A child’s first experiences with school can set the tone for their overall attitude toward school and learning in general. So, what can we do as adults to help foster a love for school and learning? You might be surprised, but there are many things we can do to help shape their ideas and thinking about school and learning. Raising a child that loves to learn and loves school will be something that will benefit them for years to come.
Your own attitudes can affect the way your child will begin to feel about certain things. For example, if you have a positive attitude toward school that can help your child develop one as well. It is important to seem excited and make school feel like an overall positive experience. Be sure that you choose a place that you yourself like and feel comfortable leaving your child. Children are perceptive to your feelings and attitudes. Talk about school in a positive way and act excited when you are talking about school. Ask them about their day and what they learned and respond with excitement. This will help them be excited too!
Children can pick up on your anxieties so be sure to address how you are feeling about their school experience. If you are confident and secure about your child’s learning environment they can pick up on those feelings.
Communicate with the school and teachers about any concerns you may have that are making you feel anxious. Many times, we have concerns that can be easily rectified by communicating with the school. Tell your child that you love their school and teachers and make them feel that school is a fun and safe place!
Another way to help foster a positive school experience is to set a morning drop off routine. A drop off routine is important, so it is worth repeating! A set routine that includes a proper night’s rest, healthy breakfast, and consistent morning routine helps to set a steady tone for school. Routines foster security in young children that is why they are crucial to a happy drop off. Also, try to avoid scheduling too many outside or extracurricular activities. Sometimes this can cause more stress than fun if it causes your schedule to be over booked. Both you and your child need down time to relax. So, when choosing activities for your child be sure not to over plan!
A child’s first learning experiences begin at home. Once your child enters a school environment no matter what age they start, try bringing some of what they are doing in school home. You can try the experiment they did in class or read the same books. Reading to your child daily, especially books they read at school is a great way to help them develop a positive feeling toward school. This can help make the home/school connection and can provide ways to help your child develop a love for both school and learning in general. It shows your child you are interested in what they are doing in school and creates ways to bond and expand on school experiences in a positive way.
As parents and caregivers, we have the unique opportunity to influence our children. It is important to try to find ways to influence them in positive and healthy ways. Your love for their school and learning experiences will translate to help them grow to love school and learning too!
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Chase the Questions The first step for parents and educators to cultivate a love of learning is invite questions, and then chase them. Chasing questions means following them to find the other questions that emerge from an initial question. We can say this to our children: “What else do you want to know?
Letting them solve their own problems and making their own decisions does wonders for supporting their learning. If you notice your child is crazy about something—dance, dinosaurs, the ocean—encourage them to learn about it. Head to the library and pick up books about with their passions; visit a museum; watch documentaries—show them all the different ways to learn!