Help Kids Learn to Value Time for Enhanced Development

Each year more children are falling behind in their education. With limited jobs and higher competition, proper education is becoming increasingly more essential. The future economy is set to be even more competitive where kids will be competing on a global scale. Every parent wants their child to succeed. However, schools don’t determine success. Parents take the driver's seat when it comes to the hours outside the classroom. And it’s the time after the school hours that makes a huge impact in a child’s future. That’s why by tweaking a few things in their parenting book, parents can ensure a better future for the kids.

  

One mistake most parents make is allowing kids to have way too much of ‘screen time’.  It was a problem even in the past when TV was an active source of entertainment. But it’s become more rampant in today’s age of smartphones and smart gadgets. Back in the day, the average screen time was somewhere around 20 hours a week. But now it has risen to more than 40. The issue is, parents don’t see this as much of a problem. In fact, to keep their child engaged while they are busy with their own stuff, parents have the tendency to hand over their smartphone or tablet. They open a video streaming site where they visit the ‘nursery rhymes’ section and make them watch it for hours. They feel assured that the kids are learning while having fun. But truth be told they aren’t. Learning happens through communication and interaction. But here the communication is one-sided. That’s also a reason why the millennial generation though digitally advanced are challenged in verbal communication and personal interactions. If the TV was notably the ‘idiot box’ of the past generation, the smartphone is increasingly responsible for the ‘not-so-smart-kids’ in today’s generation.  

The next point is somewhat related to the point just mentioned above. Another mistake that parents are making is the failure to ensure reading on a daily basis. With unlimited access to the web and the countless hours of rhymes, poems, illustrative stories and kids’ songs, parents feel assured that their kids have learned enough for the day. They fail to emphasise the benefits of daily reading. Reading promotes longer attention span and it’s a vital tool for kids to be able to concentrate. Reading also enhances their listening skills. They learn about number, shapes, colours and letters while older children discover an ever-expanding universe of knowledge and marvel.  

Many parents also fail to emphasise the importance of art in different areas of learning. According to research by U.C.L.A. in Chicago area schools, it was seen that in elementary schools where art was integrated into the classroom curriculum, students did better in math as compared to the peers who were not a part of this program.   

  

So, how can parents provide better learning opportunities outside the classroom?

Here are a few suggestions. Limit their screen time. Make them go to the library at least once a month. Get them into an art project. You can also get them enrolled in some quality after school programs that promote self-study and self-learning habits. As a parent, you need to emphasise on self-learning for your kids because it helps develop their reasoning and critical thinking skills. These skills will be invaluable for them in the future. That’s why Kumon a world-renowned after school program emphasise so much on self-learning program. This way you will be helping your child to help themselves be more ready to take on their future challenges.