The Many Wonderful Ways Of Teaching Your Child

Home education is becoming more and more popular. Why is that? Well, it’s quite clear that the pandemic and its associated lockdowns and closure of schools has left parents with the responsibility of taking care of their child’s education and making sure they ‘fill the holes’ of the extracurricular activities they’re missing out on.

But it’s also true that even before the pandemic, the numbers of people taking their child out of school and choosing home education was rising. Why? Well, we’re not here to comment on the schooling system or weigh up the pros and cons of this decision, every parent has the capacity to make that decision for themselves.

What we can show, however, is some of the worthwhile benefits that come when teaching your children, as is relevant to parents stuck with that exact same task right now. Of course, following the designated curriculum, doing the prescribed work and following the important educational guidelines is essential, and should be your first port of call. However, you may also find that some of the following advice can help you teach in a more holistic manner:

Trips & Days Out

Enjoying a few days out or trips away with your child can be a great idea, especially if this helps solidify their education. Of course, it’s tough to do this when many facilities and institutions are closed, pending lockdown rules. However, there may be alternatives you can find.

For instance, some museums may still be accepting visitors, only pre-appointments or limited guests at one time may be allowed in or out. Still, it can serve as a great, socially-distanced way of learning. The same goes for public think tanks, and perhaps even outdoor theatre shows, which are great if learning about literature (Shakespeare, for example).

Trips and days out, when you can book and attend them, give you the chance to truly enjoy and understand how learning is represented in the world around you, not just in the textbook.

Play & Having Fun

It’s very easy to see play as anything other than a means by which to learn. We think of play as frivolous, often silly, a recreational activity if nothing else. It’s unfortunate most of us come to think this way as adults, because it’s certainly not true.

For instance, think about how your children learn. When they’re sitting on the floor, playing with dolls or action figures and making false conversations and scenarios between them, they’re not just imagining, they’re doing something rather sophisticated. They’re learning and representing social relationships, and creating storylines, and imagining their own rulesets. This shows that kids often learn well through play, and as adults, we learn through play too.

Perhaps we need to think about how this works. For instance, singing songs is playing. And yet it’s hard not to find an English speaker who doesn’t use the ‘ABCD-EFG!’ song in their head whenever trying to consider where a letter is placed in the alphabet. So, songs, toys, kinetic tools, and interacting with learning is actually very useful. Could this be integrated into your own teaching?

To use a prior example, think of how children learn about literature and Shakespeare. They can sit down and read the play, and that’s great, but they also learn from watching it, or even acting in a pretend play themselves at school. Could you use these principles to make your own home education more fun to experience, and more joyful for the both of you? You don’t have to think too deeply about this either – because play comes natural. That’s it’s beauty.

Learning To Overcome Struggle

Learning is struggling, and so you shouldn’t feel that you’re mistaken or unequipped to learn if you’re struggling yourself. Learning to overcome struggle is just as valuable as learning itself.

You’ll find that this helps you more easily learn how to break down a problem, as figuring out how to get started and how to tackle a task, no matter if that’s teaching letter recognition to your children step by step, or breaking down a basic math problem into its elements, you can learn a lot by the act of doing, and so will your children.

Furthermore, not giving up on it and taking a breather where necessary, repeating the lesson until you get it, can be a fantastic means of realizing that challenge isn’t there to harm you, more often than not it’s a friend in disguise. It’s hard to think of a healthier lesson you can teach to a child.

Various Learning Mediums

There are many learning mediums out there that can help you in your teaching, and your child’s learning goals. This might involve YouTube videos, podcasts, online lessons, day trips, arts and crafts, drawing, staging plays, pretend tests, role play, and more.

For instance, if learning history, then it could be a great idea to watch archeological shows describing the period, and spending time talking about it after. Many parents think that sitting down in front of a textbook is the only way to learn (of course, if it is recommended by your child’s syllabus, be sure to take part in this), but there are many beautiful ways of learning through online means.

You might try a new recipe tonight for dinner, learning home rec through baking, or perhaps offering some basic textiles knowledge by having your younger child help you sew a hole in their shirt. Little things like this add up to helping a child become a more confident, more responsive person. It’s the work of a lifetime. Best to use everything to your advantage.

Tackling Problems Together

Taking the time to tackle problems together is also essential. It really does help you feel connected, together and more interested in bonding over learning rather than seeking an adversarial and overly disciplinary relationship.

Without sounding too idealistic or philosophical, that’s what learning should be. It’s not just a list of facts to retain, but curiosity that must be satiated. We all have this curiosity as children, but this often gives way to being rigorously structured and overly tested, to the point where the novelty of the information can seem lacking.

When teaching your child, you have the means to reverse that. Show them or tell them *why* something is worth knowing, not just that it is. A love for history, for instance, is much more engaging when you too, think it’s cool. And if you’re having trouble feigning that kind of enthusiasm, just watch your child and their natural curiosity when you get to topics you hope to discuss. It’s hard not to feel inspired.

Imagination

Imagination is pretty helpful. It helps us empathise with other people, consider other perspectives, and think about a life other than our own. For instance, watching a space documentary with your child (should it be the right time) and telling them just how much time has passed on our Earth can be quite amazing for them to think through.  You might discuss how the Dinosaurs came before us and what happened with the asteroids. You might discuss history, and ask them what they think it would be like to live as a Roman. Those sorts of topics allow for a child to think more clearly, to use the information they have learned and picture themselves in that sphere. More than that, this exercise is a great amount of fun!

With this advice, we hope you can find more wonderful ways of teaching your child. We’re certain you’re doing a great job already.