It may be easier to say that our children’s education is the responsibility of the teachers – and that’s why we pay taxes – but it’s not how to raise children who love to learn. Look at children in poorer countries like many parts of Africa – going to school is a real privilege and they consider themselves ‘lucky’ to be able to get to school. What about children from many Asian countries?  Education is seen almost alongside their gods as something that should be worshipped. These children learn as soon as they can understand that going to school is something wonderful – they respect education, because they learn from their parents that it is something that changes lives. Children in the UK must attend school from five years old.  Many go to pre-school or nursery – but is this so that both parents can work or to help socialise them if they’re an only child?  Do they learn that they will be going to an amazing place where people will teach them all kinds of fantastic things so they can live whatever life they choose?  Or is it just assumed that they’ll go to school – because everyone has to? What can you do to help your child to enter school with wonder in their eyes and anticipation in their souls?  How can you give them that respect for education that will make learning a privilege (not a trial)? Here are our five top tips:
  1. Talk about learning as an adventure where you discover all kinds of amazing things.
  2. Get excited about school – so they ‘catch’ the emotion and look forward to it.
  3. Talk about your own school experiences in a positive way. Don’t tell them you hated school (even if you did).
  4. Set a time each day to talk about their school day – what they learned and what they might use that for in the future. It doesn’t have to be hours, a few minutes every day is better than an hour once in a while.
  5. Treat homework and home study as something that takes priority – so not a task to be done later, but to be done first and thoroughly. This shouldn’t be done as a chore, but just the way things are done normally.
What can you do to help your children grow up with a real love of learning?