Sunil Noronha

“You learn something new everyday.” This oft-used phrase indicates that learning is a 24 x 7 process. We never stop learning which started in the womb. It’s happening right now, as you read this article!

The key to learning something new every day is to redefine what we mean by learning. Everything we see, every new experience, each new book, every movie we watch — they are all learning experiences. Learning involves anything we didn’t know before, or something we understand better. There are many things you can do to enhance the learning process of your child. Here are a few ideas.

Take the weight off. When a child is reading a book, it shouldn’t be done to memorise and internalise. That becomes a mental weight she has to bear while she learns. When she consciously reads to learn, she doesn’t read calmly, peacefully and unhurriedly. She does it just so that she can get done with it. Children should read without worrying about whether or not they will be able to remember what they read.

Our minds naturally pick up information from the environment — in this case, from the book being read.

Let the mind work. The human mind works best if we don’t hinder its natural process. To do this, allow your child to read in a relaxed manner. After she’s done, let her repeat it to you/herself in the way she best remembers it. This way, she associates a story with the characters, concepts or information. This way, she won’t merely ‘mug’ it, but will use cues within the story to remember and understand it better.

Memories are created when synaptic connections of the brain are stimulated or existing ones are strengthened.

As a child attempts to recall a story, each time her synapses get stronger. More re-reads of book under stress-free conditions, followed by this process, will help her remember and understand better.

Of course, this is not the ideal process for the night before the exam, but a new learning process that can be gradually transformed into the norm.

Let her indulge and enjoy learning. By keeping the learning process light, and working with the mind’s natural process of learning, your child can enjoy what she learns. She will discover the joy of learning and pursue it on her own — and not just limit it to class text-books. Her basic approach to knowledge and learning will change. Developing the right attitude towards learning in early childhood can introduce the joy of knowledge acquisition and push children in the right direction. True, learning this way may not bring the highest marks, but it will help the child enjoy the process of learning life-long.

Reading, research and intellectual-exploration is the outcome of learning becoming a pleasurable experience. So let the learning adventure begin!

Also read: Enhancing learning for visual learners: Exploring the best study techniques