materials to support learning . Your child will benefit in so many ways .
Benefits of extending learning about current passions
• Children learn to focus their attention on a topic .
• They learn to engage and take risks , improving their body of knowledge or skills .
• They learn to set goals such as memorizing all the characteristics of a certain animal or understanding the habitat of a certain bird .
• They learn how to ask good questions and follow up with research .
• They learn how to think clearly and logically as they pursue their interest .
• They learn there are experts in any field of study , and they can become an “ expert ” in a certain area too .
• They learn the world is full of a vast amount of information , and they can access it as they choose .
• They see themselves as successful and intelligent learners .
Here are some ways you can encourage your child in his or her chosen passions
• Encourage your child to write about , draw or otherwise represent the topic . Create stories about the topic using family members as characters . Create artwork related to the topic . Encourage pretend play related to the subject matter .
• Provide space and time in your home to pursue the topic . You may want to clear space on a bookshelf or table for collections of materials or space on a wall or the refrigerator door for artwork related to the topic .
Take the time to read with your child about the topic and have conversations to extend learning . Answer questions as you can or be willing to help your child do research to enrich understandings .
• You may want to commit to spending some money to purchase books or other items . Or you may want to visit local museums , zoos , attend presentations — anything that relates to the current passion .
• Be a model for your child by following your own interests and passions . Share your enthusiasm for learning about your current interests .
Capitalizing on your child ’ s current interests is something you can begin to do when your child is very young . Pretend play and drawing pictures is a great place to start . And then , as your child grows and matures , you can introduce ever-expanding ways to extend learning and dig into research .
It ’ s good to remember that your child ’ s passions are their own . It ’ s not productive to choose the interest for them , but once the passion is identified , you can begin to support learning in countless ways .
Success in school and in life depends on being able to master various bodies of knowledge . Give your child a head start in achievement by sparking their current passions and interests .
• Find all the supportive materials you can at your local library . That may include both fiction and nonfiction books , photos , coloring books , maps , charts and graphs or videos .
• Find websites that offer factual information , games and videos related to the topic .
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