Christmas songs have begun playing in department stores, and the Christmas lights along Orchard Road have been strung up and lit. The holiday season is upon us, albeit a little premature.
Many Christmas lists are teeming with the latest gadgets and gizmos, but you can do your child one better by giving them a gift that keeps on giving - the gift of learning. Tell that to your child, and you'll probably be met with a quizzical look or a resounding groan, but learning is truly one of the best possible gifts they could receive; they just don’t know it yet.
Giving your child the gift of learning isn’t only about signing them up for more classes, or even tying a bow around their new assessment books. Most importantly, it’s about instilling within them the love of learning, piquing their curiosity just enough to have them want to satisfy their thirst for knowledge on their own. Unlike a teddy bear or a game console, this can’t be found in tangible objects bought off the shelves, but in subtle acts which spark a genuine interest.
Children love to play, so in order to captivate them, learning has to be made fun. A good place to start would be with the things they are already interested in. Does your child love space? Take them to the NASA exhibition at the ArtScience Museum, or watch astronauts eat in zero gravity on YouTube. Does your child love dinosaurs? Bring them to the Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum, get an archeology kit and "discover" fossils together, or tell them about the Savannasaurus, the latest dinosaur discovery in outback Australia.
Children are innately curious, often questioning anything and everything that catches their interest. Keeping up with seemingly endless questions can be quite a challenge, but even if your child throws you a curveball, looking up the answer together is a fun experience. From time to time, try turning the question back to them - ask them leading questions to find out what they think about the topic being discussed.
Younger children may find it challenging to string their thoughts into coherent sentences. Asking them leading questions and holding conversations of substance with them will give them useful practice and build their confidence in interacting with their peers.
“The books transported her into new worlds and introduced her to amazing people who lived exciting lives. She went on olden-day sailing ships with Joseph Conrad. She went to Africa with Ernest Hemingway and to India with Rudyard Kipling. She travelled all over the world while sitting in her little room in an English village.” - Roald Dahl, Matilda
In Roald Dahl’s Matilda, that is how the six-year-old protagonist felt about books.
Bring magic into the pages of your child’s favourite reads by surrounding them with great books. The more accessible books are to your child, the more likely they will pick one up for a bit of light reading. You can also take them to the library and have them pick out their own books (or introduce them to new ones). Get them excited. Reading is invaluable; it builds knowledge, encourages empathy and creates experiences, even if they may be vicarious ones.
At The Learning Lab, we instil the love of learning in your child from a young age to help them develop a positive mindset towards learning, and motivate them to better themselves in and out of the classroom. From foundational practice worksheets to advanced and critical-thinking questions, we provide an extensive pool of materials to suit your child’s learning needs. Our materials are brought to life by passionate teachers who engage and communicate with you and your child, helping them reach their fullest potential through our enrichment programmes.
A crucial element in every TLL lesson, current affairs make a future-ready individual. To get children informed and engaged with the world around them, we take current affairs and break them down into palatable, easy- to-understand content for our young students. With colourful and informative infographics, fun in-class games*and* interesting case studies on trending topics like the Olympics, Brexit, the Zika Virus and F1 Racing, our students are not only enthralled in class, but also develop a strong connection and interest in what's happening around them in the real world.
It’s not too early to begin this holiday season - give your child this special gift and start them on their lifelong journey.
And perhaps, if they’ve been exceptionally good this year, throw in that hoverboard as well.
If you are interested to speak with our enrolment specialists about our 2017 programmes, please email enrollment@thelearninglab.com.sg or call us at 6733 8711 and we will be happy to assist.
Classes are filling fast!
If your child is already a student with us, secure your child’s place for the new term by logging on to the PARENT PORTAL to accept the allocated class(es) for your child.