How to teach your child beyond bookish knowledge

“A for apple, B for ball and what is C for?”

“C for clever,” replies a child.

The teacher replies, “No, c for cat. You need to choose something you can feel or touch. How can you draw ‘clever’? But you can draw a cat.”

The education imparted in schools is mainly bookish knowledge. Many kids are averse to this mundane and boring way of imparting education and are craving for a way out of it.

Rabindranath Tagore- Nobel Laureate, novelist, writer and poet quit going to school and opted for homeschooling instead. He found school torturous as mundane knowledge was imparted. His father appointed tutors who helped him to develop a thinking mind. Though he never went to school, his literary works are now taught in school.

If you are contented with the fact that your child is getting full marks in school think again. There’s a vast expanse of knowledge lying beyond bookish knowledge which should be imparted to every child. Instead of relying on the schools to impart this knowledge, parents should undertake this role.

Psychologist Prasenjit Kamble says, “When kids are six or seven, they learn by observing. You need to give your children plenty of exposure to a variety of experiences. Take your kids on outings and inculcate reading habits in them. Arrange for trips like a picnic to a farm. Make them observe how a plant grows.” (Going out may not be recommended till the pandemic is over, this quote was taken long ago, we may show kids places online.)

Encourage your kids think instead of giving them ready-made answers. For instance instead of explaining directly about the waxing and waning moon; ask them to draw the moon first. They are likely to draw a moon of various shapes and sizes. Then make them observe the night sky over a month to view how the moon looks different. After that, explain to them the scientific reason behind the full moon and new moon nights.

Instead of making them write an essay on themselves with clichéd lines like, “My name is Maya. I am seven years old and have black hair…” encourage them to be innovative.

A crucial aspect of education is developing life skills. Building emotional intelligence is very crucial. It is okay if your child doesn’t win prizes at academics every year. Go beyond just reading Aesop Fables and moral lesson stories to inculcate values in her/ him. First and foremost, you should set an example for your kids.

Make her/ him ponder while inculcating morals and ethics. For instance, if a fat boy is being bullied encourage her/ him to think, “Had you been in his place how would you have felt? Do you think they are doing the right thing?” Your child may say, “No.” You may reply, “What do you think his classmates should do instead to make him happy?” The child may fathom through these questions that one should be kind to classmates irrespective of the way they look.

Even if your child isn’t a class topper, it is okay if he is acquainted with valuable knowledge which isn’t found in school textbooks and is a nice human being instead. It is better than having a child who is a whiz kid but poor in life skills and unacquainted with the knowledge which is available beyond the four walls of the classroom.

#alphabet, #education, #school, #knowledge, #curriculum, #child, #parent, #parenting, #psychology, #studying

https://pixabay.com/photos/tree-kahl-moon-human-group-66465/: Picture courtesy: Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay