Raising and educating children is a heavy responsibility which can feel intimidating. A child’s first contact, interaction and lessons about the world are heavily influenced by their caretakers since babies and young toddlers are heavily dependent on them for well…everything. So it’s no surprise that many caretakers worry about whether they are doing enough for their child’s cognitive and emotional development.
Babies are born ready to learn and the first five years are usually some of the most important for a child’s development both physically and mentally. Basically during these early years, the child’s brain is perpetually in problem solving mode. It’s actually a little more complicated than that (and you can learn more about it if you keep reading at this link) but the main point is that this is usually the best time to capitalize on the child’s propensity to learn. However, although children at this age are endlessly curious, trying to teach them things in a structured manner can honestly feel like trying to herd a room full of cats.
Generally, we can agree that we want children to learn things with minimal trauma, and the key to doing this is to ensure that they are learning in a safe environment. However, if you want your child to develop a good attitude towards learning and make them look forward to it, the key to doing that is to make it fun. There’s a variety of ways to do this, but here’s some ideas that you can use:
Turn It Into A Game
This may sound like an obvious idea but not many people apply it or have no idea how to do it. Games for children (and admittedly even for older humans) work on a simple basis: operant conditioning.
The basic idea is as follows: When a task is fulfilled satisfactorily, a reward is given. When a task is not fulfilled, the reward is withheld. Although many are worried that this will create a dependence on extrinsic motivators, the fact of the matter is that for young toddlers who haven’t quite managed to grasp the concept of abstract ideas and future planning, this is one of the safer and better methods to develop certain habits. A child can later be eased off of the extrinsic motivator, but it’s useful as a springboard to get a habit started.
Rewards need not necessarily be something physical (although that’s usually best for very young children), it can also be things like extra praise, a bonding activity or something more representative like a sticker on a chart. What works as an appropriate motivator depends on the individual child, and while some children may be more motivated by things like sweets, others might treasure extra play time a little more. It’s not a bad idea to experiment a little with different rewards to figure out what suits your child’s needs and wants.
At that age, children love solving puzzles and spotting patterns since that’s what their brain is primed to do. Working with your child to create enjoyable learning experiences has many positive outcomes in the long run and can help them to develop healthy attitudes towards learning later on.
Repetition Is Key
Just like adults, children learn best through repeated exposure to a task. Although it may feel like slow going at first, children are usually picking up a surprising amount just through observation and passive learning. However, children often have much shorter attention spans than adults and just telling them that something is important won’t change that fact.
The solution therefore, is to regularly work whatever it is you’re trying to teach your child into their everyday life in short bursts. Just like establishing any new habit, you can’t spend a single day doing the task intensely and assume that the habit is established. You have to turn it into a routine, preferably with the same steps leading up to the main task every time.
For example, if you want to teach your toddler the letters of the alphabet, you can’t just sing it to them once a week and hope it’ll stick. Instead, choose a specific event such as before bedtime, or after breakfast and turn it into something of a ritual. Sing the song once every day at that same time and preferably have a catchphrase to signal that you’re about to do it, like “let’s sing our ‘ABC’ song together now!” It may take a few tries, but your child should eventually catch on and will eventually start to anticipate it, which leads to them actively remembering the song eventually.
Although you may feel a little silly dedicating a specific time of your day to having your child sing a song, practicing washing their hands or tying their shoelaces, the fact of the matter is that this is one of the more effective ways for a child to learn new skills and habits.
It can feel daunting to take a child’s education into your hands. After all, they are depending on you to teach them important social and cognitive skills. It is paramount while teaching your child is to make sure that they are safe and are not distressed throughout the process. Most importantly, have fun and always be aware that your child is often picking up on far more than you realize!
