Teach them not from the textbook and we promise you not a bored soul will you find in the classroom. Tell them to create something new every single day!
Red marks on your child’s notebook bring up familiar feelings of dread and annoyance.
“Why is the work incomplete?”
“Why aren’t you paying attention?”
How is the child to tell the parent that it is so utterly boring and his heart lies outside where there is still colour and all isn’t black and white! There’s a lot more to raising a curious child than mere rote learning and an occasional trip to the amusement park.
One look at any child’s book and we know why the world outside interests him more. Schools are missing the most important ingredients that can gather some interest – fun, inquisitiveness and wonder! Schools can easily be blamed for tedious routines, drab courses and no opportunity to unlearn the traditional methods of teaching.
Yet, are only schools to be blamed? Are we not guilty of calling out to children from the park simply because an extra hour of science will help greatly in weekly tests? Ever noticed a group of children going to school in the morning? They are tired, uninterested and on the brink of falling sleep. All of it can’t be due to an early morning routine. Ask them to go play and trust us the little ones will be up and about an hour before schedule!
It’s frustrating for you as parents to see your child struggle but it also offers you an opportunity to bring about a change; a change you wished your parents had stirred in your childhood. Teach them not from the textbook and we promise you not a bored soul will you find in the classroom. Tell them to create something new every single day and not one stomach ache excuse will crop up! (Although to be really fair, we can’t promise this one.)
Put some play in learning and see the difference it makes. Add some variety to his study ‘routine’ and you’ll be surprised. Children are smart, observant and intuitive, they sense fun from a mile away.
Einstein too said
“play is the highest form of research”
Need we say more? Find creativity where there is none and knowledge will come to you without any struggle. As parents, you can’t constantly ask teachers to find innovative ways to keep your curious child occupied but as a parent you can help open up a new world for your child.
Where there are no annoyed frowns, no agitated moods, when a treasure hunt ruckus takes over your house, where there is no right or wrong way of solving a mathematical query, where stories teach grammar and history- there you will find that raising a curious child comes with its own rewards.
Though, it is not possible to find an alternative means of learning for every subject, it would help a great deal if we spent an extra hour with our children finding innovative ways of learning. Begin with small changes in the study schedule and then move towards bigger projects.
From heading out to understanding the physical characteristics of leaves to learning the process of photosynthesis – take your child outside his study room and you will see a new, enthusiastic learner emerge. Take math down to the basics and give your child restaurant bills to calculate or ask them to add the number of cars in the parking lot. There is much to learn outside study books, there is much fun that we can add and reduce the stress that we can give our children.
Bring wonder into their lives and see their curious minds grasp everything openly and enthusiastically.
Sit with them, answer their questions and most of all let your desire to learn from life be an example to them. Children observe everything so start today with unboxing creativity and unboxing wonder with your little one.
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