“Don’t say that!” My Mom would caution, me anytime I grumbled about a subject I did not find interesting. “If you do not like the subject, it will get difficult to pass it” she would continue. These words have helped me develop a formula for learning, even up to the university.
I remember I would intentionally bring myself to love the subject and the teacher in charge as well, just to ward off any negativity whatsoever, and I noticed that my concentration and productivity increased. Immediately I knew how vital this trick was, I extended it to subjects I naturally gravitated towards, and the results blew me away.
Now, here are a few things you can do to help your child’s learning mindset;
1. Give them reasons to love schoolwork.
I know, it’s a cliché thing to say, but as simple as it is, it can make a lot of changes. Children always want to know ‘why’, and it is understandable. They ask a lot of questions, listen to those questions and answer them.
I always asked why I needed to solve equations and mathematical problems, and my mum always gave me a brilliant answer! She would say “you need to love maths so that when you get to the store to get something to buy, you calculate exactly how much you need to pay, and get the accurate amount of change.”
That struck me even at that time. I wanted to be able to walk into a store and calculate the amount I would be getting as change without having to accept whatever was being handed to me. She did not have to come up with something as generic as ” you will need it in the future”. She made her explanation make sense to me, and it did.
2. Get them engaging learning resources outside the school’s recommendations.
Once a book gets tagged as a school recommend text, it immediately loses its charm for most kids. So, it is best to get resources, outside what the school has recommended. And when I say resources, I mean things as simple and fun as TV shows, easy quizzes, video lessons, etc.
You can get started with the personalised assessments & video lessons on Gradely for free. The videos are engaging, and fun, and will help your child perceive serious subjects in a different light. You can watch a sample below.
I remember there used to be a show on TV back when I was in primary school that gathered pupils from several primary schools to compete In math. I had no idea why my Dad always kept track of that show, and why he made sure I saw every episode with him, but looking back, I realised that he did all that to help me see Mathematics in a different light! And boy did the show inspire me.
3. Designate a space for learning.
While I was writing this blog, something caught my eye that made me smile; it was my little green reading table! I have had that table for years now, and yes! I have kept it with me all along. My mum got me that table in second grade! It had a matching chair to it too, and sitting in that space always created a sense of empowerment to be productive for me.
It is just the power of what spaces can do to the mind. Make sure your child has a specific nook that they can go to whenever it is time to get work done or read. It is very effective, and my little green table can testify.
4. Encourage goal setting.
A few days back, a friend teased me about my obsession with sticky notes, and I had to explain how I grew up writing plans for the week on them, and how it has found its way into adulthood. My teachers in school always encouraged writing out little plans for the week for subjects we would like to improve on, and I remember I had all sorts of things written down. It wasn’t just writing it down that helped me, making conscious efforts to read them fuelled my drive to work towards them.
Getting a child motivated to work isn’t a small feat, but it can be done, and we are here to do it with you all the way. Click here to claim your free 1-week access to engaging learning resources.
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Eniola Makinde
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[…] you have read the “4 ways to improve your child’s learning mindset” blog, you will remember that I talked briefly about my relationship with mathematics and how […]