7 tips to encourage kids with learning

studyingMy Mom is a teacher at heart. For her, teaching is not just a career, it’s a passion, creatively sharing her knowledge in a way that students can easily grasp and understand. After graduating cum laude and the top student in the civil engineering batch, she was immediately tasked to handle college Math subjects.

When she quit her teaching career and focused on doing professional practice, her being a teacher still showed in the way she taught us her children. We got help with our homework but she never solved them for us, she had a way to let us think. My parents invested their hard-earned money on books and encyclopedias for us to read at home.

Here are some tips Mom taught us in encouraging kids to appreciate and value the importance of learning:

1.  Instead of candies and chips, scatter some books and educational toys around the house – in the playroom, bedroom, living room, anywhere your kids can easily pick them up.

2.  Give them papers, notebooks, crayons and pens to hone their drawing and coloring skills and develop their creativity and imagination.

3.  Stick educational posters on walls so they can be easily read and memorized by your kids.

4.  Toys and books that deal with numbers can help them early in appreciating Math and not being intimidated with it.

5.  Acknowledge every improvement and give rewards and incentives for a job well done. It’s giving value in tangible ways on top of a kiss, hug or a pat on the back.

6.  Find time to teach your child new words, or read them stories or help them with their homework. (Note: If this is not possible, hire the services of a good personal tutor. You may also consider online tutoring if it offers more advantages. There are online tutoring programs that are designed professionally not only to help your child keep up with school assignments and lessons but even top the class.)

7.  NEVER do your child’s homework, just guide them into solving the assignment by asking them questions that would lead them to thinking about possible solutions.

These are just some of the practical tips in helping your child become independent and smart thinkers at an early age.