Schooling is one of the most important parts of a child’s life, but it shouldn’t be the only means that they get their education. Similarly, getting your child excited for school can allow them to benefit even more from the schooling that they offer in the classroom. You need to cultivate a love of learning in order for your child to succeed on all fronts, and you need to do this getting them excited for school throughout the year. To do this, try to adopt these tips into their daily life:
Back-To-School Shopping
One of the most fun ways you can get your child excited for school is back-to-school shopping. This can be done multiple times throughout the year so that you can not only keep them appropriately clothed and stocked, you can also spread spending throughout the year. This means that, instead of buying a lot of new clothes at the start of the school year, you can only update their wardrobe as they need it per season.
For instance, you can get your child excited by getting them to pick out the Vingino jeans that they want as soon as January, before the new term starts. That way they can have new jeans that will not only look great, but also keep them warm throughout the winter. The same goes for all other kinds of clothes. Being warm in winter is important for children not only to stave off any illnesses that may come their way, but to also keep their mind on school and play. You don’t want your child to miss out on making friends and getting exercise during winter just because their clothes are too thin and they’re too cold, after all.
After-School Learning
There is so much to learn, and so little time! Don’t rely solely on the schooling system and enroll your children in after-school programs so that they can work on what they love to do, not just what the curriculum offers. If your child loves art, sign them up to community classes. If they want to learn how to sculpt, or make robots, or do anything, there are likely courses you can find in your neighborhood.
Make it a family event and go with them if it’s an open-ages class, or let them make new friends from all around your community.
At-Home Learning
As parents, our first job is to take care of our children. Our second job is to teach them. There are so many life skills that can be taught at home, in the form of chores. For instance, your child could learn:
- How to Cook
Cooking is a skill that many first-year university and college students lack, and it’s hurting them. They are gaining excess weight and simultaneously being malnourished. This occurs when you eat food that offers too few vitamins, like a diet of instant noodles.
Teaching your children how to cook, and later tasking them with making dinner say, once a week, will not only give them the experience they need to make delicious food, but also how to make healthy meals. The more effort you put into teaching them this skill, the better, healthier, and more successful they will be once they move out.
- How to Do Laundry
Similarly, how to do laundry properly is another skill that everyone should know. It’s also a chore you can get even young children started on, since it is very safe to do. Start them off by teaching them how to sort clothes. Teach them what can be washed and what goes together. Next, when they are older, get them involved in using the machine. Teach them what clothes should be washed on which setting, and more. This is another life skill that they will be glad to have learned from you once they moved out.
- How to Clean
Cleaning can, if done improperly with dangerous chemicals, be dangerous. That is why you need to teach your children how to clean, because if they have to figure it out themselves when they have moved out, they will either do a poor job, or they might experience chemical burns. As a bonus, you will also ensure that they do their part in keeping the house clean.
This might not seem like the best way to get your child excited, but you can make it fun. Do chores together and combine fun, family time with chores.
Reward Successes
Whenever your child gets good grades at school, reward them. This also applies to any after-school achievements. Rewards could be as small as making them their favorite dinner, or it could be buying them something special. Rewarding them doesn’t have to be a big financial obligation, but it is the positive reinforcement that they need to succeed.
Do Homework Together
Another way to make your child love school is to help them with their homework. You don’t even have to do any work yourself, but sit down and let your child explain why a certain math problem works or doesn’t, or why they wrote down a specific answer for a question. This will open a dialogue between the two of you, and also help them think critically and remember better.
Make a Routine
Last but not least, try to make their after-school chores and duties like homework routine. Children thrive off of routine, and if they do their homework, say every day after dinner, they will become accustomed to the time they don’t get to play. This can be further extended to anything, from chores, to helping them practice playing a musical instrument.
Getting your child ready for school, whether it be primary, high or college, throughout the year means putting effort into their education. It means making learning fun, whether it’s during school, while doing homework, or while they are doing their chores. Do this by letting them learn what they want to after school, and by making every lesson, from homework to chores, a fun bonding experience.
Tammie~