How Sparking Your Child ’ s Passions Can Boost Learning
By Jan Pierce , M . Ed
What does your child love ? Is it dinosaurs or volcanoes ? Is it a certain movie with its cast of characters or a television show that captures his or her imagination ? And why does it matter ?
It matters quite a lot , and I ’ ll tell you why . When you can engage your child ’ s passionate interests , you open the door to all manner of opportunities for extended learning .
Suppose your child shows an interest in volcanoes — what they are , what they do and how they affect the environment . Think of the learning you can offer as you answer your child ’ s questions , find resource materials to inform your conversations and maybe spend some time drawing or creating a model volcano . You ’ ll be teaching science , and you ’ ll be encouraging an inquisitive mind at the same time .
The wonderful thing about passionate interests is that they change over time . Next week or month , you may be tracking down information on insects , planets or birds . Your job is to facilitate all the learning possible while your child absolutely loves that topic .
Another wonderful thing about passionate interests is the motivation to learn is already established . All you have to do as a parent is provide time , space and
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