TOS Blog Cruise ~ Growing Life Long Learners

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When we started homeschooling the boys, all the concerned family and friends were focused on how we would cover all the topics they would ‘miss’ that their peers were studying.  Instead of focusing on covering the exact scope and sequence that the schools use, I have been more concerned with equipping the boys with the skills needed to succeed in life.  Pretty close to the top of that list is instilling a love of learning.

As I mentioned in a previous post, for the elementary years I focus on the basics with the idea that they’ll be able to better learn any topic of choice if reading, writing, and math skills are sharp.  What I will add to that list is that if they LOVE to learn, then they are more likely to WANT to learn.

The great thing about little ones is that they already have an appetite for knowledge.  Most anything an older sibling or parent does seems like the most fantastic thing to learn how to do.  All the parenting gurus say that we should capitalize on this eagerness while they are young. 

I couldn’t agree more…only I’ll add that we don’t want to then cram ‘learning’ down their throats so that the love of learning is lost.  And, unfortunately, that is exactly what can happen once they get into school.  Those of us who actually enjoy workbooks are a rare breed. 

As we do use some workbooks in our homeschool and I do require the boys to complete tasks that I have chosen for them, there is the risk that they will have their desire to learn dim a little.

Here are some things I do to help the boys grow into life long learners:

(1) Make sure that they not only love to hear a great story, but that they learn how to read when they are physically ready.  We still do audiobooks as a family.  However, the older boys can now be found combing the library for books on topics they want to learn about and then bury their faces into the pages of said books to start acquiring knowledge.

(2) Let the boys see my husband and I seek out opportunities to learn something new.  How can you expect a child to value something that their parents (and primary role models) do NOT value?  A thirst for knowledge definitely is something that can be acquired when illustrated by others.

(3) Provide opportunities for them to experience paths they are curious about to help them discern where they are called to go.  This is something we are looking at more now that they are older.  Apprenticing for skills outside of the home can be a great avenue to take and help maintain the desire to learn.  They’ve done this to a degree at home when acting as designated helpers in the kitchen or garage.  But, I have found that there comes a time when they’ll learn more from someone OTHER than their parents.  In another year, P will be old enough to take a mechanics class on base and I plan to encourage him to do so.

I’m sure if I thought about it a little longer, more ideas would spring to mind.  In some ways, that sums up my approach to life long learning ~ being open to new opportunities when they present themselves. 

If you want to read what other TOS Crewmates are saying about this topic, click through the Blog Cruise icon.  Some of them might be a bit more coherent as I seem to be stuck with mommy sleep deprivation syndrome with no end in sight.