What
can parents do to excite their children about school and learning? A former
national Teacher of the Year provided the following suggestions.
First,
he said, promote a culture of reading at home. Reading is the gateway to all
knowledge and is fundamental to academic excellence.
Computers
are wonderful tools, but they cannot replace books. Reading stimulates the
imagination and encourages creative thinking.
So
read with your children. Discuss a book or an article in the car, while walking,
and at the dinner table.
Turn
reading into a pleasant event by taking children to libraries and bookstores
once a week.
Give
them an allowance and let them choose the books they want without questioning
what they’ve chosen.
Don’t
insist that they always read “educational” material. A lifelong love of reading
can start with almost any book or magazine.
Stimulate
your children’s curiosity. Children need to be encouraged to ask “Why?” when
they don’t understand something. Learning is a constant process, and children
sometimes think this process is over once they have an answer.
They
need to be taught to push for more answers. So when children ask “Why”? -- Don’t
respond with a pat answer. Ask, “What do you think? Or “Why do you think that’s so?” Or, “I’m not sure; let’s look it up.”
The
goal is to spark their curiosity so that it becomes fun to learn new
information.
