Faith-Based Homeschool Highs & Lows Series Part 2: Raising Kids Who Love To Learn

Welcome to my article series on faith-based homeschooling! I am so glad you're here! Let's jump right in!

I had never heard of a lifelong learner until I married my husband. After we had our first child, we started discussing possible schooling options for her. During this chat, he uttered the phrase, “lifelong learners,” and I was intrigued. Then he continued talking about raising kids who love to learn and who have fun while doing it. Now I was a straight-laced, super-involved, and, for the most part, happy student. I made A’s and B’s and learned pretty easily throughout my school experience, except for the dreadful Biology and Anatomy classes I loathed, which gave me my first and only two C’s. However, I never learned to love learning. I learned out of necessity and because everyone goes to school and has to learn the ways of the world. When he said that, I started teaching our kids to love what they’re learning, even the difficult subjects. 

Why should we teach our kids to love learning? What is the importance of teaching them always to keep growing in their knowledge of God and the world? When we teach our children to love learning, they will always do well in life. It doesn’t mean that they will never struggle or always make straight A’s, but it does mean that they will work hard to figure out how the world works. Not only will they fight to figure things out, but they will have built an intrinsic passion that strives for excellence in all they do. So how do we do this? I think we can cultivate lifelong learners in all sorts of ways, but I want to highlight just three. We can create lifelong learners by making learning fun, routine, and motivating. 

Firstly, we can make learning fun by studying subjects our children are interested in, using math games and manipulatives such as counting dinosaurs, and by taking educational field trips to zoos or local museums. Incorporating fun while learning about fractions or studying photosynthesis at the park makes children love to learn because they are associating it with fun. Secondly, we can create lifelong learners by making learning a regular part of the routine. There is certainly book work time every day for our family, but there is also a lot of routine learning, such as learning how to cook with mom, changing a tire with dad, talking about money while shopping, and discussing creation while we walk in the park every morning, while the birds chirp. There is something new to learn at every turn; we just have to open our eyes to it while we teach our children. Lastly, we can make lifelong learners by making learning motivating to our children. Recently, after struggling to grasp fractions, my daughter scored 99 on her math quiz. This was her highest math grade in a few weeks, so she literally jumped for joy when she saw her grade. I have a reward punch system: if they get 90 or higher on a quiz or test, they get a punch. When they reach ten punches on their punchcard, they get to redeem it for cool surprises. 

The Heart of It: There will always be something new for your child to learn in this life. Whether they are in college, working a job, or starting a business, they will have to keep learning new concepts, so we might as well foster a love for learning while they are young!

Proverbs 1:2–7 (ESV) “To know wisdom and instruction, to understand words of insight, to receive instruction in wise dealing, in righteousness, justice, and equity; to give prudence to the simple, knowledge and discretion to the youth—Let the wise hear and increase in learning, and the one who understands obtain guidance, to understand a proverb and a saying, the words of the wise and their riddles. The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction.”

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