How to Inspire Young Minds Without Sacrificing Your Weekends
How to Inspire Young Minds Without Sacrificing Your Weekends
by Dewi Griffith Ph.D
Hello!
Are you feeling stuck on a fork in the road?
When your children are asking – ‘What are we doing today?’ – how do you stave off the inevitable ‘But it’s the weekend!’
Now, imagine it’s 10 am on a Saturday.
You’re just about to bag yourself an extra couple of hours in bed when the mini-voice in your ear says, ‘Mom. Dad.
What are we doing today?’
It’s not a Herculean task to balance quality family time with young minds nor is it impossible to inspire young people without sacrificing your weekends.
In this blog post, I’ll share some innovative, low-stress ways that you can spend special time with your family and still foster young minds.
Using technology will help you
For starters, it’s the age of the Internet, and these children are more computer-savvy than us.
Instead of fighting against it, use it to your advantage.
There are lots of educational apps available and lots of games that are fun and interactive.
Think about Khan Academy Kids or even Scratch – you can turn screen time into educational time.
This doesn’t mean you have to hover over them at every second.
Why the sky is blue?
Children are naturally curious, and this is a good thing.
The next time your child asks you why the sky is blue, don’t just ignore it.
That’s a good time to open a child-friendly science book.
My daughter and I love The Curious Kid’s Science Book (2013) by Asia Citro because it is filled with experiments you can do with stuff you already have around the house.
Just wait until you see your child’s eyes light up as you experiment together in your kitchen!
The growth mindset – no doubt you’ve heard that phrase a thousand times over by now. In her influential work on the topic, Dr Carol Dweck stresses the importance of developing this mindset in children.
And the secret, she says, is to praise the effort, not the product. Just switch from ‘You’re so smart!’ to ‘You worked so hard on that!’
Inspirational, but not in a po-faced sort of way. Make creativity and fun part of your day. Schedule a ‘creative hour’ once a week for the family. Everyone engages in a project of their choosing. Keep it fun; craft projects to story-telling games: something they enjoy doing, and you.
Children are good modellers.
If you want your children to read and to be curious and to ask questions, make sure you read, that you’re curious and that you ask questions.
Dr Seuss was right when he said, ‘Children want the same things we want – to laugh, to be challenged, to be entertained, to be delighted.’
So there you go!
No need to give up weekends at all – arm yourself with technology, curiosity, a growth mindset, a splash of creativity and a lot of fun.
But most of all, lead by example.
These small tweaks can make all the difference, and your weekends will thank you.
References and Further Reading
References
Citro, A. (2013). The Curious Kid’s Science Book: 100+ Creative Hands-On Activities for Ages 4-8. The Curious Kid Press.
Dweck, C. S. (2006). Mindset: The New Psychology of Success. Random House.
Seuss, Dr. (1990). Oh, the Places You’ll Go!. Random House.
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