When we are trying to help our kids learn something new, it is always a struggle to make it memorable. Helping kids with school work can be tedious and boring. It’s so easy to forget children need to go at a slower and more detailed pace than we need to. When we have to learn the topic too, it can make things easier, because we can think about how we are going to remember the information later on. Try having a themed day to help the memory.
Helping your kids learn about anything new takes a creative approach on our part. We want them to find the process of finding out to be fun and special. After all, this is quality time we are getting to spend with our kids, and every minute should count. When any of us is learning something new, the best way to make it stick in our minds is to combine the various methods of taking information in. These involve using as many of our senses as possible. We should then test that learning is understood with question and answer sessions.
If you were helping your child learn about a historical figure, you want to do everything you can to bring that person to life. Try getting hold of some balloons from somewhere like www.balloonsgalore.co.uk. Using a marker, you can draw the face of the historical person on the balloon. Alternatively stick a picture on. Some balloon makers have balloons in shapes and colours that may be relevant to what you are studying. Once you have the person in the room, their actions are easier to re-enact. This brings their history to life and helps the information stick. Balloon planets are a great way to learn about the solar system too.
Use the children’s toys to help bring other elements of their studies to life. If they are learning about social infrastructure, building bricks and toy cars can be used to create towns. Teaching in this creative way helps make learning fun, and it helps secure the memory in our minds. Add some music or another aural stimulus to maximise our brain’s activity. For example, if you were learning about Neil Armstrong, adding a well known TV space series theme tune into the mix will enhance your child’s learning.
To test learning, you could ask your child to role play the events they were learning about. You could use the balloons as props again. Alternatively, combine this learning with another subject. Writing a short poem about the historical figure, or painting a picture depicting the key events in their life is a great way to confirm they have understood the lesson. It is also more fun than a quiz or written exam, but these are both equally effective.
When you are helping your child with homework, you are often left feeling flat and uninspired by the handout sheets the school sends home to complete. Thinking creatively to bring the topic to life helps your child learn a topic thoroughly and retain that information for life. Most importantly, it maximises this quality time the two of you have together, and inspires your child to use creative thinking as a life skill into adulthood.
This article is provided by Brothers Kitchen Blog.
