Focusing on our child’s quality of education is important during long stretches at home to fuel their mind. Although children are adaptable, they need structure to feel safe and motivated to learn. Taking the time to advance our child’s learning at home will not only make a difference in their ability to remain attentive, but in how they come to love learning as a structure of opportunity and support throughout their lives.
FOCUS ON HOW YOUR CHILD READS
Is your child reading only because they need to? Before you can enhance a child’s learning, they need to first be motivated to want to learn. When you let your child choose what they want to read, reading no longer becomes a chore, but an activity that is exciting for them to make their own decisions.
UNDERSTAND YOUR CHILD’S LEARNING STYLE
Children’s behaviour varies from preschool to home. As children’s cognitive skills are under development, it is important that their learning style is enriched at home. The seven different learning styles include visual learner (spatial), aural learner (auditory), verbal learner (linguistic), physical learner (kinesthetic), logical learner (mathematical), social learner (interpersonal) and solitary learner (intrapersonal). Finding the right learning style (or styles) for your child will assist how you teach them.
SHARE YOUR JOY FOR LEARNING
As a parent, your child looks up to you as the biggest influence in their lives. Don’t underestimate the simple power of role modelling curiosity to motivate your child to seek out what inspires them. Actively displaying our enthusiasm teaches children that the sky’s the limit and well worth the inquiry when we are engaged in what we learn.
MAINTAIN AN ORGANIZED ENVIRONMENT
Keeping your home orderly and clean implements a standard structure where children feel free and open to express themselves. Children internalize their environment and weak organizational skills disrupt a child’s ability to synthesize information. Organization includes planning our tasks for the day and ensuring our rooms remain clean, but it is also the internal processes we use to sort through our emotions. The multitude of protocols our Calgary child care facility is following make an organized home environment all the more vital for your child to feel less overwhelmed and enjoy childhood.
ASK YOUR CHILD HOW THEY FEEL
Preschoolers are not yet equipped with the experience to understand some of the emotions they are experiencing, especially those associated with quarantine. When children can understand their emotions, they can better regulate their response to focus on the task at hand. Parents should not only talk with their toddler about their emotions, but consistently bring up the topic of emotions when they appear in the storyline of a book, when eating and when watching social scenarios.
Parents, You are not alone
While parents do the best they can to support our children during shutdown while enriching their Calgary kindergarten experience, parents are not telepaths. Creating a full-circle atmosphere of support allows children to feel comfortable expressing their motivation to learn and become empowered no matter our current circumstances.