In a society like Singapore, where academic success and grades are priorities, it is easy for children to develop an aversion to learning or anything associated with schools and examinations.

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However, when children develop a love for learning, half the battle is won. There would be no need to force children to complete assignments or to pressurize them to study to achieve good grades. They would want to learn naturally, finding new information and discovering answers by themselves.

Here are four tried and tested ways, based on my teaching experience, to cultivate the love of learning in children:

1. Create A Safe Space For Children To Ask Questions

Children have the gift of curiosity and they should be allowed to pursue it without the fear of being judged or scolded. Once they have this safe space, their quest for knowledge will be ongoing and limitless. In my writing classes, I welcome questions instead of shunning them. As a result, my students get into the habit of not just asking me but also their peers questionsand, hence, deepening their learning.

2. Expose Children To Different Outdoor Environments

Often times, the outdoor spaces are the best classrooms, as learning becomes authentic when children are allowed to experience and interact with their surroundings. For example, when I was teaching the topic of neighborhoods, I brought the children around a neighborhood to take pictures, videos and audio recordings of the surroundings, while asking them to be observant of the sights, sounds and atmosphere. They thoroughly enjoyed it and after that multi-sensorial experience, they were able to write convincing and engaging narratives about their own neighborhoods.

3. Harness The Power Of Technology

The saying “If you can’t beat them, join them” holds true in this case. We cannot stop the advancement of technology in our children’s lives, but we can sure tap on the variety of resources available online or in the form of apps to enhance our children’s learning. Personally, I have found animated videos from Pixar to be very useful in guiding students to narrate and describe the actions, both verbally and in written form. I also like using storyboard or comic strip creators online that provide useful templates for illustrating and organizing the different events of a story.

4. Experimenting With The Arts

Most children love dabbling in different art forms, such as painting, sketching, ceramics, music, drama and dance because it allows them to bring their imagination to life. Practising the arts not only improves the psychomotor skills of the child but also makes them more sensitive to the world around them. A core component of my writing classes includes an artistic creation, such as a clay character, or a setting made of Lego or marshmallows, that they will be inspired to write about.

I hope you find these suggestions useful. It is my wish that schools, teachers and parents form solid partnerships to create learning environments to nurture the love of learning in children.

Edited by Nedda Chaplin
Image Credit: Schoolgirl at front of elementary class talking with teacher from Shutterstock

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