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Introduction

• Learning should be a lifelong thing. It should also be something you encourage outside of traditional education. When you send your child away each morning to school, you might think that learning stops when they close the doors for the day or when homework is done. But the truth is, your child should be constantly learning throughout the day. Children always need to be stimulated for proper brain development. That means that from the time your child comes home from school to their bedtime, they should be learning something, whether it’s a simple rule or an important concept. This will not only keep him or her brain working, but it’ll also make them more eager to learn while they sit in a classroom.

1. Help Your Child Discover Interests and Passions

• Expose your child to different experiences so that she can discover what she enjoys doing. Taking her to places like museums, theatrical performances, zoos, etc. will give her a variety of experiences she can choose from and learn from. You can also take your child to your local library to check out books on a variety of topics. He can pick out books he’s interested in, which can help him discover his passions. This can also help determine what he chooses as a career path down the road.

2. Share Your Passions

• You can also share your own interests with your kids. Sharing what you enjoy doing will spark curiosity, dedication and creativity in your children. It will also show them skills that are specific to your interests. You can talk to your kids about a new recipe you want to try, interesting articles you came across, or funny experiences you’ve had throughout your life. This process encourages learning. While not in a traditional classroom setting, sharing your passions and experiences with your children can help them develop a desire to learn. As they take in new information from a person they trust and look up to, they’ll be more open to learning experiences at school.

3. Provide Hands-On Experiences

• Hands-on experiences are great for solidifying a concept and bringing it to life. They also make learning a lot more enjoyable because they involve activities that keep children busy and engaged. For example, if your child is taking a class in earth science, take him outdoors to collect rocks. Or if she’s learning about aquatic animals at school, take her to the aquarium. These experiences will make learning an adventure for your child and make her more willing to take in and retain new information in class.

4. Make Learning Fun

• To some kids, learning can be a bore, especially if it’s one of their least favorite subjects. Did you know that you can turn the dullest subjects into a learning adventure? Songs, academic games, scavenger hunts and creative activities like art projects, music or writing are all great ways to make learning a fun and enjoyable experience for kids. Many teachers are doing this as well, so if you’re doing it at home, you’re providing your kids with double the fun and double the learning.

5. Promote Reading

• Being a lifelong learner isn’t about learning specific concepts, lessons and hard skills like negotiation training. It’s more about the soft skills you gain from certain experiences. Reading, for example, helps children develop the ability to ask questions, test hypotheses and learn other points of view. Regardless of the subject, reading helps kids perfect these skills and more.
• This means that you should keep a ton of books in your home to teach your child to love learning. Keep engaging and immersive stories on hand to keep your kids interested and eager to dive in.
• Many kids don’t enjoy learning, especially if it involves sitting in a classroom all day. What matters is how you encourage learning at home and away from the classroom. Your child will thank you for it later.

Craig Middleton

• Craig is a New York City-based retired business consultant, who is an expert in education and cultural trends. He has a Masters of Business Administration and a Masters in Education from St. Johns and loves sharing his knowledge on the side through his writing. If you have any questions or comments you can direct them to Craig at craigmiddleton18@gmail.com.

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Embrace Learning-Based Games for Children by Craig Middleton will give parents and teachers some idea about how to use games in a developmentally appropriate manner. If you aren’t playing word and number games with your kids it may be time to start. Thanks, Craig.

Introduction

• Games are often considered as a fun tool to distract a child or something to play on a rainy day, however, games can also offer a wonderful benefit to children. Through many stages of childhood, kids can play games to enhance their development, build skills and also have a great time. While these vary by age group, there are games for almost every age, so consider these as you look to game options for your students or children.

Memory Games<

• Games that test a child’s memory and allow them to practice are a wonderful tool as their young minds grow. For young children, this can begin with recognizing, memorizing and simple matching of a few variations of shapes and colors or animals that are flipped to conceal the card. This game can provide children with the opportunity to practice their short-term memory and work to build that muscle. With memory games, it is important to utilize age-appropriate tasks. By offering a toddler a memory game involving many options and choices, you may find yourself with a frustrated, melting down child, as this is developmentally beyond their means. As children age, using the same game with increased variations and options can increase the level of difficulty and challenge them further. This may include subjects of art, locations and people to add additional obstacles to navigate.

Language and Letter Games

• Letters are introduced to children at very young ages, however, discerning their properties and understanding how letters go together will come at a much later developmental stage. Age-appropriate language games that involve the use of letters can be a fun way to embrace learning and supplement their education at home. Whether you are choosing a game that matches one letter to reflect the first letter of a corresponding picture for a young child or using letter gram games to utilize your kiddo’s vocabulary, there are limitless options. The importance of choosing games that can support the development of language, letters and words can be influential and helpful as your child gets older. Additionally, by gamifying language, you find yourself making learning fun and enjoyable while supporting their development.

Math and Number-Based Games

• Just as learning language skills can be influential in a child’s life, so can be learning numbers and math. Not everyone associates the concept of fun and enjoyment with math and numbers, as these tend to be analytically based concepts. However, by offering an entertaining outlet, we can teach them that the analytical areas can be just as fun. Many games offer children the ability to practice math skills and number-based tasks. For younger children, this may be adding simple numbers to understand the scoring system of a game and for older children, they may be able to practice logical reasoning and numbers with a game like sudoku. For all of these options, children find themselves practicing the use of numbers and reasoning, benefiting their education and building skills while playing and enjoying the landscape that is educational games.

