense of humor makes kids smarter, healthier, and better able to cope with challenges. Don’t say no for everything; choose your words wisely to make a valid point.

2. Learning opportunities: Books are an ocean of knowledge which impart reading and cognitive skills to a child. Children can be taken to libraries or online book subscriptions are also available which send books to your doorstep according to your specific taste. Internet has a host of interesting and memory boosting puzzles and games. Play board games with them which will boost the parents memory as well. Learning Activity kits like Magic crate and Intellikit can be bought online which have age appropriate activities for kids which boost their creativity and problem solving skills. Introducing your kids to such games will not only sharpen their concentration levels but also helps them understand the concept of working around multiple alternatives to arrive at a solution. Learning programs in KCHs have a balanced approach to learning where kids learn while they’re playing which breaks the monotony and creates a positive and fun approach to learning which kids look forward to.

3. Engage in Extracurricular activities: Live and Learn Program in kid centric homes offer pre-planned activities by specially trained mentors and coaches for each month that help in holistic growth of each child. In such programs, kids are introduced to group activities with a common objective which helps in bringing out their leadership qualities and learning how to resolve conflicts & effective management of time and resources. Such a kid centric environment helps the child develop holistically and also gives an opportunity for children and parents to spend more quality time doing things they love instead of combating over homework and curriculum.

4. Nurturing positive values: As parents and teachers dealing with young children, it is very important to teach them values and morals right from an early age. They can be taught by virtue of moral stories or engaging them in plays where they can enact the characters which usually has better recall value. Parents, guardians and other caretakers like teachers should also practice values like gratitude, patriotism, forgiveness because children may not always remember what you taught them but they will always observe your behaviour and imitate you.

5. Practice what you preach: Children imitate the adults in their lives and often look to their parents when they are forming habits. To show them that there is a joy to learning, parents should read books or newspapers and encourage them to do the same. For example, reading a bedtime story every night to a toddler will result in strengthening of parents child bond and will help them discover reading which will enrich their imagination and creativity. Kids are more motivated to take up an activity if parents are also involved as they feel loved and safe with them around, enjoying the quality time together. Simple activities like watching educational videos together, playing board games or outdoor sports can inculcate virtues like character, sportsmanship, healthy competitiveness in children which lays the foundation for their success in the future.

Conclusion

Above mentioned pointers help kids in honing their learning skills as they grow up and start to improve their reasoning powers and concentration levels. If your child develops a positive attitude towards learning, they will be mentally stable and capable of thriving in a constantly changing and highly-competitive society. All children grow and develop in similar patterns but at their own pace. We should understand that it’s not a race and we should focus only on our child’s development and make no comparisons. Every child has her/his own approach to learning, interests, temperament and style of social interaction. Some like maths and science while others may prefer reading and arts. As parents, our aim should be to cultivate such a positive learning environment which helps kids to become the best version of themselves.