Kids have a tough time of it in the classroom today. Teachers are stretched, resources are lacking and education methods are often called into question. Lots of parents are finding that their children are struggling to learn effectively at school and some of that burden is falling back on them. It’s important that you try to foster a good learning environment at home for a couple of reasons; firstly, it helps to avoid their education slipping during school holidays, and secondly, it fills any gaps that they might find in their traditional schooling. Creating a learning environment in the home doesn’t mean you have to make scheduled lessons, just try making some of these simple changes to your lifestyle.
Choose Better Days Out
Days out with the family should be about fun and creating memories together, but you can also use them as a valuable learning experience sometimes. Taking a trip to the cinema or the beach is great fun but it doesn’t always offer that much in the way of development opportunities for your children. Taking them to museums and art galleries is a good idea but it can be a bit difficult to get them to agree to it sometimes. Why not consider taking them to Seaquest Interactive Aquariums? They offer a great, informative experience that is interactive so the kids can get involved and learn loads without even realizing it. Finding trips that are both fun and educational is the key to a great family day out. Another good option is a science museum with lots of interactive exhibits and workshops to get involved.
Learn Languages
Learning a language is a part of most school curriculums these days but it isn’t always taught in the best way at schools. Trying to encourage your kids to use it at home is the best way to improve their skills. Employers absolutely love language skills so helping them to master it will massively improve their prospects in the future. There are lots of great phone apps like Duolingo that make learning a language a lot more fun and interactive for kids so they’ll be more likely to engage with it. Teaching kids sign language is also a good idea because it’s a skill that not many people have.
Reading
When kids are younger they have more choices about what they’re reading at school but as they get older, they’ll be given set books that they need to study as part of the curriculum. This is the point in their schooling that lots of kids fall out of the habit of reading. Being forced to read something that they hate can easily turn them off. That’s why it’s important that you make a concerted effort to encourage them to read, it’s the best way to learn. Fill the house with a variety of books that they might enjoy and encourage them to pick them up. One easy way of doing this is to allocate an hour where there is no TV allowed. Without having a TV to watch, they’re more likely to pick up a book.
Your kids learn a lot at school but there are always going to be some holes. It’s your job as a parent to plug those gaps.
