Fostering curiosity, self-assurance, and problem-solving abilities in children during their school years is of paramount significance. These qualities not only instill a love for learning but also lay the foundation for a lifelong journey of growth.

Here are 4 ways to inspire lifelong learning in children and help them develop into enthusiastic and curious learners.

Role Play

Focus on a topic they are learning in school, and ask your child to 'role play' as a teacher. At Carfax, we encourage our pupils to pick out the key points and do some extra research on these areas, ready to answer a range of questions that the tutor might pose.

Role play creates interactive learning, and ensures children are engaging with the material, and are applying their new knowledge outside of the context in which they are learning.

Problem Solving

For Maths, you could test whether your child has understood the concept learnt in school, by giving them a problem to solve independently.For this step, your child can hold a pen or pencil, and the parent remains silent until their work is complete - like a mini test. This encourages children to think out loud and share their workings as they go along, a skill often needed in school entrance interviews.

‍Encourage Learning Beyond the Curriculum

We try to encourage our pupils to look beyond the curriculum, whether that's suggesting interesting books, news articles, local art galleries and museums, or even Netflix documentaries.  For older children in particular, we use real-life case studies and approach them from a problem-based perspective.This builds confidence and allows pupils to connect new content to their pre-existing knowledge like building blocks.

‍The Five-Minute Rule

‍Children who are reluctant to work without support might need the five-minute rule. Ask your child to work on a task for five minutes before they can ask any questions – something must be on the paper before the time is up, and in those first five minutes there are no wrong answers.

Likewise, set a race against a timer for your child to answer a question. It can be a competitive family, and you can compare answers afterwards. Just don’t forget to go back and review their work.

Encourage their curiosity and mistakes; this will ensure your child understands the value and importance of learning, over and above achieving high grades.Nurturing these essential skills in children not only empowers them to trust their own judgment and reduce anxiety but also paves the way for a lifetime of learning and academic success.

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