Children are natural students of the larger world around them. The typical four-year-old child, on an average day, will ask roughly 437 questions. Everything is so new and mysterious that they can't help but get curious about their surroundings. You have the privilege of encouraging them to do what they already love doing: learning. Read on to learn some helpful tips to keep your little learners engaged and help them be ready for preschool.
Be Present With Them As They Ask Their Questions
Acknowledging that a child's curiosity is valid is one great way to make them love learning from the beginning. Let them know that their questions are good and welcome. It's their curiosity that will carry them through their school careers. Perhaps you wonder what to do when they ask you a question to which you don't know the answer. That's an excellent opportunity for you to model curiosity as well. You can tell them, “I don't know, but let's find out!” In preschool, they will learn through asking questions, and it's crucial to create a foundation that encourages their questions.
Take Them On Adventures
An adventure can be as simple as finding a new way to walk to your favorite park. Take time to pay attention to your surroundings and notice things you've never seen before. Get down on the grass with your little one and go hunting for beetles. Pretend to be pirates in search of seashells at the beach. These are all excellent opportunities to teach your child to be curious about the world around them. This curiosity will follow them to preschool, where their teachers will guide them to learn even more.
Read With Them
Reading is the simplest way to foster a love of learning in your child. They can begin to learn reading comprehension rules from infancy as they sit with you and realize that you are making words from these symbols on the page. As they age and become more independent, curiosity will drive them to learn how to understand these letters. By the time they get to preschool, they will already be primed to fall in love with the books they encounter there.
Promoting Learning For Life
If you remember these tips, your child will learn to associate the warmth of your presence with their love of learning. They will be prepared to thrive in their schooling career as they take their first steps into preschool.