Learning skills is usually the result of acquiring habits that help you pick up knowledge and skills. They are the abilities and capabilities that help you grow, develop, and achieve your goals. For kids, it’s essential to develop and improve these skills from early childhood to adulthood.
Here are some tips to help them achieve those goals.
Develop critical thinking
Critical thinking is the ability to analyze, synthesize, and utilize information to arrive at a judgment and decision. It is one of the most important 21st-century skills that can be applied in various areas, such as in academics working life, and throughout school life to adulthood.
How can parents help discover your child’s critical thinking:
- To improve their creativity, practice problem-solving skills, and independent thinking capabilities, give your kids educational games and learning kits such as puzzles, vehicle toys, construction blocks, and more.
- Play more board games with your kids.
- Do interactive activities with your kids to develop their communication skills.
Benefits of critical thinking:
- Critical thinking is one of the four core skills.
- Helps in decision-making and problem-solving, which is also essential to career development.
- Enhances learning skills.
- Improves language and presentation skills.
- Boosts creativity and innovation.
- Critical thinking is crucial for kids who want to pursue a degree and career in STEM areas.
Discover creativity
Creativity is also one of the four key 21st-century skills. It’s the ability to think outside the box, ask questions, reason, or solve problems innovatively. Creative people can handle complex situations and find solutions uniquely because they analyze issues from a different perspective.
What parents can do:
- Let your kids explore real-life objects and surroundings, such as colours, furniture, buildings, and vehicles. STEM toys can help boost creativity.
- Encourage them to draw and paint.
- Sing and dance with them.
- Give them musical instrument toys to explore.
- Guide them when reading picture books. It will help to boost their creativity.
- Storytelling is one of the most effective and enjoyable ways for kids to be creative and innovative.
Benefits:
- Being creative in art and STEM areas.
- Shape kids’ open-mindedness
- Helps kids solve problems innovatively.
- Helps kids to be outside the box thinkers
- Good for developing communication skills.
Make reading fun
The purpose of reading is to acquire knowledge from it, but it should be fun.
Creating an enjoyable reading environment will help shape better reading habits. They learn faster if they enjoy what they are reading. In other words, the more they enjoy reading, the more they will read.
Encouraging our kids to engage with books is the key to making them read more as they will naturally form a habit of reading the more they engage in it, and that is how they can learn.
Interacting with kids after reading is also an excellent way to boost their questioning and thinking skills.
Encourage your kids to interact with children of different age groups
In early childhood, kids behave differently at different age levels.
For the same age group of children, their behaviour depends on development in various areas such as fundamental life skills, creativity, critical thinking, and problem-solving.
When your child interacts with older kids, they can learn more mature behaviors and how to approach their more senior companions. When they interact with younger kids, they can learn how to communicate in a way they can understand.
When they have conflicts, they will find ways to solve the problem independently and make the right decision.
Key skills kids will gain:
- Social skills and communication.
- Critical thinking.
- Problem-solving.
- Decision making.
- Independent thinking.
Watch educational programmes
A few decades ago, educational programmes played a significant role in children’s growth and development. Kids can learn and acquire both core and soft skills in a dynamic way. Iconic animated characters in different series can engage with kids very successfully.
Some shows are preschool programme-based, which will improve your child’s reading readiness and help them succeed in school. Others are STEM-based shows, which can ignite your child’s passion in STEM topics.
Also, children are generally curious so they will try to comprehend what they are watching. Educational programmes are a great way to motivate your children to keep learning.
Let your kid take some breaks
Having some relaxing time helps children destress and boosts brain function.
Stress slows down brain activity. When kids are in a relaxed mood, they are more focused and efficient.
Break time such as playing interactive games with other kids can provide a real learning environment for kids to learn necessary skills about communication and social interactions.
When playing interactive games, they learn how to communicate, collaborate, give opinions, and solve problems. More importantly, they can learn how to express their feelings, manage their emotions and solve conflicts.
Taking action will only get you halfway there. It takes time to fully develop and improve your child's learning skills. As with the term “learning skill” itself, the key is to shape certain learning habits.