If you’re trying to extend your child’s education to your home, you deserve a massive pat on the back. Being a parent and teacher is not easy, and you’ll come across all sorts of challenges that plenty will resonate with!
Of course, over time, it can have huge advantages. Forgetting the apparent development benefits, we should also point out that this can be excellent bonding time.
Getting learning at home right is something that is really difficult to master, though. There’s a delicate balance between fun, textbooks, and modern-day learning. There are pitfalls held within each one, and through today’s article, we’ll bring forward some actionable tips that can help make learning at home a little more fun and rewarding for both you and your children.
Make it as hands-on as possible
Textbooks are great but don’t limit yourself when it comes to your learning sessions at home.
Nowadays, kids toy manufacturers have made things much easier for parents. There will always be a place for tried-and-tested books, but you can also tap into the likes of LEGO and K’nex, which give children a hands-on introduction to engineering.
Some parents will also turn to tablets, which have all sorts of apps that bill themselves as educational. Some of these are great, but we would also exercise a word of caution. Some have been dubbed ‘educational’ by shrewd marketing professionals; however, in truth, they are anything but. Don’t be fooled and instead, analyse each app for yourself and always keep on top of screen time.
Take it out of your ‘classroom’
OK, we’re really talking about taking it outside of your home.
While it’s perfectly admirable to arm yourself with textbooks and other learning classics, you can also think outside the box. How about local museums? Sure, some are the opposite of child-friendly, but others will provide an education worth its weight in gold.
In the case of the above link to Covent Garden, some museums are all about traditional history and making it fun to understand. Others are more about the future, with Apple being a prime example. They have a weekly schedule of classes about technology, which can change how your children view learning. Suddenly, it’s a day out in a modern and fun environment – and they’ll soon forget that this is a learning exercise.
Don’t forget the F-word
We’re talking about fun, of course. While it’s great to try and extend your child’s learning at home, let’s not forget that they need to have fun as well. Sure, you can implement all sorts of tips and tricks that can make learning fun but don’t forget about their own downtime.
Some kids will bask in learning at home, but others won’t. It doesn’t matter which camp yours sits in – you can overdo it regardless. Make sure you’re not burning out little brains and understand when they need downtime. Just like us, all kids need time to relax. This will lead to better learning experience in the long-term.
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