by Amanda van der Gulik
Let me ask you something.
Do you like being told what to do?
Me neither!
Then why on earth do we tell kids and teens what to do and expect they will listen and do it just because we tell them to?
I know, as a parent or teacher, what other options do we have right?
Well, let's think about it. When you were a kid in elementary school what did you enjoy most about school (assuming you actually enjoyed something in school at all)?
If you're like most of us, you probably enjoyed the 'fun' stuff the most right? Not the lectures, not the notes, and definitely not the tests! So what did you enjoy the most? Playing sports, performing in the school musical, going on field trips, taking those fun extra-curriculars, or just plain old recess where you got to play with your friends and tell stories with each other?
We are all different. That's for sure. And some of us actually did enjoy the lessons, and even the tests. But most of us enjoyed the 'other stuff' more. Am I right?
And why did we enjoy it more?
Probably because we weren't just being 'told' what to do, sit there, listen, take notes and then regurgitate what we had tried to learn on our tests. We enjoyed these 'other things' because we got to 'do' them! We got to experience them, to make them real, to make them mean something to us physically, emotionally as well as intellectually.
The fun part is the story-telling, the playing games, the making fun stuff, like in art class, the getting down and getting messy part. We enjoyed the sweating, the laughing, the involving stuff.
So how then do we still teach our kids and teens the important lessons we want them to learn without 'telling' them? We 'show' them!
Turn lessons into games, turn the children into the pieces of the games. Turn the schoolroom or the home into the board game itself!
Tell stories. Have them create their own stories. Let them learn by discovering instead of by listening. Let them make mistakes. It's okay to make mistakes!
Light bulb moment here: IT'S OKAY TO MAKE MISTAKES!
Wow! What a concept!
In school we are programmed NOT to make mistakes and guess what ends up being our biggest fear in life? The one that stops us from learning anything new? From advancing our lives? The fear of failure!
What if our kids and teens were taught by playing games, where failing was fun, cause failing meant learning something that you would then know never to do again and by default learning the lesson that was meant to be taught! How long do you think those lessons would last?
Yup a lifetime!
Think about it. What do you remember most about school? Do you remember the lectures? Do you remember the notes or those dreaded tests? Or do you remember the friendships you made, the enemies you made, the falls you took, the field trips you went on? The other extra-curricular activities you took?
I bet if I asked you to think back to your favorite teacher, you would find that person was your favorite because they made learning fun. Because they made you figure out the lessons on your own by exploring and by encouraging and supporting your learning rather than by judging you and comparing you to your peers. Am I right?
It's time to make learning fun. Go and play a game with your kids and if you want them to learn something valuable then select those games carefully. Make sure they are fun and that they teach the lessons you want your child to learn.
What games did you love playing the most when you were a kid or teen? Play those ones.
Heck, have fun and make your own games, get your kids to make up their own ones.
Here's a video of a game my daughter created that she made from recycling. The lesson she learned here was that you can make anything you want in life. In this case by recycling. What a great life lesson to learn! She's cute too, enjoy! :D
Cheers...Amanda...Excited Life Enthusiast! ;o)
Best-selling author, Amanda van der Gulik homeschooled her own two children for over 12 years. As founder of www.TeachingChildrenAboutMoney.com, Amanda is constantly being interviewed for parenting shows, like Radio Disney, on TV, radio, in newspapers, magazines and blogs all over the world. Visit Amanda’s site today to grab your FREE copy of her eBook, “Goal-Setting for Families", her "Mindmovies for Kids and Teens” or her “The 6 Magical Piggy Banks” cartoon to help give your child some great ideas of how they can earn their own money!
Let me ask you something.
Do you like being told what to do?
Me neither!
Then why on earth do we tell kids and teens what to do and expect they will listen and do it just because we tell them to?
I know, as a parent or teacher, what other options do we have right?
Well, let's think about it. When you were a kid in elementary school what did you enjoy most about school (assuming you actually enjoyed something in school at all)?
If you're like most of us, you probably enjoyed the 'fun' stuff the most right? Not the lectures, not the notes, and definitely not the tests! So what did you enjoy the most? Playing sports, performing in the school musical, going on field trips, taking those fun extra-curriculars, or just plain old recess where you got to play with your friends and tell stories with each other?
We are all different. That's for sure. And some of us actually did enjoy the lessons, and even the tests. But most of us enjoyed the 'other stuff' more. Am I right?
And why did we enjoy it more?
Probably because we weren't just being 'told' what to do, sit there, listen, take notes and then regurgitate what we had tried to learn on our tests. We enjoyed these 'other things' because we got to 'do' them! We got to experience them, to make them real, to make them mean something to us physically, emotionally as well as intellectually.
The fun part is the story-telling, the playing games, the making fun stuff, like in art class, the getting down and getting messy part. We enjoyed the sweating, the laughing, the involving stuff.
So how then do we still teach our kids and teens the important lessons we want them to learn without 'telling' them? We 'show' them!
Turn lessons into games, turn the children into the pieces of the games. Turn the schoolroom or the home into the board game itself!
Tell stories. Have them create their own stories. Let them learn by discovering instead of by listening. Let them make mistakes. It's okay to make mistakes!
Light bulb moment here: IT'S OKAY TO MAKE MISTAKES!
Wow! What a concept!
In school we are programmed NOT to make mistakes and guess what ends up being our biggest fear in life? The one that stops us from learning anything new? From advancing our lives? The fear of failure!
What if our kids and teens were taught by playing games, where failing was fun, cause failing meant learning something that you would then know never to do again and by default learning the lesson that was meant to be taught! How long do you think those lessons would last?
Yup a lifetime!
Think about it. What do you remember most about school? Do you remember the lectures? Do you remember the notes or those dreaded tests? Or do you remember the friendships you made, the enemies you made, the falls you took, the field trips you went on? The other extra-curricular activities you took?
I bet if I asked you to think back to your favorite teacher, you would find that person was your favorite because they made learning fun. Because they made you figure out the lessons on your own by exploring and by encouraging and supporting your learning rather than by judging you and comparing you to your peers. Am I right?
It's time to make learning fun. Go and play a game with your kids and if you want them to learn something valuable then select those games carefully. Make sure they are fun and that they teach the lessons you want your child to learn.
What games did you love playing the most when you were a kid or teen? Play those ones.
Heck, have fun and make your own games, get your kids to make up their own ones.
Here's a video of a game my daughter created that she made from recycling. The lesson she learned here was that you can make anything you want in life. In this case by recycling. What a great life lesson to learn! She's cute too, enjoy! :D
Here's to having fun with your child and having them learn in the process too! :D
Cheers...Amanda...Excited Life Enthusiast! ;o)
Best-selling author, Amanda van der Gulik homeschooled her own two children for over 12 years. As founder of www.TeachingChildrenAboutMoney.com, Amanda is constantly being interviewed for parenting shows, like Radio Disney, on TV, radio, in newspapers, magazines and blogs all over the world. Visit Amanda’s site today to grab your FREE copy of her eBook, “Goal-Setting for Families", her "Mindmovies for Kids and Teens” or her “The 6 Magical Piggy Banks” cartoon to help give your child some great ideas of how they can earn their own money!
