The new school year is brimming with unlimited possibilities and beautiful opportunities. As little ones tie their shoes, pack their pencils and crayons, and strap on their Paw Patrol or Peppa the Pig backpacks, everyone is excited about the upcoming scholastic adventures!
Whether it is kindergarten or third grade, children are entering a new school year filled with great potential. You, as parent and caregiver, have guided them to this point by reading 15 minutes every day and practicing their numbers with toys and trinkets. School is important, but what you did during the summer and leading up the first day of school is equally important.
School is just one component to the learning journey. Specifically in early literacy, our schools and teachers are there to enhance and build on each child’s skills, as well as, assist in areas where children need help. But throughout a child’s young life, parents, caregivers, and teachers need to encourage a sense of ‘life-long learning’.
What is life-long learning? A life-long learner is someone who enjoys the process of learning and pursues it throughout their lives, even after school. Leonardo da Vinci was an artist, inventor, and scientist. He was an inquisitive individual who searched for the meaning of any question he came across. He learned through books, observation, and trial and error. He is a great example of a life-long learner. We want to raise children who find happiness, gratitude, and fulfillment in learning and growing, so when their primary education is finished, they continue to be forward-thinking learners.
How can parents and caregivers raise life-long learners? Here are a few ideas to help you and your family.
Take your child to museums, libraries, parks, plays, and musicals. Field trips like these help make learning fun and tangible. Visiting museums where you can see a larger-than-life dinosaur makes reading about them even more fun! In addition, it helps solidify knowledge read in books.
Have conversations as a family around the dinner table. Instead of watching TV or eating separately, engage your child during dinner. Ask about their day or ask them about something interesting they learned at school. Share something about your day as well! Reflecting on and discussing their day helps a child’s communication skills and memory.
Travel! Visit a different part of the world, country, or city! Traveling is the purest form of education, but you do not need to travel across the globe to discover different cultures and places of historic value. Visit a nearby national or state park to explore the natural world. Try eating at a local restaurant that serves Indian or Greek food: something different from your home cuisine.
Try doing crosswords, puzzles, crafting, painting, playing the piano, or journaling. Engaging in an activity that involves creativity, concentration, and dexterity can help keep a child’s brain active and enhance development.
Pursue personal interests. Whatever it is! As a child, my brother went through a phase where he loved making balloon animals. So, my parents bought him a balloon animal set: balloons, balloon pump, and how-to book included. He enjoyed it fully and made balloons for a year. The phase might have ended, but he is a graphic artist, and I believe his interest in balloon making probably developed his artistic abilities as an adult. In any case, parental support means so much to a growing child. Promoting a child’s interests helps encourage creativity and confidence.
Lead by example. Show your child your love for learning. Watch more documentaries on Netflix, read anything of interest, exercise around the house, pick up a new hobby! Whatever it might be, make sure your child sees you. You are their favorite teacher after all.
Life-long learning is an on-going process. As the first day of school comes and goes, remember why your child is learning in the first place: to be a confident, happy, fulfilled, and dynamic member of the world. To enjoy learning is to enjoy living.
As Leonardo da Vinci once said, “learning never exhausts the mind.”
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