STUDYING WITH joyful intention

How to help kids embrace their natural curiosity

Children have a natural curiosity. They’re built to learn. As parents, we can help by creating an optimal learning environment and instilling in our children a sense of confidence and satisfaction. Here’s how.

Tell a story

Learning Strategies

You have the power to make learning fun and interesting, starting from an early age.

Set achievable goals

Children need to know that what is expected of them is achievable. Instilling confidence allows them to build on existing skills and reduce anxiety, so they’re not afraid to take the next step.

Match materials to their abilities

Make sure the learning material is appropriately matched to their ability and reinforce their efforts with praise. If kids need extra help grasping basic concepts first, it’s worth scaling down the material until they have a good mastery of the foundational concepts.

Share your own passion

Sharing material that you’re personally interested in or excited about can also help draw them in, as children feed off and respond to your energy. If you love science, or literature, or history, involve your kids by reading children’s books on these topics.

Children love narrative, so use materials that tell a story to pull them in, such as a children’s-level biographical tale or a historical event told as a story. If your child expresses an interest in their own topic, find resources that expand on this.

Setting Routines

Children thrive on routine and predictability. Mrs. Prezelj, an experienced elementary school teacher for more than 30 years, says that “the entire first month of the school year is spent establishing routines.”

Create consistent study times

To create a habit or routine, set a consistent time of day for studying and schoolwork. This will help to head off arguments and resistance. The same goes for bedtime and outdoor time, both of which are important contributors to optimal brain functioning.

The importance of limiting screen time

A cohort of 4,524 children aged eight to 11 years were evaluated according to the three parameters outlined in the Canadian 24-Hour Movement Guidelines for Children and Youth.

The study found that adherence to screen time recommendations (no more than two hours per day) was associated with better cognitive function. Meeting both the screen time and sleep recommendations was associated with less impulsive behaviours on all dimensions.

Excessive screen time at younger ages (three to five years) has been associated with poorer performance on developmental screening tests assessing behaviour, cognition, and social development later in life. For older children, while devices are certainly important learning tools, they should be used judiciously.

Lifestyle For A Healthy Nervous System

Cognitive function depends on regulation of the nervous system through physical activity, sleep, nutrition, and limited exposure to artificial stimulants. A wealth of data shows that ensuring adequate sleep and physical activity is crucial for sustained attention, impulse control, emotional regulation, and working memory.

Problems with schoolwork?

When asked about resistance to doing schoolwork, Prezelj says it’s important to get to the root of why the task is difficult for them. When you know the root of the problem, it’s much easier to find a solution.

• Is it because the material is too hard, and they’re frustrated?

• Is it because they find it hard to sit still for long, and they need frequent short breaks?

• Is it because they’re tired, perhaps because they didn’t sleep well?

• Is it because there are too many distractions around them?

Canadian 24-Hour Movement Guidelines

The recommendations for children and youth aged five to 17 years are

• at least 60 minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity per day

• no mor e than two hours of recreational screen time per day

• nine to 11 hours of sleep per night

Playing outside is important

A 2018 review of 68 studies found that being around urban nature rather than built-up urban environments improved brain function and memory.