Let lessons entice

Sia’s eyes sparkle as she stands near the door. Her exams are over and she is now enjoying her vacation. Do Sia’s eyes sparkle when she is learning lessons in class too?
I doubt it. I am convinced that we are heaping boredom on our kids. I asked mothers around if their kids enjoy getting educated. Nine out of 10 said their kids are overworked and have no time to play; 8 said they help their kids in their studies, and all of them agreed that the syllabus is tough and the competition is on at an all-time high.

This brings us to the vital question: Why are children not having fun learning? How do we help kids like Sia to play and also enjoy education?

Let us face it. There are few teachers who can inspire the kids and instill love in a subject. So the onus lies today on parents. This is not about asking our kids to study on a day-to-day basis but about opening the doors of learning that can happen outside
school books. Recently, I stumbled upon a treasure trove of videos :
http://www.neok12.com. This website has got some of the best videos from National Geographic, BBC and many more. The videos are just long enough to interest the kids and get them excited about learning and it is free.

There is an increasing need to show kids the relevance of using what we learn in classroom, in our household. When I asked Sia if she thought that bar graphs she has learnt in her maths class could be used in our daily life, she was dumbstruck. It is important that we show our children that we learn because it awakens our mind and helps us lead our lives better. You can use suggestions from : http://www.kids-science-experiments.com. There is a huge number of simple experiments that our kids can do on their own and learn.

Most of us don't see the relevance of learning history / literature. In India, we believe that unless a child is good in maths and science, it is no good at all. Sadly, we forget that some of the wisest men in history have bestowed on us, life lessons in the form of literature. Let our children read and explore. Reading stories for kids and letting them read is also part of getting educated.

Education is not about taking away an integral part of childhood, – play. After all, it is a proven scientific fact that when we take periodic breaks, retention and assimilation of information is far greater than when we sit long hours for studying. We should make sure that our children get to play with other kids.

Education is more about becoming a better human being than about leading up to a career. Sia tells me she wants to be an archaeologist, but she looks at me innocently and asks what it means when her parents tell her that there isn't much scope. As parents, it becomes our responsibility to encourage our children in what they choose, no matter how young they are. We should get them books, or take them to places which are related to what they like. This not only widens their horizons but also gives our children a better understanding of what they are choosing to become. This in reality presents a greater learning option. We should only make sure that our kids enjoy what they choose to do.

Let us join hands in making education an enjoyable process and get educated ourselves.