A stimulating learning environment is essential for the development of children. Teachers are generally responsible for cultivating it, but your home should be as conducive to learning as a school.
Follow these eight tips to keep little ones learning all day long.
1. Get into a routine
Children need a sense of normalcy during their day. Plan learning activities and follow them consistently to create structure. Your child can anticipate what he has to do and prepare himself emotionally and psychologically.
Integrate recreational activities into the routine. For example, letting them watch certain programs can push them to become more cooperative rather than allowing them to sit in front of the TV whenever they want.
2. Minimize distractions
The ideal learning environment is free of distractions. Overstimulation of your child can affect their focuswhich hinders learning.
Anything interesting can distract your child from the task at hand. Make sure the room contains only what is needed for the activity to promote concentration.
3. Provide access to resources
Buy quality books for your children as reading is crucial for literacy development. It is an effective way to learn more words, enrich their vocabulary and build their confidence. Strong literacy positively influence reading pleasurecreating a beneficial cycle.
Do you choose printed or digital children’s literature? Many parents let their children read e-books, but they think twice about following their example. Electronic devices have adverse effects on children. Screen time is possible increase their risk for obsessive-compulsive disorder and compromise their ability to regulate their emotions.
Additionally, introduce your young learner to age-appropriate educational toys. The best ones are open-ended, with no set rules. Your child can play with it, but they want to improve their cognitive skills.
4. Promote sensory activities
Children rely on their senses to understand new things. You need to regularly expose your little one to new experiences to engage his five senses in growth. They need to be constantly mobile to develop their body awareness and balance.
In addition to playing listening games, reading and reciting rhymes, involve them in some of your daily activities. Let them help you bake, garden and prepare meals. Go outside and let them explore under your supervision; Climbing trees, rolling on the grass and using playground equipment are healthy for them. Teach them survival skills such as finding water, make a fire from scratch and cooking food can also help you form a stronger bond.
5. Provide functional spaces
Dedicate different spaces to specific activities, such as a wide desk for drawing, an outdoor area for finger painting, a quiet corner for reading and a spacious area for construction toys. By associating specific places with specific activities, your child can decide what to do based on their mood.
If you don’t have enough space, make sure everything is organized. Clean up the mess after each activity and store supplies and toys in the right places instead of piling everything up.
6. Talk a lot
Have regular conversations with your child and ask questions while playing to practice forming sentences and using new words. The more you talk to them, the faster they become mature, because they learn speech from you.
As a positive role model, be mindful of how you speak. Use simple, grammatically correct language. Your child will imitate you and improve his language skills.
7. Encourage independence
Giving your child the opportunity to interact with children their age can help them build meaningful relationships and expand their world. A summer camp is a great way to help them spend their school holidays productively.
Look for a venue that offers immersive experiences so they can make great memories when they return. To give just one example, The Henry Ford in Dearborn, MI, offers little campers the opportunity to explore and explore historical artifacts participate in practical experiments while learning about remarkable stories of American innovation.
Think about what your child is interested in and then explore your options. You will find something that suits their personality perfectly.
8. Encourage a growth mindset
Foster a self-improvement mindset by creating a forgiving environment where your child can make mistakes and learn from them. Feedback with guidance allows them to do this control any fear of failure and address their mistakes in a healthy way. Developing a growth mindset allows them to recognize their weaknesses and work to acquire new skills.
However, don’t shower them with talent-related compliments. Positive reinforcement is good, but praise is hard. Recognizing them for who they are rather than what they do encourages them to achieve greatness if they work hard.
Fertilize a learning environment with unconditional love
The above tips mean nothing without attention and solid emotional support. Be a loving, supportive, available parent and raise your child in a happy home so that he or she feels safe and motivated to learn.
Author biography
Oscar Collins is editor-in-chief of Modified, where he writes about health, fitness and more. Follow him on Twitter @TModded for regular updates on his work.
