K through third grade
You can help your child develop a deeper understanding of the world by providing them with conceptual frameworks, introducing them to concepts from multiple perspectives, and making them work hard for their understanding.
“Learning is more successful when it involves a bit of struggle. People cannot be ‘given’ understanding; it has to be ‘earned’ by the learner.”
Key Strategies
- Provide your child with frameworks and concepts that help them organize new information. For example, when you’re discussing “smooth” and “rough,” introduce the concept of “texture.” When you’re discussing taste, introduce “sweet” and “sour.” When you’re discussing colors, introduce the concept of “intensity.”
- Introduce your child to the same concept in new situations. Let’s say that your child encountered the concept of friction a few weeks ago and now you’re having a disagreement with your child. You could playfully mention that “there seems to be some friction between us.”
- Make your child work hard for their understanding. Learning is more successful when it involves a bit of struggle. Rather than giving your child answers when they ask questions, try asking them questions and giving them hints. Help them figure out answers on their own.
Additional Resources
Book: How People Learn, National Research Council
Book: The Formula: Unlocking the Secrets to Raising Highly Successful Children, Ronald F. Ferguson and Tatsha Robertson
Concept Banter