Children are said to be the leaders of tomorrow but what plays a part in molding your child or any child into that great leader is not just the environment but the influence of the people in that environment. For improvement to occur in any aspect of a child’s life, effort has to be made to facilitate it. The point being that a child would not be able to do well unless people in his/her immediate environment lend a helping hand.
Of course issues arise when trying to help a child learn. Have in mind that it may not entirely be the child’s fault. So, in order not to hinder a child’s learning capabilities,
consider these things to avoid when trying to help a child learn.
Avoid criticism
As a parent or teacher, don’t make the mistake of criticizing a child when helping him or her learn. Faultfinding is a trait one might not be able to avoid but children can’t help not knowing a particular thing unless they are taught properly. Cases arise where there is difficulty in grasping what is being taught. So instead of analyzing, evaluating or judging a child’s academic progress as if judging the quality of a literary or artistic work, try a little encouragement. Whereas criticism will hinder learning and lower a child’s morale, encouragement can boost it.
Avoid peer comparison
Likening or comparing a child to his/her age/class mate doing better than they are won’t help that child’s learning improve. This may be due to the fact that the academic progress of the other child is being pointed out without really telling the child in question how to reach the goal of doing better academically. Also, being compared to others all the time can lead a child to believe that he/she can’t do any better or think that something is wrong with him/her. As an effort, try familiarizing yourself with the child and get him/her to learn within his/her capabilities
Avoid sarcasm
Children have the tendency to read straight meaning into what is said so when trying to get them to learn, one should avoid the use of ironical taunts, sneering or cutting remarks. Because that would cause more harm than good. Instead of being severely critical/sarcastic, try using calm, mild or soothing remarks to build confidence in the child in order to facilitate learning. Also, don’t discourage or be deterrent. Certain human behaviors can deter learning especially when exhibited in front of a child. Endeavor to curb wild behaviors like shouting and screaming because this could impair a child’s learning capability. Inculcate the use of inspiring and motivational words and phrases for almost every eventuality
Avoid procrastinating
Dawdling, hesitating or postponing learning activities will not help any child improve. By dragging one’s feet and suspending what needs to be done, children develop the mentality that homework can be postponed. This will make the child lag behind academically. When trying to help a child learn, one should teach or assist when it’s time. Hasten and ensure completion of activity appropriately. Show the child that help rendered at the right time calls for improvement in the aspect in question.
A wise man once said that ‘nobody knows you more than yourself’. As human beings, we can only make deductions with the facts in front of us. Of course some follow their heart, others their intuition but what really counts is making the right one when it matters. Knowing that what applies to one person may backfire on the next, the best option is to study one’s self and find out the best possible method to apply.
More about this author: Rita Aniede
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