Social Skills

• Developing social skills is a pivotal component of a child’s progression and can be essential as they grow older. Many games, including some of those listed above, can offer the practice of social skills, whether that be sharing, taking turns, offering explanations or any other variety of human interaction. By providing children with the opportunity to engage with others and learn various social skills, we can engage them in a practice that will be increasingly influential as they age. While many games focus on the sole purpose of establishing and putting social skills into practice, countless games offer these same benefits just by the nature of being a game.
• While the importance of games can often be quickly looked over, it is important to acknowledge the influential nature of games on learning. Not all games will offer children the same benefit, but there are opportunities to enhance their learning experience and enjoy some entertainment all at once.

Craig Middleton

• Craig is a New York City-based retired business consultant, who is an expert in education and cultural trends. He has a Masters of Business Administration and a Masters in Education from St. Johns and loves sharing his knowledge on the side through his writing. If you have any questions or comments you can direct them to Craig at craigmiddleton18@gmail.com.

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Managing Stress as a Student by Marie Miguel offers sound advice for students of all ages about how to better manage and avoid stress. In addition to tips that anyone can follow on their own, she also lets you know that seeking professional help can be the right thing to do. There are links here where you can find some first-rate counseling near where you live.

Students Are Stressed Out Sometimes

• It’s natural to experience stress when you’re in an academic setting, whether that’s high school, college, or graduate school. Some of the stressors you may experience are having short deadlines or deadlines in general, challenges in organization, and balancing your social life with studying. You may procrastinate and wait until the last minute to finish a paper and then feel the stress of having to complete things quickly. Here are some tips to help you manage your stress levels and complete your coursework.

Combat Procrastination

• People might tell you, “stop procrastinating,” but that’s not a helpful statement for those who engage in procrastination. You need to figure out the source of why you’re procrastinating and fight against it. Some people procrastinate because they’re scared that the end product won’t be perfect. If you’re delaying your work due to perfectionism, remember that not every paper or project needs to be the best thing ever. It would help if you started, and all you can do is your best. If you’re in college or graduate school, you got into this school for a reason, and you can complete this goal. Remember that all you need to do is start, and once you start, things will be easier to achieve than you think. One of the hardest parts of beating procrastination is opening your laptop or computer and getting things going. Once you’ve done that, it can become a whole lot easier.

Managing Time

• One of the things that stress people out in school is time management. Something that you can do to help yourself is to figure out how much time something takes to complete. You may have an inaccurate perception of people; people with ADHD, for example, sometimes can’t gauge how long something will take. Setting a timer when completing homework can be an incredibly useful action for you. Once you know that it takes you three hours to write a paper, for example, you can set aside that block of time to start writing. It’s important to remember that almost any task can be broken up into smaller tasks. Knowing this makes things much less overwhelming for a lot of people, so next time you get an assignment, manage your time by deciding what piece of an assignment you’ll do at what date and time. Maybe, you’ll write the outline of a paper the night that you get the assignment, and the next day, you’ll start a draft. Make sure that you’ll have a realistic sense of how long something will take so that you don’t put the unnecessary pressure on yourself to complete things in a time crunch.

Student Loans

• The idea that we have to pay back a massive amount of student debt stresses a lot of people out. Some people pay loans back while they’re in school, and others wait until they graduate. If you’re paying off loans, remember that having a budget can help. Organization is a big part of this. If you need help creating a budget that’s okay. Maybe you aren’t the kind of person that manages finances efficiently; it’s okay to ask for help. You can find it from someone on campus or an individual in your life that understands the process of paying back loans and can give you advice on how to manage money as you pay back your loans. Having the ability to manage finances is a vital life skill that’ll help you pay off your student debt, whether you choose to do it during or after school.

Leaving Work Until the Last Minute

• Leaving things for the last minute goes along with procrastination, but sometimes, people wait until there’s not a lot of time left for a particular reason. Some students say that they thrive off of the adrenaline of leaving an assignment until right before it’s due, but remember that this kind of behavior is a pattern and that it fuels itself. Eventually, you’ll get burnt out from leaving things until the last minute. Learn to get your adrenaline elsewhere, like through sports or engaging in social activities like playing games with friends. Planning is crucial when it comes to academics.

Managing Stress is Possible in Therapy

• If you’re feeling stressed out, one place that you can talk about it is in therapy. You might see a counselor on campus, or you might search “counseling near me” online to find someone in your local area. Whether you see someone online or in person, a mental health professional will be able to help you manage life stressors both inside and outside of school. If you’re struggling to cope with stress and feel like you’re breaking underneath it, it’s essential to ask for help. There are solutions to this issue, and managing stress as a student is possible. It may take some time, but seeing a therapist or counselor can help you combat stress and develop coping strategies to use when you feel overwhelmed.

Marie Miguel

• Marie has been a writing and research expert for nearly a decade, covering a variety of health-related topics. Currently, she is contributing to the expansion and growth of a free online mental health resource with BetterHelp.com. With an interest and dedication to addressing stigmas associated with mental health, she continues to specifically target subjects related to anxiety and depression.

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