9 Ways to Teach Kids a Love of Learning

Addition and subtraction facts, details about World War II and the elements on the periodic table are good to know, but are just limited skills and facts. So often kids get bogged down by the importance of having good grades that they lose their curiosity and interest in the world around them. What’s really important is that kids develop an overall love of learning that follows them into adulthood. Here are a few ways to help your children fall in love with learning.

“Kids who enjoy learning tend to explore things more deeply, work harder and be more successful in school and in life.” – Kathy Seal, coauthor of Motivated Minds: Raising Children to Love Learning

Read to them.

A love for reading opens up many doors to learning. Reading to your children from an early age helps them improve their vocabulary and phonics and is proven to boost their cognitive development, which enhances their ability to think and understand things on their own. The “Becoming a Nation of Readers” report from 1985 concluded that “the single most important activity for building knowledge for their eventual success in reading is reading aloud to children.” If children are read to every day, reading becomes a habit that paves the way to learning throughout their lifetime. Keep books easily accessible for them, read a book every night before bed and encourage questions to help with understanding the book. As they grow older, they will to turn to books, newspapers and magazines on their own to feed their curiosities. Also, be a role model. Let your kids see you reading, and they will show more interest as well.

Make learning hands-on.

Kids are much more likely to enjoy learning if it’s fun! Hand-on activities can help connect information they are learning to real-life experience, making it easier for kids to retain the information. If your children are learning about different types of reptiles, take them to a zoo. If they’re learning about astronomy, take them to a planetarium or space museum. They will be much more likely to remember the information if they see if in person, as opposed to just reading it in a book. They also won’t even realize they’re learning because of all the fun they will be having!

Ask questions.

If your kids are anything like mine, they can ask hundreds of questions a day. Do your best to take the time to answer their questions—and keep the discussion going with open-ended questions of your own. If you don’t have the answer, work together to help them find the right resource to answer it. Maybe a book or film could explain the answer better than you could. Taking the time to have these conversations validates and encourages your child’s curiosity.  

Apply it to the real world.

If your children are learning about money, maybe it’s a good time to show them how money works in the real world. Have them count the money in their piggy banks and take them to the bank to open a savings account, or let them count out the money for you next time you’re paying at a checkout. Teaching your kids how things work in the real world will mean more to them than simply telling them or having them read it from a book.

Let them play.

Children are born ready to discover new things. Let them explore on their own through play. Allow them to decide how to play with their toys rather than your showing them. You might be surprised where their imaginations take them. Do your best to leave out only a few toys at a time. Kids will spend much more time with those few toys instead of being overstimulated and jumping from toy to toy.

Promote problem solving.

Instead of giving your children directions, let them solve problems and make decisions on their own. This will challenge their minds, force them to think for themselves and give them a bit of independence as well.

Discover your child’s learning style.

Finding your children’s learning styles will help you teach them more effectively. Visual learners process information when it’s written or in a photo, auditory learners like to hear information, and kinesthetic learners learn best through movement and touch. Once you’ve discovered your child’s learning style, the possibilities are endless!

Follow their passions.

Take the time to see what things interest your children and encourage them in their passions. If they seem interested in baking, sign them up for a baking class. If they enjoy science, research some fun science experiments you can do together. It’s also important to share your passions with them, so they can see how you continue to feed your passions and learn every day, even as an adult.

Place less emphasis on grades.

According to a 2002 study conducted by the University of Michigan, 80 percent of students based their self-worth on their academic success, leading to low self-esteem and other mental health issues. Children can tend to strive for memorizing facts to get a good grade on a test and please their parents, rather than really learning and material. Memorized facts kids cram for before a test will fade away, but really showing interest and gaining knowledge about a topic lasts a lifetime. 

Regan Lyons is a freelance writer who lives in St. Joseph, MO, with her husband, 6-year-old daughter and newborn baby girl.