How to Excite Your Kids with Learning

I once read it was the teacher's job to teach their students. {Startling, I know.} The expert went on to say teachers have a responsibility to make sure their students grasp the concept. If a child is not understanding something, then the teacher must present it another way or in a different manner.

The author even commented that teachers need to engage their students. Passivity on the teacher's part, or the student's for that matter, was not acceptable, because when a student is not actively doing or thinking, then the student is not able to learn. {Apparently, we really do not learn by osmosis.}

It should be noted that the author was not saying teachers need to put some bling on their worksheets and call it engaging. The author meant make the material interesting. Allow children to grapple with the ideas and to engage in the learning.

This is all fine and good, except what happens when you have lost the zeal or fun of a lesson? Or, dare I say it, what if the lesson is boring? Maybe the subject material is just plain old dry.

When your lessons lack luster, try one of these five ways to excite your child with learning. They have worked for me in the past, and I continue to use them when needed.

5 Ways to Make Lessons Dynamic

• find out what they already know, start from that point and facilitate a discussion to include new material
• list a few topics within the material, and help the student pursue the ones that interest him
• find a demonstration or experiment to match the material
• share an appropriate personal story when is relates to the lesson 
• relate the subject to real life when possible, answer the 'why do I have to know this?' question