Make Learning FUN!

One day shortly after I had started doing “school” type stuff with my oldest child, I realized an important concept.  Joshua was very bright and typically really enjoyed learning, and even begged to do more schoolwork most days! But on this particular day when I suggested that we do our schoolwork, Joshua told me that he didn’t feel like it.  Since he usually would get very excited at the idea, I was surprised and not pleased with his response.  I decided not to force it, but I was not sure how to handle the situation. On one hand, he was not quite five and didn’t have to be doing school yet anyway, so it was no big deal.  On the other hand, in a short while, school wouldn’t be optional, and I wanted to teach him diligence rather than taking the attitude that if we don’t feel like it, we won’t do it!  So, I was in a bit of a quandary.  I wanted him to want to do school.  I didn’t want it to be drudgery, for sure!

Then I realized that Joshua had just gotten bored with our little routine, and frankly, I was a little bored with it too!  Why homeschool if that is all it is going to be? Just like school, but at home! I think that home educating our children should be FUN! Not just about getting through a workbook, but about enjoying the journey and really instilling a love for learning in our children.  My husband has commented about how curious he was as a small child, and how excited he was to go to school for the first time (at seven years old in Brazil). However, because he was not challenged, because it was not fun, and because it was not “cool” to be one of the smart kids, after a couple of years he lost the love of learning and tried to just get by. He was totally bored by the classroom system and just wanted to put in his time and get it over with!
So, if Joshua was bored with how we were doing things, I thought it was my job as a parent to find a more creative and interesting way to teach him the information.  It may be more challenging for me because it means I actually have to think, lol, but I still think it beats having to stand over him and pressure him to finish something – something that he will soon begin to dread!
I thought back to when I was a child being homeschooled; I didn’t care much for science.  My mother did not care for science, and so I somehow grew up thinking that it was boring! So, other than the bare minimum, mom just never pushed science, and now I regret not having learned more back then.  Could I have gotten interested if Mom had found a more creative way to convey the information to me?  I am now enjoying studying these areas with my own children!
So, when it comes to teaching our children, I believe that one of our utmost goals ought to be to instill in them a love of learning. Far more important than just packing information in, this is a gift we can give them that will last a lifetime! And the “packed in information” will stick so much better if they had a good time learning it.  If they love to learn and know how to read, they will continue to learn and enjoy learning all of their lives. There will be more harmony in the home when it comes time for school, because they will be enjoying it and not dreading it.  There will be more opportunities for bonding with our children, because we will be having a good time walking the learning road together, rather than standing over them with the proverbial whip to “hurry up and get done already” – creating tension and contention in our relationships.
These days there are so many fabulous resources out there – on the internet alone – that can give you ideas to jazz up your routine. One that has helped our family so much is a book called Games for Learning by Peggy Kaye. Whatever you do, don’t let your children fall into thinking that school is boring! It is our privilege to show them otherwise.