How do you engage children and encourage them to learn and be active?
65You need to "do it with them"
Children simply need to be shown the way and I mean from right out of the gate; literally! Once they are walking; getting to be the ripe old age of three.
Every family needs to have a physical routine that involves their kids! Here is ours for an example. My husband and I both like to snow ski and water ski - so ... we teach them and do it with them. Now they are 9 and 12 and they LOVE it; can't get enough.
Part 2 - daddy is also a blackbelt and we have a Dojo - he is the sensa (teacher) - in our family - Judo is NOT an option.
Simple as that really. They will get into whatever you are into -- so, if you are a couch-potato - chances are; they will be as well.
Same goes for just not having time to spend with them....it really has a major impact on them; they get depressed and depressed people don't do much physical activity.
My 10 cents.
PrintShare it! — Rate it: up down flag this hub
Comments
There are great sites online like Googol Power that encourage parents to spend time with their children doing things other than watching tv or playing video games. There are crafts, games, puzzles, music games and more to get them thinking and teach them that thinking is fun! Lots of the stuff that is there is free!
You also need to recognize each child for who they are as individuals, their learning style, what holds their interests and meet them at their level of age appropriate comprehension and said interest.
It's not just about what mommy and daddy want for the children, but what interests and engages the children. Physical activity is good, but for the more introspective or introverted child this may become enforcement rather than encouraged play. I recall my own family enforcing tennis when I'd rather be riding my horse or painting and sculpting. It was torture and I resented them for years. And they thought I was being difficult. I just wasn't interested in tennis. It didn't fit my make up.
This is not the effect you want.
It's also important to remember that your mommy and daddy attention span is much longer than the attention span of your 5 or 6 year old, or your 8 or 10 year old, and definitely your teenager. So remember to do things that are age appropriate for your children. At two or three, 20 minutes of water and sand play for small muscle development of the fingers is probably enough.
Thanks to privateye2500, crimewriter john, Nancy Fraser and cvlngodess! These tips are perfect. I like the idea of incorporating a variety of activities and sources, and letting the child lead.
I think children naturally want to learn and to be active; it is up to the parents to provide the experiences, time, and attention to enhance their child's learning potential.
Clvn - I think you missed the question - it is
How do you engage children and encourage them to learn and be active?Not how do I get over a resentment I have toward my parents?
I agree with your tip, we must be involved with them. Too often children are pushed aside as simply bystanders of their parents lives.
crimewriter john says:
2 years ago
fill the house full of books too. read with them, get them to read with you and to you.
Let the child lead. If they like whales, tie video TV and books together. Search the net together and encourage them to do projects. Take them to see whales and teach them the best excercise of all swimming. If they like cars, get them outdoors building karts. Even video games teach maths by keeping score and working out how many points they need to get to the next level.
Above all interact. My 6 year old now has a measured reading age of 12.5 because he has always been encouraged to read and be curious about the world around him.
We learn as a family, together, 7 days a week and its fun and very rewarding too.