Everyone wants their children to love learning, but the question is how do you do that. I don’t have all the answers, but I do have children who enjoy learning. Creating a home culture where books are cherished and where life is slow enough to have time to read and be read to takes intention and effort. Teachers can inspire their students to love learning, but I really think the responsibility of passing down a love for knowledge, creative thinking, and reading belongs to the parents. Raising kids who love learning means intentionally making an effort to create a home environment that encourages learning. It’s one of my favorite parts of homeschoolings and being a mom.
Reading Aloud
If you really want your kids to love learning, then I would recommend making time to read aloud each day. Even older children benefit from being read aloud to. The reason why I think reading aloud helps kids who love learning is because reading books with interesting characters sparks good conversation. When you have something you and your child are excited to talk about, it bonds the child to the parent. They share the same experience of knowing and relating to the character in the book.
Since reading a book aloud, especially a chapter book, can take more time than a movie, there’s a longer span of time to think about the book together. It’s easy to forget about a movie, but it’s harder to forget about a really good book you read with your kids. My kids and I like to quote parts of books when it matches the occasion. No one else around us is aware that we are quoting a book, so it becomes an inside joke.
There’s plenty of evidence that reading aloud makes children better readers. People who enjoy reading are usually people who enjoy learning. I have found that reading aloud to my kids makes them more curious about the world, which then leads them to want to read more.
Go to the Library
Reading aloud leads me to my next point, which is take your kids to the library. I am careful about what books my kids pick out, but I still give them the chance browse, choose a book, and then show it to me. I have two older boys who like nonfiction. Fortunately, nonfiction tends to have less content that I disapprove of,
One time I brought my kids to the mystery section so I could find an Agatha Christy book. Usually, I don’t bother to find a book for myself in the library (although I do request books for myself). Hunting for a book for myself surprised my kids. I am usually busy enough keeping everyone quiet and find books for them, but it showed my kids that I like reading. That’s an important message to tell your kids. It’s hard to raise children with the expectation that they will like reading and learning if mom or dad don’t like it, or make time for it. Going to the library with four small kids is not always easy, but if it means we read more and enjoy more books, then it’s worth all the effort.
Let Your Child Be
My two boys like chess. I have this thought of signing them up for a chess club, which would also have competitions. Initially, this sounded like a great idea. But then I changed my mind when I thought about taking a game my kids find fun and interesting, and signing them up for classes, and driving them to perhaps stressful competitions. They never even asked to be signed up for a class, and here I am thinking of ways to make my family busier and more stressed.
Just let them love chess, I thought. Don’t ruin it for them. Not every hobby or interest warrants a club. My point is that when a child shows an interest, it’s okay to let that interest slowly grow. Sometimes classes, clubs, and competitions can kill an interest or hobby. Instead, follow their lead and let them enjoy their hobbies and their learning.
Be Interested in What Your Child Likes
Another point to mention about raising kids who love learning is that showing an interest in their ideas goes a long way. One of my kids loves weather. I am often pulled outside to see a stratus cloud or a cumulonimbus cloud. While I may sometimes feel too busy to go and look, it’s important to show excitement for their interests. That said, I get to look at clouds a lot. Most of us know what it’s like to find someone who is also interested in the same things we are. Don’t they make you even more interested and eager to continue learning?
I think the it’s the same for kids. I might not have to be super interested at first, but seeing my child be interested in clouds makes me more interested in them as well. Sometimes love for learning is contagious! Plus, it’s also super cool to see interests grow and develop.
It works the other way around. I can be very excited about something, and that gets my kids excited and interested as well.
Put Your Phone Down
One way you can show interest in what your child loves is to put your phone down. Why waste your time scrolling when you could invest in your child and talk to them? You don’t get much of a reward for scrolling on your mom. Spending too much time on your phone can cause irritability and mental overload. As basic as it is, having a conversation with another person without the distraction of a phone is becoming uncommon. By putting the phone down, you show your children what life is really suppose to be like. Slow down and look them in the eye and actively listen.
I don’t know any parents who tell me that they really want their child to be addicted to their cell phone when they grow up. Setting a good example of how to properly use your phone can promote a love for learning because you can focus on tasks that you have to do. You can talk to the people right in front of you. Your attention span could grow as you read a book or learn a new game.
Final Thoughts
Even though figuring how to raise kids who love learning has taken intentional effort, the reward is great and worth all the hard work. It cracks me up when people think my kids are natural readers. Maybe they are, but I put a lot of work into creating a home environment that encourages lots of reading and learning – library visits, audiobooks, memorizing nursery rhymes and poems, having conversations about books, going to bookstores, and assembling bookshelves with my kids. I am pretty sure we have books in every room of our house. Some things are worth all the hard work, and raising kids who love learning is one of the most worthwhile investments a parent can make.
Carly from DesertHomeschoolDays