This series of posts addresses the rationale behind my Homeschool How-To course How to Make Learning Meaningful, Memorable, and FUN! . . . coming in September. The first Homeschool How-To course How to Teach the Way Your Child Learns is available NOW! 🙂
How do you keep children interested in learning?
Let them learn about what interests them, of course!
In the last post, I offered a list of several categories where people may be naturally gifted. If you haven’t identified categories of natural gifts and interests for your children, now would be a great time to do that! I predict that you’ll return to this concept again and again…and below this graphic, I’ll tell you why.
Here’s why it benefits you AND your child for you to tune into their natural gifts and interests.
When students focus on learning about things that interest them, the things they learn will be meaningful.
Because they’re learning something that’s already interesting to them, they’ll understand why and how the useful purpose of their knowledge.
When students focus on learning about things that interest them, the things they learn will be memorable.
Because their interests are likely to stick with them for awhile (maybe even for life), the learning will stick with them, as well. This is knowledge they can use!
When students focus on learning about things that interest them, learning will be FUN.
Who said education had to be dull and boring to be rigorous and effective?
I don’t know about you, but I’ve thrown myself passionately into learning about all sorts of topics that interested me. Often, I even learn more than is necessary or required (*gasp!*), straying into related topics that might be useful to know, as well. For example, when my husband took a job overseas, I learned to speak German because I wanted to be able to get around comfortably in that country . . . but once I began to learn the new language, my eyes were opened to its Latin roots and Germany’s connection to the Holy Roman Empire, and to how standard Carolingian script (named for the Holy Roman Emperor Charlemagne of Aachen) and a printing press with movable type (invented by Johannes Gutenberg of Mainz) contributed to the spread of the Christian faith throughout Europe and even to the New World. Once you start interest-based learning, you never know where it will lead! 🙂
When children (or people of any age, really) have the chance to learn more about something they’re already interested in, you don’t have to do much coaxing.
So if you’re tired of begging your children to apply themselves to their schoolwork with a better attitude, why not allow them the opportunity to delve deeply into topics they already find interesting?
