Friday, March 6, 2020

How to Help Your Child Learn on a Budget

If you want to help your children learn better, but you don't want to lay out a lot of money, here's some frugal ideas sent to me by a reader.


According to readingeducation.org, "Teaching your child how to learn doesn’t have to be expensive. While you may be tempted to fork out for extra-curricular lessons, there’s no reason why your child needs this type of preparation when you can equip yourself with the skills to teach them at home."

If you want to prepare your child for school, but you can’t afford outside lessons, let’s talk about five tips for helping your child learn on a budget.


1. Take Away Distractions

When it comes to teaching your child on a budget, less is more. You don't need all of those fancy gadgets and teaching paraphernalia. In fact, the fewer distractions your child has, the easier they will be able to focus on the task at hand.

Learn how to remove distractions so that once you have your child’s attention, you can easily keep it. Turn the TV off, and ask your child to put their book away.

2. Utilize Wait Time

One of the best ways to teach your child how to learn at home is to teach them how to wait, and us 'wait time.' This is when you ask your child to pause and not say anything for a couple of seconds after you've asked them a question or said something.

Children take a moment or two to process new information, so it’s essential that they get the time to do so. The quicker they learn how to wait, the better they will be able to absorb what you’re teaching them.

3. Consider a Reading App

There are many different educational apps out there these days that can help with all kinds of different aspects of teaching children how to learn. Perhaps one of the things that children struggle with the most is learning how to read.

If you’re wondering how to help a child struggling with reading, you may want to consider trying a reading ability app. This type of app can help your child learn along the way, and point out where they have made mistakes so that they can correct them.

4. Use Toys as Props

You may not have the budget to purchase all the fancy learning gear that teachers usually have – but when you’re teaching your child how to learn at home, you don’t need it. This is because you’ll have plenty of props you can use in place of these teaching tools, lying around the home.

For example, you can use blocks to help your child solve math problems. You can also use two soft toys to role-play a situational problem.

5. Use Your Imagination

When children are very young, they have a vivid imagination. This means that a lot of the time, they learn things through play. As well as using props that you have found around the house, make the most of their imagination as well to come up with hypothetical situations that they can relate to.

It’s not easy teaching your child how to learn on a budget, but you’d be surprised how little you really need. Check out these helpful tips, and watch as your child thrives in their new learning environment at home