Do you have a son who is having a negative experience with school? Do they hate school? There’s nothing necessarily wrong with hating school; chances are, at one point in time, you hated it too. Take some time to figure out why your son doesn’t like school. What’s going on? Is it the teacher? (Or a specific teacher?) An issue with another kid, or a problem on the playground? Or maybe he struggles with certain subjects because of how they’re taught at his school.
If he dislikes – or avoids — certain subjects because the “school way” doesn’t appeal to or work for him, you can reignite his passion for learning by finding other ways to approach the subject. Here are a few ideas:
Try to make it fun
Does anyone actually enjoy being bored out of their mind? Absolutely not, and it’s certainly apparent when it comes to children. You may not be able to change what happens in the classroom, but you can make learning fun outside of school.
Look for fun, interactive ways to learn. Chemical reactions for kids are a great way to learn about science — and appeal to a lot of young boys. Remember: in order for a kid to have an interest in something, they need to feel a connection to it. Find way to connect your son’s interests to school subjects.
Don’t force it
You really can’t force someone to learn something. When a kid (or adult!) is forced to do something, they’ll almost always dislike it or develop some resentment.
Instead, gently introduce learning in a fun manner. For instance, if you want to get your son interesting in biology or another science-based topic, take them to a zoo or science museum. Or let them explore a nearby creek.
Keep it relevant
Connect interests such as video games, coding, or cars to school subjects. There’s lots of math, science, and even reading in each of those fields! Show your son how the things he’s learning in school fit into the real world, and encourage him to continue to develop his skills.
Keep it interactive!
Hands-on, interactive learning is the best way for many people to learn. Whenever possible, look for interactive learning experiences.
Go to a historical site to learn history; touching, feeling and participating in, say, colonial-era games can help him understand history far more than simply reading about it in a textbook Video games can be awesome interactive learning experiences too. There are lots of video games about World War II, for instance, as well as a plethora of other subjects.
How do you help your son learn?
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