Babies are born curious, with a desire to learn about everything around them. Encourage that desire for learning to continue throughout children's lives by helping them to feel confident in themselves and free to explore their imaginations. Learning should never feel like a chore, but rather an adventure.
Step 1
Choose educational activities that are appropriate for your child. Activities that are too difficult set the child up for failure and activities that are too easy lead to boredom.
Step 2
Create a learning environment where your child feels free to ask questions and explore answers and solutions, without the fear of being judged. Take the fear out of learning. Reward well thought out answers whether they are correct or incorrect. This teaches the child that the process of learning is fun and a means of discovering the answer. Taking the fear of getting an answer wrong out of learning creates an environment where critical thinking skills are enhanced.
Step 3
Set a good example through the way you handle learning activities in your life. If you get frustrated when you do not know the answer to a question or give up, you teach your child to do the same. Instead, show your child that it is OK to have difficulty finding an answer and that it is an expected part of the learning process. According to the Centre for Mathematics and Science Education at Queensland University of Technology, children learn better when taught by "teachers who model enthusiasm" for learning.
Step 4
Make education fun by incorporating games, music and other activities into learning. Children who have fun while learning are more inclined to participate and less likely to focus on the possibility of failure.
Step 5
Encourage perseverance, hard work and the development of good work habits. When making learning fun, it is easy to forget to teach study habits. Set aside study times and remind the child of any deadlines for assignments. Good work habits help children to succeed in school, which in turn leads to them feeling smart.
Step 6
Assist your child in figuring out solutions to problems without giving away the answer. When children are allowed to find the answers, they gain confidence in their ability to solve problems and learn. If your child becomes frustrated when attempting to solve a difficult task, try asking questions that will guide your child to discover the answer.
Step 7
Focus on your child as a whole. It is good to tell children that they are smart, as long as you focus on other aspects as well. Develop children as whole and well-rounded people by focusing on traits such as a kind heart, funny sense of humor and a good work ethic, as well as intelligence. Avoid putting to much focus on your child's intelligence. Too much emphasis on a child's intelligence sets the child up for failure later in life, according to "The Secret to Raising Smart Kids," published in the "Scientific American Mind." The child becomes afraid to try new tasks out of fear of failing.
References
- "Journal of Science Teacher Education: Developing Motivation to Teach Elementary Science: Effect of Collaborative and Authentic Learning Practices in Preservice Education"; James J. Watters, Ian S. Ginns; 2000
- "Scientific American Mind; The Secret to Raising Smart Kids"; Carol S. Dweck; December 2007/January 2008
