How to make children study independently?

In an era where screens dominate your kid’s education more than books, it’s quite a fair estimate to say that the education system is going through a revolution of its own, the pandemic being a catalyst behind this screen-dependent education. Kids these days are exposed to learning by themselves the first time they hold an Ipad or phone in their hands, and that happens quite early on for kids in this generation, leading them to take charge of the learning process of various content that comes their way. As parents, being involved in your child’s education is definitely a big and important part of parenting as parents are the first teachers. You provide the first paint on the canvas that is your child’s brain and guide them to their own journey of learning and growing. A sign of being a good teacher is fostering independence early on in kids, which helps them to apply their learning and help establish a stronger foundation for their future education. There are several ways to promote independent study early on in kids, and here are a few ways you can facilitate that as parents- 

1. Gamification Is The Future- Now, as a parent, your concern for your child’s mental and physical health in relation to video games is definitely a valid one, but video games are not ALL that bad. Recent studies on the effect of video games on brain health found some positive effects on the brain- it is associated with better cognitive function, especially in terms of short-term memory, reaction time, and working memory. More than that, education is going towards being increasingly gamified as it promotes conceptual clarity and application-oriented learning. Encourage your children to learn basic concepts in math or English through games, as attractive graphics and challenges not only attract your kid’s attention but also help establish stronger conceptual clarity in some key foundational concepts. It also promotes quick thinking especially in mental math- when some challenges are timed and require quick thinking on your kid’s part to get to the right answer!
2. Having Learning Outcomes- Having learning outcomes is key to promoting independent learning in your kids. Incentivize your children’s application of their learnings. For example, if you want your children to know about shapes, 3D and 2D, let them learn by themselves with the help of Lego. By manipulating different shapes to create a stable structure, or finding the right piece to a puzzle, they will be more conceptually clear about shapes and structures. This way, not only are you improving your child’s independence, but you are also letting them have a solid base and learning when it comes to shapes, structures and 3D objects.
3. Peer Learning- A great way to learn is by explaining your knowledge on a subject to others. To make your child a more independent learner, peer learning is a great way to not only boost clarity but also motivation to learn. Instead of you assessing their learnings, having a fun group science project with their friends can help learning by doing. If one of their friends have difficulty learning something, they can help each other out by explaining and bettering each other’s knowledge gaps facilitating better learning outcomes and independence.
4. Structured Notes- A great way to facilitate independent learning amongst kids is to create the habit of structured note taking. Penning down your understanding of a subject is a time-tested method of improving learning and clarity in a subject. Once your child starts learning concepts- it’s best if they start jotting down their inferences and having that recorded in a notebook that they can refer to at any time! This drastically reduces the parent’s involvement in clearing doubts when your children can have a quick look at the notes they have made themselves! 

In today’s day and age, you cannot keep your kids away from the screen. And in more ways than one, technology is a great blessing. However, it’s important to limit the amount of time children spend on the phone/laptop/tab and ensure they’re able to strike a balance between online and offline activities. 

These are some of our tips to help you make everyday easy with your kids. We hope they help!

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