Learning is an integral part of children’s growing up years. At certain times, however, kids need motivation with some external stimuli so that they enjoy the learning process. Understanding this, Rachna Virdi offers some practical tips to parents!
What do you do when you want to make your child learn something but he lacks all eagerness and interest? Do you push him hard or subject him to spanking or punishing? Or do you leave it at that and ignore the matter? Experts say that none of the above-mentioned ways are right. The correct way to make a child learn, according to them, is to boost his interest and passion with the tool of motivation. There are various reasons for kids to not gain interest in learning—like lack of attention and concentration, or because they simply do not enjoy the activity. Period. It is up to the parents/guardians to guide the child and encourage him to learn. All you need to do is follow these tips and get going.
Find ways to gain his attention:
When it comes to learning, every child is different and so is his learning pattern. The best thing to do is to encourage the child to explore or discover on his own. In short, prepare the child to learn depending upon his individual style. Dr Surabhi Verma, Director, Sparsh for Children, and a specialist in counselling special kids, states, “All kids have a natural tendency to explore their environment continuously. Right from infancy, they slowly learn by touching and mouthing objects, hearing voices and music and seeing the colourful, fascinating wonders around them. But the most important part of the child’s early learning experiences is ‘you’. As a parent, you have to find ways to gain your child’s attention through different activities of interest. Once you have the attention of the child, it becomes easier to make him learn.”
Encourage his curiosity:
Unlike the popular belief, learning isn’t meant only for school. It focuses on learning anything new—whether in the classroom or at home. It is a natural part of growing up. Through interactions and experiences with loved and trusted adults, children tend to learn newer things like language, behaviours, acts in public, etc. “Learning is a continuous process and it happens in all the environments,” agrees Dr Anjana Thadani, Consulting Developmental Paediatrician in Mumbai. “It is more structured and formal at school but very informal at home. Give him value-based education at home through role play in the day-to-day functioning.” Priya, mother of a three-year-old, states, “I encourage my child’s curiosity and answer as many questions as he wants to ask. Also, as a parent, I make my child understand with practical examples too. I know that this kind of learning will eventually help him.”
Make it fun and interesting:
Sanjana and her nine-year-old daughter Sia have these weekly sessions of cooking fun recipes. Sanjana knows it’s important to be encouraging towards kids during any learning process. So she tries to make the entire process fun and interesting by teaming up with her.
Dr Surabhi Verma believes that the mind of a child is like a sponge and he absorbs whatever he can from the environment. “A child is always inquisitive about the things around him and the first person he will ask is the parent or the caregiver. It is up to the parents to provide a holistic environment and form a positive bond with the child. Involvement of the parents ensures that the child is getting the correct information and is not subjected to any negative information. Learning through games, rhymes, activities, projects, etc. using visual stimuli, music, social stories, role play are great ways to learn and fun for the child,” she says.
Explain the purpose:
Inculcating knowledge in kids is, undoubtedly, one of the key responsibilities of parents, teachers and elders. But it’s also important to make the child understand the purpose of his learning. “For instance, if a child is just going to learn in school to get good marks, he/she may never excel. But if he learns with the purpose of understanding things and attaining knowledge, it will make him succeed throughout his life,” states Dr Anjali Chhabria, leading child psychologist in Mumbai. This is where motivation comes
in. “Motivation is the key driving factor for success, especially for children to learn. Parents (or teachers) have to motivate the child and increase his interest by encouraging his participation.”
Play upon his strengths:
Pooja, mother of seven-year-old Manav says, “As a parent, I am always very positive and focus on my son’s strengths. I often give him the responsibility to complete a particular task on his own. As I know, it will help develop his creativity and confidence. I never pressurise him for learning.
Dr Thadani agrees with her and adds, “Motivation is the need of the hour. Be aware of the capabilities of your child and push to a certain point only. Usually, children are not able to handle failures and pushing them excessively may be disastrous. It is easier to achieve smaller goals and stay motivated. Most of the children lack motivation and hence are not able to learn and pay attention. It is important to gain trust and build a rapport with your child. More than being firm, it is essential to be vigilant and try another method if one fails.”
Praise/reward the child:
“You’re a good boy,” “What a beautiful picture!” Praising or rewarding the child with such words or phrases helps in every effort that he takes towards positive learning. And the praise should be teamed with inputs for further scope of improvement, if any. “Always keep in mind that the feedback should not be negative but constructive; otherwise it will affect the morale of the child. If the achievement is really big, reward the child so as to motivate him to keep achieving bigger targets. Most importantly, whether the achievement is big or small, judge according to your child’s abilities and not your expectations,” concludes Dr Verma.
