What Keeps Kids From Learning

In the high-pressure game of learning, it can be difficult to know what keeps your little one from learning and the strategies you can use to encourage them to learn.

Education experts agree that most children who are great learners today weren’t born with the gift of learning. They had to overcome many learning obstacles through motivation, lots of encouragement, and different learning methods, such as drawing, exercises, coloring, puzzles, and math and English worksheets.

In this article, we look at some of the learning obstacles learners experience and how you can help your child overcome them.

What Keeps Your Child from Learning

Various factors may be hindering your child’s learning. Below, we discuss four of the most common ones.

1. Negative Mindset

A common barrier to learning is the belief among learners that they’re incapable. For instance, when your child believes that they can’t master a certain subject, it is even harder for them to learn it.

Learners who believe they can’t do well in a certain area often have a negative mindset. Such students will often listen to the negative internal voices telling them that the subject is too hard or there’s no point in even trying.

This negative self-talk only serves to cement the learner’s wrong belief.

2. Too Much Information

Children have a short attention span. Unfortunately, when too much information is presented in the classroom, your child may find it hard to keep up.

A child who is suffering from information overload will often end up underperforming academically.

Strategies that can help deal with information overload in school and at home include:

• Presenting information in small chunks
• Reducing the amount of information being presented in class
• Providing frequent breaks while learning
• Breaking down homework and assignments into manageable workloads

3. Missing Classes

If students fail to attend classes, they might not grasp what has been taught. The more a student misses classes, the more they’re unable to keep up with present lessons.

Students who often miss lectures may also detach themselves from learning.

Teachers can use inclusive instruction to cater for students who might not make it to school due to health issues or family responsibilities. Scheduling one-on-one time with such learners can also help a teacher know the reason behind the student’s absenteeism.

Teachers can also partner with other educators or students to support learners who may be missing classes.

4. Fear of Asking Questions

Learners may be unwilling to ask questions in class because they’re afraid their peers will mock them. Other students are too shy to ask questions, while others are afraid that they’ll appear dumb.

The fear of asking questions prevents some learners from fully understanding what has been taught.

As a teacher, you can encourage students to ask questions by creating suggestions or anonymous boxes where students can place their questions. Organizing group questions is another great way to help students brainstorm and come up with relevant questions.

Further, making question sessions fun, such as introducing a game during the questions and answers sessions, can encourage even shy students to ask questions.

Ways to Encourage Your Child to Learn

If you’re a parent with a child who’s struggling to learn, there are proven strategies that can help motivate your little one to learn.

Here are four such strategies:

Make learning fun:

Research shows that children learn better when having fun.  Breaking up learning into small lessons can keep your child interested. You can also incorporate games to make learning enjoyable. Also, encourage your child to work with other learners to break the routine.

Give your child choices:

It’s important to guide your child during their learning process, but your child should also be allowed to make some choices involving their education. Let your child have a say in their learning choices. For instance, let your child choose the topic for their essay or decide on an educational activity that can help reinforce their learning.

Use different learning styles:

Explore different learning styles with your child to discover the ones that work.  Besides, by incorporating different learning styles, learning becomes more engaging.

Open communication:

Encourage your child to share their learning experience freely. When your child knows that they can openly talk to you about their learning process without being put down or judged, they won’t be afraid to share their concerns, likes, dislikes, and challenges. Let your child know that their opinion matters, as this encourages them to open up.

In closing, various reasons may be keeping your child from learning. Hopefully, now you know what to do to encourage your little one to learn. Remember, even if your child is struggling academically, focus on their strengths and keep celebrating their achievements, no matter how small.